Diet influences survival and growth of intensively reared larval saugeye ( Sander vitreus × Sander canadensis )

Abstract We evaluated the performance of five commercial microstarter diets (Otohime, Gemma Micro, Gemma Wean, Optimal Starter, and Omega One Fry) fed to first feeding larval saugeye Sander vitreus  ×  Sander canadensis . Triplicate tanks of 2500 larvae (initial weight: 2.6 ± 0.6 mg) were stocked at 4 days post‐hatch (DPH) and fed treatment diets for 4 weeks. Fish were randomly sampled each week to monitor growth and development. Superior growth performance was observed in fish fed Otohime and Gemma Micro and was statistically significant as early as 13 DPH. At the conclusion of the trial, fish fed Otohime and Gemma Micro were approximately 3.6 times heavier than fish fed Gemma Wean and Optimal Starter. Survival was highest in fish fed Otohime (39.7% ± 7.1%), with Gemma Micro performing second best (14.1% ± 3.3%). Survival of fish fed Omega One Fry was too low for analysis (0.70 ± 1.1). Incidence of deformity among the dietary treatments ranged from 0% to 10.7%, primarily manifesting as a malformation of the jaw. Our results highlight the importance of diet for successfully raising saugeye through the larval/juvenile stage, and provide key information for this critical bottleneck in percid culture.