PARTIAL REPLACEMENT OF ARTEMIA SP. BY THE BRACKISHWATER CLADIOCERAN, DIAPHANOSOMA-CELEBENSIS (STINGELIN), IN THE LARVAL REARING OF SEA BASS, LATES-CALCARIFER (BLOCH)

A feed experiment was conducted to test the brackishwater cladoceran, Diaphanosoma celebensis, as a partial or complete substitute for Artem ia in the larval rearing of the sea bass, Lates carifer. The cladocera n was fed either alone or in combination with Artemia to 15-day old se a bass larvae (5.6 mm SL, 2.7 mg wet BW) reared at 15 ppt salinity. Gr oups fed Artemia alone were reared at 15 and 32 ppt salinity levels. A fter 15 days of rearing, the survival (95-99%), observed mortality (0. 8- 1.2%) and apparent loss due to cannibalism (0.2-4. 1%) did not diff er significantly among treatments. The specific growth rates of fish f ed only Artemia (18.7-19.1%/day) and combined Artemia+Diaphanosma (18. 7%/day) were significantly higher than that of fish fed only Diaphanos oma (16.3%/day). Diaphanosoma had higher crude protein and crude fat c ontents than Artemia but the percentage of n-3 highly unsaturated fatt y acids, particularly 20:5n3 and 22:6n3, was lower than in Artemia. Re sults indicated the potential of Diaphanosoma as a partial substitute for Artemia in the larval rearing of sea bass at 15 ppt salinity.