Phosphorus fractionation and mobility in Loch Leven sediments

This paper reports on the application of a chemical fractionation scheme for assessing the amounts, forms and potential mobility (recycling potential) of phosphorus in the sediments of the freshwater Loch Leven, which is currently highly topical in relation to eutrophication and its manifest dense, potentially toxic, blue-green algae. The findings are placed in the context of the biological importance of the loch, the problems it is experiencing and some management options for its restoration. The fractionation scheme adopted enabled quantification of phosphorus in sediment pore water and in sedimentary solid phases classified as ‘loosely-bound’, ‘reductant-soluble’, ‘oxide-adsorbed’, ‘organic’, ‘apatite-bound’ and ‘residual’ in the sections of a 16-cm core collected in January 1990. Vertical profiles of reductant-soluble and pore water phosphorus and iron show redox-controlled remobilization and cycling within the sediment to be the principal mechanisms leading to the surface sediment enrichment of phosphorus observed during the winter months. The association of phosphorus with iron oxyhydroxides in the reductant-soluble fraction, which accounts for 31% of the total phosphorus (2470 mg kg^?1) in the 0–1 cm section compared with 0.5% loosely-bound, 25.6% oxide-adsorbed, 27.9% organic, 9.9% apatite-bound and 5.1% residual, restricts the release of phosphorus to the overlying water column in winter. Extrapolation of the data to the whole loch suggests that in early 1990 more than 40 tonnes of phosphorus were associated with the surfaces of iron oxyhydroxides in the upper 10 cm of Loch Leven sediment, about five times that required to raise loch water concentrations to maxima of 0.15 mg L^?1 observed during the algal blooms of summer under conditions favourable to the release of phosphorus from the sediments. Despite recent measures to reduce external inputs of phosphorus and thereby limit the degree of eutrophication of Loch Leven, there appears to have been little overall change in the inventory of phosphorus associated with iron in the upper 10 cm of sediment since 1970. There should be more detailed seasonal and spatial studies of the chemical fractionation and mobility of phosphorus in Loch Leven sediments to investigate the extent to which release from the reductant-soluble iron oxyhydroxide fraction (internal loading) contributes to the highly elevated phosphorus concentrations in loch water during summer.     

Effect of dietary phosphorus sources and varying levels of supplemental phosphorus on survival,growth and body composition of postlarval shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei)

Two experiments were conducted for 30 days each to investigate the effective phosphorus source and supplemental phosphorus levels for postlarval Litopenaeus vannamei. The first experiment was performed in postlarval shrimp (mean initial wet weight 2 mg) fed four isoenergic and isonitrogenous diets containing three supplemented inorganic phosphorus sources [D1: no supplemental phosphorus, D2: NaH₂PO₄·2H₂O, D3: KH₂PO₄·2H₂O, D4: Ca(H₂PO₄)₂·2H₂O]. The quantities of the three supplemental NaH₂PO₄·2H₂O, KH₂PO₄·2H₂O and Ca(H₂PO₄)₂·2H₂O were 11.6, 12.8 and 10 g kg^?1 of the diet, respectively in order to make the three diets have the same total phosphorus. Growth performance (final mean body weight, FBW; weight gain, WG; specific growth ratio, SGR) of shrimp in D3 treatment was the highest and had significant difference with the D1 treatment. The survival of shrimp in D3 treatment was the highest and had significant difference with the other treatments. The mineral concentration and body composition of shrimp were not significantly different among treatments. We could conclude that KH₂PO₄·2H₂O was the optimal phosphorus source for postlarval L. vannamei from the growth performance and survival. The second experiment was performed in postlarval shrimp (mean initial wet weight 0.88 mg) fed four isoenergic and isonitrogenous diets containing four supplemental KH₂PO₄·2H₂O levels (d1, d2, d3 and d4 with 0, 5, 10 and 20 g kg^?1, respectively). Shrimp in d2 treatment showed the highest growth performance and survival and also showed significant difference with other diet treatments. The whole body content of zinc (Zn) increased with the increase of dietary KH₂PO₄·2H₂O and significant differences were observed when dietary KH₂PO₄·2H₂O reached 5 g kg^?1, excess KH₂PO₄·2H₂O supplementation (10 and 20 g kg^?1) had a negative effect on Zn content, the Zn content significantly decreased when KH₂PO₄·2H₂O was 20 g kg^?1. We can conclude that the amount of total phosphorus in the diet should be maintained between 20.9 and 22.0 g kg^?1, the amount of supplemental KH₂PO₄·2H₂O in the diet is less than 10 g kg^?1.     

Diel movement of bullhead (Cottus perifretum) in a lowland stream

Abstract – Passive integrated transponder tags have been successfully applied in Cottus spp. and have enabled researchers to gather more information about the movement patterns of individual fish in the wild. In two succeeding years during springtime, a portable antenna was used to determine diel movements of bullhead (Cottus perifretum). In 2007, bullhead (N = 26) moved significantly farther distances at night (mean, 0.42 m·h^?1) and dawn (mean, 0.35 m·h^?1) than during daytime (mean, 0.11 m·h^?1; mixed model, P < 0.001, respectively; P = 0.001), which may be due to foraging activities for Gammarus spp. Irrespective of diel period, smaller fish covered significantly longer distances (P = 0.001). In 2008, similar diel movement patterns were observed, but the differentiation between daytime (mean, 0.12 m·h^?1) and night periods (mean, 0.18 m·h^?1) was not significant (mixed model, P = 0.087; N = 49 bullhead). It is discussed that longer tracking intervals used in 2008 (three times per 24‐h instead of every two hours) were not suitable to detect the sheer magnitude of distances covered during a diel period. It is shown that this may be due to ‘site fidelity’ of some individuals: after swimming several metres at night, they returned to the exact location they previously occupied during daytime. In 2008, sex and body size were not related to diel movement. The present study is the first to present a quantitative differentiation between diel distances covered in a Cottus spp.     

Effect of chloride concentration on the acute toxicity of nitrite to common carp, Cyprinus carpio L., fry

Abstract. Duplicate static bioassays were conducted for 168 h each to determine the median lelhal concentration (LC50) of nitrite (NO^?₂) for common carp, Cyprinus carpio L., fry at five different chloride (Cl^?) levels. The acute toxicity of nilrite ceased towards the end of 96 h at all levels of chloride concentration. There was a highly significant positive correlation between the chloride concentration tested and the 96-h LC50. The 96-h LC50 values are 2·55, 5·77, 14·41 27·26 and 48·70 mgl^?1 NO^?₂-N at chloride concentration of 1·0. 5·0, 10·5, 27·3 and 45·0 mgl^?1 Cl^? respectively. The linear relationship between chloride concentration and 96-h LC50 is best described by the equation: y= 1·03x+ 1·49 (r=+ 0·996; d.f. = 3;P <0·001), where y= 96 h LC50 of NO^?₂-N and x= concentration of Cl^?. A NO^?₂-N to Cl^? ratio of about 1:1·5–3·0 prevented complete mortality over the 168-h experimental period. A NO^?₂-N to Cl^? ratio of 1:5 is recommended for protection of carp fry against nilrite mortality in fish farms.     

Trophic stability in an Irish mesotrophic lake: Lough Melvin

• 1. Mesotrophic lakes are a threatened habitat in the United Kingdom (UK), and are specified within the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UKBAP) as requiring protection. Lough Melvin is a large mesotrophic lake that is of particular interest owing to the genetic diversity of its brown trout, but it is currently showing signs of nutrient enrichment.
• 2. In 1990, average lake total phosphorus (TP) was less than 19 µg P L^?1 but increased to 29.5 µg P L^?1 by July 2001. Inflow TP also increased from 34 µg P L^?1 to 41 µg P L^?1 over the same period. Neither phosphorus nor nitrogen appeared to be limiting.
• 3. Despite higher lake TP, annual chlorophyll a did not increase, remaining less than 5 µg L^?1. The phytoplankton was dominated by cyanobacteria and seems to have remained unchanged since the 1950s. Rotifer numbers increased significantly after 2001 but the macro‐zooplankton did not. The absence of a phytoplankton response to P enrichment is attributed to light limitation caused by peat staining and thorough mixing.
• 4. In the catchment, an accelerated programme of clear‐felling began in 1999. Recent changes in the lake are consistent with the known impacts of clear‐felling conifers on peat soils, namely larger P and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) losses. The latter was reflected in a lower Secchi depth and an enhanced microbial food‐web supporting a larger rotifer population.
• 5. It is suggested that, for the purposes of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), Lough Melvin and other large, alkaline but peat‐stained lakes may be treated as a distinct lake type as they do not fit easily into the conventional classifications of dystrophic or mesotrophic lakes.

Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Temperature-dependent activity of brackish water yellow eels, Anguilla anguilla L.

Abstract. Female yellow eels, Anguilla anguilla L., were caught with fyke nets in the brackish water bight Hallangspollen, Norway during 1983 and 1984. Fishing was performed continuously for a variable number of days (defined as the fishing period), and the nets were monitored at uneven intervals during the fishing period. The eel activity, expressed as catch per unit effort (CPUE), was positively correlated (R²= 0·74; P < 0·001) with water temperature (defined as a regression of temperature variation during the fishing period). The multiple regression model of CPUE on water temperature was improved by including the number of fishing days in each fishing period in the regression model (R²= 0·91; P < 0·001). With high fishing efforts the predicted CPUE decreased below that which was predicted by the temperature model alone.     

A census of ponds in Cheshire,North West England

1. Of the 41 564 small water bodies (‘ponds’) identified on Ordnance Survey maps of Cheshire in ca 1870, 61% had disappeared by the early 1990s. 2. Pond loss has taken place across the county and is associated with a number of different replacement land-uses; loss rates are highest in areas of urban development. 3. Using aerial photography, only 45% of extant ponds show areas of open water, many being completely overshaded by trees or with substantial emergent vegetation. 4. The effects of pond loss are now being felt in increasing fragmentation of the total resource; the density of wet ponds over the entire county has fallen from 17.8 km⁻² (ca 1870) to 3.25 km⁻² (1992/93), and the ‘connectedness’ of the pond landscape has been similarly reduced. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Haematological indices are modulated in juvenile carp, Cyprinus carpio L., exposed to microcystins produced by cyanobacterial water bloom

This study evaluated the influence of toxic cyanobacterial water blooms on the blood indices of the common carp, Cyprinus carpio L. Experimental fish were exposed to a natural population of cyanobacterial water blooms (mainly Microcystis aeruginosa and M. ichthyoblabe), which contained microcystins [total concentration 133–284 μg g^?1 (DW), concentration in water 2.8–7.4 μg L^?1]. Haematological indices showed marked changes in fish exposed to the cyanobacterial population in comparison with the control group. Statistical evaluation of the influence of cyanobacterial water blooms on biochemical indices of the juvenile carp showed a distinct decrease in albumin, alanine aminotransferase, total bilirubin, calcium, cholesterol, glucose, phosphorus and iron when compared to controls. Values of red blood counts [haemoglobin, haematocrit (PCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration] and lactate were significantly increased compared to controls. After exposure to cyanobacterial water bloom, the carp were kept in clean water to monitor the persistence of biochemical indices. The influence of cyanobacterial populations on calcium, cholesterol, glucose, lactate, phosphorus and PCV persisted up to 28 days after conclusion of the experiment. Duration of exposure, toxicity and density of cyanobacterial water blooms had an important impact on individual haematological indices.     

A comparison of the effect of dietary fungal phytase and dicalcium phosphate supplementation on growth performances,feed and phosphorus utilization of tra catfish juveniles (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus Sauvage, 1878)

Six isonitrogenous (320 g kg^?1) and isolipidic (60 g kg^?1) diets were formulated with graded levels (0, 5, 10 and 15 g kg^?1) of dicalcium phosphate (DCP) and fungal phytase (750 and 1500 FTU kg^?1 diet). Tra catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus), 9.6 g, were fed the diets for 12 weeks. Each experimental diet was fed to eight replicates of fish to apparent satiation. At the end of the trial, fish fed the diets containing 15 g kg^?1 DCP, 750 and 1500 FTU kg^?1 phytase had higher growth performances, protein efficiency ratio and phosphorus retention than those fed the control diet, 5 g kg^?1 DCP and 10 g kg^?1 DCP diets (P < 0.05). Whole body ash and phosphorus concentration of fish fed the 10 g kg^?1 DCP and 15 g kg^?1 DCP diets were significantly higher than those of fish fed the control diet. Higher apparent digestibility coefficient of phosphorus was observed in fish fed the phytase supplemented diets. The present results indicate that supplementation of phytase at 750 FTU kg^?1 and 1500 FTU kg^?1 improves growth performances, feed and phosphorus utilization. The supplementation can completely replace dicalcium phosphate or other phosphorus sources in tra catfish feed and reduce the phosphorus discharge into environment.     

Repeated reaching of the harmful algal bloom of Karenia spp. around the Pacific shoreline of Kushiro,eastern Hokkaido,Japan, during autumn 2021

Unprecedented large-scale algal blooms were observed during autumn 2021 around the Katsurakoi fishing port, Kushiro, eastern Hokkaido, Japan. Monitoring of shoreline water showed that chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentrations and the cell density of Karenia spp., dominated by Karenia selliformis, repeatedly increased synchronously between September and November 2021. These increases were associated with a southerly wind-driven current, which transported offshore water on the shelf towards the shoreline at the sea surface. The blooms were prolonged as a result of algal accumulation in the semi-closed fishing port. The maximum Chl a concentration and cell density exceeded 50 µg Chl a/L and 10⁴ cells/mL, respectively. During the autumn bloom of Karenia spp., the nitrate?+?nitrite and phosphate concentrations in the water were lower than those in 2019 and 2020, and the silicate concentration was comparable. The ammonium concentration during the bloom was notably higher than before the bloom period, reaching 15 µM. Mass mortality of several fish species and echinoderms that were cultured using rearing water intake from the same shoreline occurred synchronously with the increase in Karenia spp.

     

Cultivation of Gracilaria (Rhodophyta) in shrimp pond effluents in Brazil

Shrimp aquaculture produces a large amount of waste, including nitrogen and phosphorus. To investigate the utilization of those elements as sources of nutrients for the growth of the red seaweed, Gracilaria sp. J. Agardh, an experiment in shrimp pond effluents was carried out over a period of 5 months. The biomass varied significantly (P < 0.01), reaching a maximum of 2540 g m^?2 and a minimum of 380 g m^?2. The mean was 1418 ± 708 g m^?2. The higher biomass values occurred during the first 15 days and sometimes exceeded the initial inoculum by 190%. According to the results, production of 23.93 t ha^?1 year^?1 (dry weight) can be expected. anova showed significant differences in RGR (relative growth rate) values (P < 0.05). RGR varied from 8.8% per day to 1.8% per day. The fluctuation of nutrients was mainly influenced by pond fertilization frequency, with NH₄ being the most abundant nutrient. Correlations between RGR and environmental parameters during the study period were not significant (P > 0.05). We conclude that Gracilaria sp. can be cultivated in shrimp ponds effluents. However, despite this relative success, it is necessary to perform some adjustments regarding the utilized cultivation technique.     

Threadfin shad impacts phytoplankton and zooplankton community structures in channel catfish ponds

Plankton community structure and chlorophyll a concentration were compared in twelve 0.1 ha earthen ponds co‐stocked with channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus Rafinesque, 1818) in a multiple‐batch culture (initial biomass=5458 kg ha^?1) and a planktivore, threadfin shad (Dorosoma petenense Güther, 1867; initial biomass=449 kg ha^?1), during the April–November growing season. We used a completely randomized design in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement to test the planktivore level (presence or absence of threadfin shad) and channel catfish feeding frequency (daily or every third day). Channel catfish were fed a 32% protein feed to apparent satiation on days fed. The presence of threadfin shad affected phytoplankton and zooplankton community structure more than did feeding frequency, and the impact in ponds was more pronounced after 1 July. The numbers of all major groups of zooplankton were lower in ponds with threadfin shad, but were unaffected by the feeding frequency. Chlorophyll a concentration before 1 July was higher in ponds with threadfin shad and unaffected by the feeding frequency, whereas after 1 July it was higher in ponds without threadfin shad and that were fed daily. Phytoplankton community structure after 1 July was dominated by nuisance algal bloom genera of cyanobacteria in ponds without threadfin shad and by Bacillariophyceae in ponds with threadfin shad.     

Phosphorus,total ammonia nitrogen and chlorophyll a from fish cages in a tropical lake (Lake Palminhas,Espirito Santo,Brazil)

Cage fish farming in natural and artificial lakes has become increasingly popular in recent years in tropical countries. The most commonly farmed tropical fish species is the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.). The aim of this study was to characterize the concentration of phosphorus, total ammonia nitrogen and chlorophyll a from existing fish farms (FF) in Lake Palminhas, located in Linhares/ES, Brazil. Three transects were drawn from 0 to 500 m from each of the four FF (FF1 to FF4) in the lake during six trials (three in the rainy season and three in the dry season). The lake presented a monomictic‐hot pattern, with stratification during the rainy season. Dilution of the monitored parameters did not occur sufficient over a distance of up to 500 m from the FF. The location of the FF in the lake and the input of N and P were critical to ensure optimal mixing conditions because the worst results was observed for the fish farm (FF1) located on a finger of the lake, where the highest concentrations of total phosphorus and chlorophyll a occurred. It was also noted that there was possible total phosphorus interference between FF3 and FF4. The results of this study demonstrate that Lake Palminhas had a low dilution power, and these findings may inform environmental assessments of cage fish farming in this region, providing instruments that may support environmental control of cage fish farming.     

The use of anglers' catches to monitor fish populations in large water bodies, with particular reference to the River Derwent, Derbyshire, England

Abstract. Nearly 2000 marked coarse fish of four species were introduced into a stretch in the middle reaches of the River Derwent. Derbyshire, England in an attempt to estimate the fish population size from catch returns. It was estimated that 800 dace, 1975 roach, 1481 chub and 366 bream were present in the reach and the density of the fish population (0·35 fish m^?2) was low. The validity of employing anglers as samplers in a mark-recapture exercise to estimate fish population size in large fisheries is discussed. Angler catch data were collected from angling clubs holding competitions on the Hoveringham Fishery on the lower reaches of the River Derwent over the period 1973/1974 to 1983/1984 to assess the impact of achange in management strategy on the fishery in 1979. Catch rates improved gradually until 1979/1980 when a dramatic increase occurred. This elevated catch rate, in excess of 400 g man-h^?1, was maintained and, in recent years, further enhanced (>500 g man-h^?1). The improvement was the result of a strong year-class of chub entering the catchable cohort and dominating anglers' catches and not the change in management policy.     

Growth,body composition,intestinal enzyme activities and microflora of juvenile Jian carp (Cyprinus carpio var. Jian) fed graded levels of dietary phosphorus

A 9‐week feeding trial was carried out with juvenile Jian carp (Cyprinus carpio var. Jian) to study the effects of dietary phosphorus on growth, body composition, intestinal enzyme activities and microflora. Quadruple groups of juvenile Jian carp (7.17 ± 0.01 g) were fed practical diets containing available phosphorus 1.7 (unsupplemented control), 3.6, 5.5, 7.3, 9.2 and 11.0 g kg^?1 diet to satiation. Feed intake, specific growth ratio and feed efficiency were the lowest in fish fed the basal diet (P < 0.05). Body moisture, protein, lipid content and ash were all significantly affected by dietary available phosphorus levels (P < 0.05). Activities of trypsin, amylase, Na⁺, K⁺‐ATPase, alkaline phosphatase and gamma‐glutamyl transpeptidase were improved with increasing dietary phosphorus levels. Intestinal Aeromonas and Escherichia coli decreased with increasing dietary phosphorus up to 3.6 and 5.5 g kg^?1 diet respectively (P < 0.05), while Lactobacillus increased with the increasing dietary phosphorus up to 9.2 g kg^?1 diet (P < 0.05). These results suggested that phosphorus could enhance intestinal enzyme activities of juvenile Jian carp and the minimum dietary available phosphorus requirement for SGR of juvenile Jian carp (7.2–63.8 g) was 5.2 g kg^?1 diet.     

Sex differences in metabolic rate and swimming performance in pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha): the effect of male secondary sexual traits

Do secondary sexual traits, such as large dorsal hump and hooked snout, decrease the swimming efficiency of male pink salmon during freshwater migration? This is the first study to address the effects of secondary sexual traits in pink salmon on oxygen uptake and swimming capacity. We conducted a laboratory experiment using a swimming respirometer and a field study using electromyogram (EMG) telemetry in the Shibetsu River, Hokkaido, Japan. We compared the relationship between MO₂ (mg O₂·kg^?1·h^?1) and swimming velocity U (m·s^?1) in male and female fish, and also investigated the effects of morphological traits (secondary sexual characters) on the relationship between MO₂ (mg O₂·kg^?1·h^?1) and swimming velocity U (m·s^?1). Additionally, we compared energy costs and swimming behaviour during upstream migration between male and female pink salmon. The laboratory experiment revealed that MO₂ exponentially increased with increasing U; this increase was described by MO₂ = 167.9e^1.23U for males and 144.9e^1.14U for females. Linear mixed models found that hump height and the upper jaw length in males significantly and positively affected the relationship between MO₂ and U; no effect was found in females. The field study found that swimming velocity for both sexes estimated from EMG calibration was lower than optimal swimming velocity (U_opt) calculated from the laboratory experiment. We suggest that pink salmon in the Shibetsu River do not swim at the optimal swimming velocity because of the short migration distance involved (20 km).     

Efficacy of phytase on phosphorus utilization in practical diets fed to striped bass Morone saxatilis

Several experiments were conducted to determine the effects of phytase on dietary phosphorus (P) utilization by striped bass Morone saxatilis fed high phytate diets. The experiments were designed to determine the effectiveness of various dietary levels of a dry or liquid phytase concentrate incorporated in diets to improve the P utilization of striped bass. Fish were fed various basal diets containing over 700 g kg^?1 plant feed ingredients and 4.9–7.1 g kg^?1 P and 1.5–1.7 g kg^?1 non-phytin P. A diet supplemented with potassium monophosphate (PMP) and containing 9 g kg^?1 total P and 6 g kg^?1 non-phytin P with no added phytase was the positive control. The dietary treatments were assigned to duplicate tanks and diets were fed to juvenile striped bass for up to 14 weeks. The effectiveness of the phytase treatments was determined by measuring weight gain, feed conversion, serum, scale and vertebral calcium and P, as well as P absorption. Apparent P absorption was determined using 5 g kg^?1 chromic oxide as an indigestible marker in the diet. In experiment one, significant improvements (P < 0.05) were found in scale and vertebral phosphorus concentrations with 2400 Phytase Units (PU) kg^?1 (PU is the quantity of enzyme which liberates one micromole of inorganic P per minute from 0.015 tool L^?1 sodium phytate at 37°C and pH 5.5) added to the diet. In experiment two, significant differences were observed between serum phosphorus in the phytase and no-phytase groups, while there were no differences between the positive control (PMP supplemented) and the phytase-treated fish. It was concluded that 2400 PU kg^?1 of enzyme resulted in bone mineralization and serum phosphorus concentrations equal to that observed with 13 g kg^?1 dietary PMP addition (9 g kg^?1 total P).     

Dietary phosphorus requirement of juvenile Chinese sucker,Myxocyprinus asiaticus

A growth trial was conducted to estimate the optimum requirement of dietary available phosphorus (P) for Chinese sucker juveniles. Triplicate groups of juveniles Chinese sucker (initial mean weight: 1.77 ± 0.02 g, mean ± SD) were fed diets containing graded levels (3.1, 5.3, 7.5, 9.6 and 11.8 g kg^?1) of available phosphorus. The basal diet (diet 1), containing 3.1 g kg^?1 available P, was supplemented with graded levels of monocalcium phosphate to formulate four experimental diets. The fish were fed twice daily (08:00 and 17:00 h) to satiation for 8 weeks. During the experimental period, the water temperature fluctuated from 27.5 to 30.5 °C and dissolved oxygen was more than 6 mg L^?1. The specific growth rate, protein efficiency ratio were all significantly increased by dietary available phosphorus up to 7.5 g kg^?1 (P < 0.05) and then levelled off beyond this level. Feed conversion ratio significantly decreased with dietary available phosphorus level up to 7.5 g kg^?1 (P < 0.05). Dietary treatments did not significantly affect feed intake (P > 0.05). Efficiency of phosphorus (P) utilization significantly decreased with dietary available phosphorus level (P < 0.05). Body composition analysis showed that the whole‐body lipid, ash, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium (Mg), zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) contents were all significantly affected by dietary available P concentration (P < 0.05); however, no significance were found for manganese (Mn) concentration and calcium/phosphorus (Ca/P) ratios in whole‐body among all the treatments (P > 0.05). Dietary phosphorus levels also significantly affected the mineralization of vertebrae and scale (P < 0.05), and Ca/P ratios in scale were not influenced by dietary P supplementation, while vertebrae Ca/P ratio decreased with dietary available P levels (P < 0.05) (quadratic effect, P < 0.001). Signs of phosphorus deficiency were characterized by poor growth, slightly reduced mineralization and an increase in body lipid content. The blood chemistry analysis showed that dietary available P had distinct effects on enzyme activities of alkaline phosphatase, as well as contents of triacyglycerol and total cholesterol (P < 0.05). Broken‐line analysis based on weight gain indicated the minimum available phosphorus requirement for the optimal growth of juvenile Chinese sucker was 7.4 g kg^?1. Based on the phosphorus content in whole body, vertebrae or scale indicated that the requirements were 8.3, 8.8 and 8.6 g kg^?1 respectively.     

Effects of feeding frequency and dietary protein levels on juvenile allogynogenetic gibel carp (Carassius auratus gibelio) var. CAS III: growth,feed utilization and serum free essential amino acids dynamics

A 8 week growth trial of three feeding frequencies (2, 4 and 6 meals day^?1) and three dietary protein levels (30%, 34% and 38%) was conducted to investigate the influence of feeding frequency and dietary protein level on growth, feed utilization, serum free essential amino acids (EAA) dynamics and nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), carbon (C) retention in juvenile allogynogenetic gibel carp (Carassius auratus gibelio) ‘CAS III’. The results showed that feeding frequency and dietary protein level increased feed intake (FI), specific growth rate (SGR) and feed efficiency (FE). SGR increased significantly with the increase in feeding frequency and dietary protein level. But, the increase in dietary protein level from 30% to 38% in group 6 meals day^?1 did not result in better growth. Compared with the group of 4 meals day^?1 × 38%, the fish fed the diet containing 30% crude protein at 6 meals day^?1 obtained similar SGR but showed lower FIp (protein intake). Compared with 2 meals day^?1, NREs (nitrogen retention efficiency) of 4 and 6 meals day^?1 were relatively higher. PRE (phosphorus retention efficiency) and CRE (carbon retention efficiency) increased significantly with feeding frequency while TNW (total nitrogen waste output), TPW (total phosphorus waste output) and TCW (total carbon waste output) decreased significantly. Feeding frequency and dietary protein level increased trypsin activity. Serum free EAA concentrations varied more synchronously at 6 meals day^?1 than 2 meals day^?1. It could be concluded that increasing feeding frequency could improve growth by increasing feed intake and feed efficiency for juvenile gibel carp. The increase in feeding frequency showed protein‐sparing effect.     

Towards sustainable exhibits – application of an inorganic fertilization method in coral reef fish larviculture in an aquarium

Coral reef fish are collected from the wild and exhibited in aquaria worldwide. Some of the fish spawn in captivity; however, the eggs are usually neglected. In this study, we collected the eggs spawned naturally in the exhibit tanks, hatched and cultured them indoor in 2000‐L fibreglass tanks (initial density = 18 000 egg tank^?1). We applied an inorganic fertilization method commonly used in freshwater fish culture in raising these coral reef fish larvae. We maintained inorganic phosphorus concentration at 100 μg P L^?1 and inorganic nitrogen at 700 μg N L^?1 daily in the fertilized group (n = 4), while the control tanks (n = 4) were fed with rotifers (10 ind mL^?1). Chlorophyll a at particle sizes of both 0.45–20 μm and >20 μm, as well as NH₃‐N, NO₃‐N, and PO₄‐P concentrations were significantly higher in the fertilized group than the control. Zooplankton in the size groups of 10–50 μm (mainly flagellates) and 50–100 μm (mainly ciliates) were abundant (about 10~60 ind mL^?1) during 3–7 days in fertilized tanks. The average larval fish survival rate at 21 day after hatch in fertilized group was consistently higher than the control in two trials. The experiments demonstrated that the inorganic fertilization approach can be successfully adapted for coral reef fish culture in an aquarium to achieve sustainable exhibits.