Food intake and growth in reared early juvenile cuttlefish Sepia officinalis L-(Mollusca Cephalopoda)

Experimental rearing of juvenile cuttlefish was carried out in a semi-close d system for 40 days at 19 degrees C. Different quantities of live food wer e offered to isolated animals. The actual ingestion rate was enhanced by th e amount of food offered, this tendency decreasing with age. Frozen food wa s ingested at the same rate, but was less effective than live food for grow th. The quantity of food ingested during the first 20-30 days of life seems to affect further growth, especially weight increase. Aspartate transcarba mylase activity appeared to be a good indicator for the early phase of grow th (first 20-30 days) which is likely due to hyperplasy, and moreover for p redicting future growth. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved .