River flooding and reproduction of migratory fish species in the Magdalena River basin,Colombia

Jiménez‐Segura LF, Palacio J, Leite R. River flooding and reproduction of migratory fish species in the Magdalena River basin, Colombia.
Ecology of Freshwater Fish 2010: 19: 178–186. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S Abstract – In most tropical rivers subject to a single‐yearly flooding, migratory fish usually spawn in the onset of the flooding and larvae drift to their nursery habitats. To define when the migratory fish species reproduce, its relationship with the water level and when nursery areas in floodplain lakes are supplied with ichthyoplankton in the Magdalena River, a two‐yearly peak flooding river, we sampled the ichthyoplankton weekly throughout 2 years. The fish species Pseudoplatystoma magdaleniatum, Prochilodus magdalenae, Leporinus muyscorum, Sorubim cuspicaudus and Curimata mivartii spawn twice a year in the main channel and its larvae input into the floodplain lakes are not always associated with flooding. Spawning in the main channel and larvae inputs into the floodplain lakes suggest that the habitat used by the migratory fishes may be consistent with some hypotheses on habitats used by these fishes.     

Seasonal dynamics and age structure of drifting cyprinid fishes: an interspecific comparison

Abstract –  We investigated interspecific differences in the downstream drift of seven species of young-of-the-year cyprinids over a 2-year period in two central European rivers, using a comparison of drifting fish with fish collected from nurseries at the same time and the same site as the drift samples. Species varied in the utilisation of the drift; Rutilus rutilus , Gobio spp., Abramis brama and Carassius auratus gibelio drifted abundantly, while Leuciscus cephalus and Alburnus alburnus were abundant in nurseries, but drifted at low densities. Abramis bjoerkna was equally represented among drifting and resident fish. Generally, fish drifted at two major developmental intervals; L3 stage and the stage at transition between larval and juvenile periods (L6/Juv), with interspecific differences in the ontogenetic timing of drifting. The propensity to drifting of certain developmental stages was also reflected in body size comparisons between drifting and resident fish. The stage-dependent drifting may be attributed to major changes in fish morphology, behaviour and swimming ability.     

Effects of stocked trout on native fish communities in boreal foothills lakes

Nasmith LE, Tonn WM, Paszkowski CA, Scrimgeour GJ. Effects of stocked trout on native fish communities in boreal foothills lakes.
Ecology of Freshwater Fish 2010: 19: 279–289. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S Abstract – Ecological effects of stocking nonnative trout into lakes are receiving increased attention, especially in alpine environments. We assessed effects of stocked trout on native forage fishes in the boreal foothills of Alberta (Canada) by comparing fish density, population size structure and spatial and temporal activities in stocked and unstocked lakes over 3 years (2005–2007). The numerically dominant dace (primarily Phoxinus spp.) were larger in stocked lakes, consistent with size‐limited predation. Dace were also more crepuscular and concentrated on the lake‐bottom in stocked lakes, compared to more daytime activity in the water column in unstocked lakes. There were, however, no demonstrable effects of trout on the abundance of forage fish. The lack of major population‐level impacts of stocked trout suggests that current stocking practices, characteristics of boreal foothill lakes (e.g. thermal structure, abundant invertebrates, dense macrophytes) and/or behavioural adjustments of forage fish contribute to healthy native fish populations in our stocked lakes.     

Assessing vulnerability of New Zealand lakes to loss of conservation value from invasive fish impacts

相似文献   

The importance of spatial scales to analysis of fish diversity in Amazonian floodplain lakes and implications for conservation

The Amazon River Basin has the highest fish species diversity of any region in the world, but is under threat from anthropogenic perturbations including overharvesting, alien species and drought. We asked whether species diversity in this region is more a function of within‐lake species richness (i.e., α diversity) or differences among lakes (β diversity). Although many studies have reported on species richness and diversity in single habitats, the importance of measuring diversity at different spatial scales is not yet well established. We collected fish in 10 floodplain lakes along the Solimões River (Brazil), divided evenly between two lake types: those on islands in the river channel (island lakes) and those on the margins of the river (coastal lakes) during 2006. We partitioned fish diversity into three spatial scales: α = within each lake; β₁ = among lakes of the same type (coastal or island) and β₂ = between the two types of lakes, and compared their relative contributions to regional (γ) diversity. β₁ + β₂ contributed as much or more to γ diversity than did α. Although many of the 116 fish species were shared between lake types (S = 72), 32 species were found exclusively in coastal lakes and 12 species were found exclusively in island lakes. Coastal lakes, which were deeper and cooler than island lakes, consistently had higher fish species richness than island lakes. We suggest that it will be necessary to set areas large enough to contain multiple lakes of both types to preserve regional fish diversity.     

Changes in the fish species composition of all Austrian lakes >50 ha during the last 150 years

Abstract  The fish communities of all Austrian natural lakes ( n  = 43) larger than 50 ha in surface area were assessed and the historical fish communities in c . 1850 were reconstructed. During the last 150 years, the fish communities of Austrian lakes have altered: in 49% of lakes at least one indigenous fish species, usually sensitive or small-bodied taxa, is now missing. Conversely, in all but one of the 43 lakes the number of fish species has increased. In particular, certain fish species of interest to angling and commercial fisheries now occur in more lakes. Generalised linear models were used to identify variables that would explain the loss of fish species using categories of lake use (ranking score). The category human population density around the lakes seemed to be one of the main causes for the loss of fish species.     

Functional response and size‐dependent foraging on aquatic and terrestrial prey by brown trout (Salmo trutta L.)

Gustafsson P, Bergman E, Greenberg LA. Functional response and size‐dependent foraging on aquatic and terrestrial prey by brown trout (Salmo trutta L.).Ecology of Freshwater Fish 2010: 19: 170–177. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S Abstract – Terrestrial invertebrate subsidies are believed to be important energy sources for drift‐feeding salmonids. Despite this, size‐specific use of and efficiency in procuring this resource have not been studied to any great extent. Therefore, we measured the functional responses of three size classes of wild brown trout Salmo trutta (0+, 1+ and ≥2+) when fed either benthic‐ (Gammarus sp.) or surface‐drifting prey (Musca domestica) in laboratory experiments. To test for size‐specific prey preferences, both benthic and surface prey were presented simultaneously by presenting the fish with a constant density of benthic prey and a variable density of surface prey. The results showed that the functional response of 0+ trout differed significantly from the larger size classes, with 0+ fish having the lowest capture rates. Capture rates did not differ significantly between prey types. In experiments when both prey items were presented simultaneously, capture rate differed significantly between size classes, with larger trout having higher capture rates than smaller trout. However, capture rates within each size class did not change with prey density or prey composition. The two‐prey experiments also showed that 1+ trout ate significantly more surface‐drifting prey than 0+ trout. In contrast, there was no difference between 0+ and ≥2+ trout. Analyses of the vertical position of the fish in the water column corroborated size‐specific foraging results: larger trout remained in the upper part of the water column between attacks on surface prey more often than smaller trout, which tended to seek refuge at the bottom between attacks. These size‐specific differences in foraging and vertical position suggest that larger trout may be able to use surface‐drifting prey to a greater extent than smaller conspecifics.     

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.     

Effects of insecticide Thiodan® on the morphology and quantification of ovarian follicles in lambaris Astyanax bimaculatus (Linnaeus, 1758) in different treatments

Thiodan^® is an insecticide which can cause morphological changes in fish tissues, dependent on the concentration. To investigate possible morphological changes, this study evaluated the number and diameter of ovarian follicles in lambaris Astyanax bimaculatus exposed to Thiodan^® for 96 h in different treatments at three sub‐lethal concentrations: 1.15, 2.3 and 5.6 μg L^?1 and a control group without Thiodan^®. Females exposed to Thiodan^® were divided into four treatments: (i) without acclimation and without food, (ii) without acclimation and with food, (iii) with acclimation for 10 days and without food; (iv) with acclimation for 10 days and with food. In this study, it was noted that the action of Thiodan^® at sub‐lethal concentrations in a static system did not affect the morphology of follicular development. However, the treatments with acclimation showed lower numbers of primary and secondary follicles when compared to fish from treatments without acclimation. For the groups exposed to Thiodan^®, a greater number of atretic follicles were observed compared to the control groups. The follicular diameter of secondary follicles in fish exposed to Thiodan^® in the treatment with acclimation and with food was highest in the control group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the mean gonadosomatic (GSI) and hepatosomatic (HSI) indices of treatments with acclimation were lower than those for treatments without acclimation. These data suggest that the fish may be being affected by the pesticide to which the fish were submitted, and may cause impairment to the follicular development.     

Habitat distribution of fish in late summer: changes along a nutrient gradient in Danish lakes

Abstract – The horizontal distribution of fish in lakes varies with species, age, predation risk, vegetation coverage and water clarity. Although sporadic data are available for specific lakes, little is known about how habitat distribution generally changes along a gradient in nutrients and clarity. Here we analyse littoral and pelagic fish catch data for 34 Danish lakes (covering 94 lake years) with contrasting total phosphorus (TP) concentrations and mean depth levels (but mainly eutrophic and shallow). Electrofishing was conducted during day along the shore or along the edge of the reed belt if such existed. Gill nets were set overnight for 18 h in open water. We calculated a littoral proportion as: LITPRO = (100 × number caught by electrofishing in the near‐shore area)/(number caught by electrofishing in the near‐shore area and nets in the open water). At all summer TP concentrations LITPRO was high for several ‘littoral’ species such as gudgeon (Gobio gobio), rudd (Scardinius erythrophtalmus) and pike (Esox lucius) and low for more typical pelagic species like pikeperch (Sander lucioperca), ruffe (Gymnocephalus cernuus) and smelt (Osmerus eperlanus). However, for many of these species including the dominant roach (Rutilus rutilus) and perch (Perca fluviatilis) LITPRO increased with TP or lake water chlorophyll a (CHLA) for fish >10 cm, suggesting a more littoral distribution with increasing turbidity. Exceptions are pikeperch and bream (Abramis brama). For bream, LITPRO increased significantly with mean lake depth only. For fish ≤10 cm LITPRO showed only a weak relationship to TP, CHLA or depth. In accordance with the TP‐dependent distribution, major changes occurred in the fish community structure during the monitoring period following nutrient loading reduction. A comparison of LITPRO from the first part of the monitoring period (1989–1993) with a subsequent period (1997–2003) for four abundant species showed a significant decline in LITPRO over time for large‐ and small‐sized roach and perch and large rudd. This suggests a fast response in fish distribution to improved water quality. It further demonstrates that fish monitoring in lakes should cover both littoral and pelagic habitats to describe the recovery process.     

Preliminary study on effects of methionine hydroxy analog and taurine supplementation in a soy protein concentrate‐based diet on the biological performance and amino acid composition of rainbow trout [Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum)]

A feeding trial was conducted on the effects of methionine hydroxy analog (MHA) and taurine supplementation in diets with high levels of soy protein concentrate (SPC) on the growth performance and amino acid composition of rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum) comparing with fish meal based diet. The control diet had 520 g kg^?1 fish meal. In the methionine deficient diets (5.1 g kg^?1), fish meal was replaced by 490 g kg^?1 of the SPC in the SPC49 diet. The SPC49 diet was supplemented with either MHA (6 g kg^?1) only or a combination of MHA and taurine (2 g kg^?1). Fish were fed isoproteic (460 g kg^?1) and isolipidic (130 g kg^?1) diets for 12 weeks. Growth performance (i.e. weight, feed conversion ratio, and thermal‐unit growth coefficient) was inferior in fish fed the SPC49 diet. MHA supplementation improved growth performance (P < 0.05). No difference was observed when taurine was added to the SPC49 and MHA diet (P > 0.05). Whole‐body taurine contents increased with taurine supplementation, whereas plasma methionine increased with MHA supplementation (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the substitution of fish meal with SPC supplemented with MHA did not negatively impact growth, and the addition of taurine did not improve growth performance in rainbow trout.     

Antibody-coated gold nanoparticles immunoassay for direct detection of Aeromonas salmonicida in fish tissues

Aeromonas salmonicida is the causative agent of furunculosis, a disease that affects both salmonid and non‐salmonid fish. Detection of A. salmonicida can be labour intensive and time consuming because of the difficulties in distinguishing the bacterium from other species given the wide variety of existing biochemical profiles and the slow growth characteristics which allow other organisms to overgrow the A. salmonicida. Herein, we report the development of a specific immunoassay using gold‐conjugated polyclonal antibodies for the rapid detection of A. salmonicida in fish tissues. Monodispersible 13‐nm gold nanoparticles were coated with polyclonal antibodies specific to A. salmonicida. Reddish purple agglutination of gold particles indicated the presence of A. salmonicida in samples. Positive reactions were detected visually with the naked eye. No agglutination was observed when A. salmonicida antibody‐coated gold nanoparticles were tested with other common bacterial fish pathogens, thereby verifying the specificity of the assay. The assay could detect A. salmonicida in fish tissues down to 1 × 10⁴ CFU mL^?1, and results were obtained within 45 min. The antibody‐coated gold nanoparticles were stable for at least 2 months at 4°C. The immunoassay using antibody‐coated gold nanoparticles represents a promising tool for the rapid and specific detection of A. salmonicida in fish tissues.     

Temperature modulates liver lipid accumulation in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) fed low dietary levels of long‐chain n‐3 fatty acids

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) were fed five graded levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n‐3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n‐3), from 1.4 to 5.2% of total fatty acids (FA, 5–17 mg kg^?1 feed), and grew from ~160 g to ~3000 g, with the period from 1450 g onwards conducted both at 6 °C and at 12 °C. All fish appeared healthy, and there were no diet‐related differences in haematological or plasma parameters, as well as intestinal histological or gut microbiota analysis. Fish reared at 6 °C had higher accumulation of storage lipids in the liver compared to fish reared at 12 °C. Liver lipids also increased with decreasing dietary EPA + DHA at 6 °C, while there was no such relationship at 12 °C. Gene expression of SREBP1 and 2, LXR, FAS and CPT1 could not explain the differences in liver lipid accumulation. In liver polar lipids, DHA was found to be reduced when dietary EPA + DHA was <2.7% of FAs, while the level of EPA in the membranes was not affected. In conclusion, reducing dietary EPA + DHA from 5.2 to 1.4% of total FAs had a minor impact on fish health. Temperature was the factor that most affected the liver lipid accumulation, but there was also an interaction with dietary components.     

Use of MS‐222 (tricaine methanesulfonate) and propofol (2,6‐diisopropylphenol) as anaesthetics for the tetra Astyanax altiparanae (Teleostei,Characidae)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the anaesthetic effect of MS‐222 and propofol and determine their optimal concentrations for safe handling of the tetra Astyanax altiparanae in the laboratory. The fish were separated by length into three classes: I (1.5–5.0 cm), II (5.1–8.0 cm) and III (greater than 8.1 cm). Pilot tests were performed to evaluate the appropriate anaesthetic concentrations for inducing the five possible anaesthetic stages: I – sedation; II – light anaesthesia; III – deep anaesthesia; IV – surgical anaesthesia; and V – spinal collapse. After defining the maximum and minimum concentrations required to induce stage IV anaesthesia, the animals were exposed to five intermediate concentrations (n = 10 fish/concentration) of each anaesthetic for 15 min. The animals were then transferred to clean water to evaluate the time required for recovery. In addition, blood glucose levels were measured for class II and class III fish subjected to the previously defined ideal concentrations for each of the tested anaesthetics (n = 10 fish/treatment). Both evaluated substances are suitable to anaesthetize A. altiparanae. The optimal MS‐222 concentration was 90 mg L^?1, and this result was similar for all three size classes. The optimal propofol concentrations for inducing surgical anaesthesia in the size classes I, II and III were 0.22, 0.23 and 0.27 respectively.     

Replacing fish meal with increasing levels of meat and bone meal,soybean meal and corn gluten meal,in diets of juvenile bluegill,Lepomis macrochirus

A 60‐day study was conducted to determine the response of juvenile bluegill Lepomis macrochirus to seven experimental diets, formulated using a blend of alternative protein sources as a replacement for fish meal. Adequate levels (digestible basis) of energy, protein and amino acids were maintained in diets 1–6, whereas slightly lower protein and energy levels were provided in diet 7. Feed cost per tonne ranged from $ 798.9 (diet 1, 550 g Kg^?1 fish meal) to $ 515.8 (diet 6, 0 g kg^?1 fish meal), or to $ 507.2 (diet 7, 0 g Kg^?1 fish meal). Three commercial diets were included in the study as reference diets: a high‐energy and a low‐energy trout diet, as well as a catfish diet. Quintuplicate bluegill groups (~22 g, n = 10 fish group^?1) were fed the experimental diets twice daily to apparent satiation. No major differences in feed consumption, feed efficiency and growth rates were detected among the bluegill groups fed the experimental diets. Trout diets generally produced higher fish fat deposition, whereas the catfish diet produced a poorer fish growth rate relative to the experimental diets. Under the reported conditions, results indicate diet 6, comprising predominantly soybean meal and porcine meat and bone meal, to be the most economical diet for juvenile bluegill.     

Effect of replacing fish meal with soybean meal and of DL‐methionine or lysine supplementation in pelleted diets on growth and nutrient utilization of juvenile golden pompano (Trachinotus ovatus)

The experiment was conducted to determine the effect of dietary DL‐methionine addition in fish meal reduction diet for juvenile golden pompano (Trachinotus ovatus). The trial comprises the following of 11 diet treatments. (i) D1 diet as the standard was formulated with fish meal as the main protein source. (ii) D2–D5 diets were formulated to replace fish meal with soybean meal at 60, 120, 180 and 300 g kg^?1, respectively, and the amino acid profiles (including methionine and lysine) of D2–D5 were referred to the amino acid profile of D1. (iii) D6‐D9 diets were the same as D2–D5, respectively, but without methionine supplementation. (iv) D10 and D11 diets were the same as D3 and D5 diets, respectively, but without lysine supplementation. Each diet was randomly fed to groups of 20 fish (initial average weight about 18 g) per net cage (1.0 × 1.0 × 1.5 m) in triplicate and the feeding experiment lasted for 56 days. Weight gain (WG, %) and final body weight (FBW, g) of fish fed D3 diet were significantly higher than those of fish fed D8 and D9 diets (P < 0.05), but without significant differences with fish fed other diets (P > 0.05). Feed conversion ratio (FCR) of D3, D4 and D5 diet treatments were significantly lower than that of D11 diet treatment (P < 0.05), but without significant difference with other diet treatments (P > 0.05). Whole‐body protein contents of fish fed D3–D5 were significantly higher than those of fish fed D7–D9 (P < 0.05), but without significant differences with fish fed other diets (P > 0.05). In conclusion, the replacement of fish meal by soybean meal could reach 300 g kg^?1 without detrimental but profitable effect on growth and survival when enough methionine and lysine were supplemented in the diet; moreover, lysine is not the first‐limiting amino acid relative to methionine for juvenile T. ovatus from the present growth and proximate composition results.     

Hydrolysed fish protein concentrate (FPC) reduces viscera mass in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) fed plant‐protein‐based diets

Atlantic salmon fed diets devoid of fishmeal but added 0.5 g  kg^?1 fish protein concentrate (FPC) showed reduced growth and lipid deposition without affecting protein accretion as compared to fish fed a fishmeal‐based control diet. The aim of the current study was to assess whether higher inclusion of FPC improved the growth and lipid deposition of Atlantic salmon (initial body weight 380 g) fed high plant protein diets. Quadruplicate groups of fish were fed diets containing 200 g kg^?1 fishmeal of which was replaced with FPC (150, 112, 75, 38 and 0 g kg^?1) for a period of 79 days. The rest of the diet protein was a mixture of plant proteins. The lipid source used was fish oil. A fishmeal‐based diet was included as a positive control for growth performance. None of the test diets differed from the positive control‐fed fish in voluntary feed intake, growth performance or nutrient accretion. Thus, the test diets were found appropriate to assess the effect of FPC inclusion. Replacement of fishmeal with increasing concentration of FPC did not affect voluntary feed intake (P = 0.56), but growth performance decreased (P = 0.02) resulting in an increased feed conversion ratio (P = 0.003). Viscerosomatic index decreased as diet FPC inclusion increased (P = 0.012) without affecting the dress out weight (P = 0.08). Thus, the apparently improved growth in fish fed the diets with the low FPC inclusion was because of a higher visceral mass. Possible reasons for the reduced visceral mass following addition of FPC to high plant protein diets are discussed.     

Digestibility of energy,lipids and fatty acids of vegetable oils and poultry fat by pacu Piaractus mesopotamicus (Holmberg 1887)

Evaluation of vegetable oils and poultry fat digestibility is the first step to elicit their use in aquafeeds. This work aimed at determining apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) of energy, lipids and fatty acids of oil sources for pacu, a widely farmed neotropical Characin. A semipurified, omnivorous fish diet (344.2 g kg^?1 crude protein; 18.16 MJ kg^?1 gross energy) was used as reference diet. Test diets were obtained by adding 2 g kg^?1 chromium III oxide and replacing 15 g kg^?1 reference diet with fish, soybean, colza, corn and flaxseed oils and poultry fat. Juvenile pacu (64 ± 10.8 g; 14.6 ± 1.1 cm) were fed to apparent satiety, four times a day, and then transferred to cylindrical–conical aquaria for collection of faeces by sedimentation (n = 3). Apparent digestibility coefficients of energy and lipids were high for all tested oils (P > 0.05); ADCs of saturated fatty acid (SFA) were lower than monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA). Essential fatty acids (18:2n‐6 and 18:3n‐3) had high ADC (>93%), colza oil and poultry fat yielding the lowest ADC for 18:2n‐6 (P = 0.01) and 18:3n‐3 (P < 0.01), respectively. Corn oil, soybean oil and flaxseed oil were interesting sources of 18:2n‐6 and 18:3n‐3 dietary fatty acids for pacu.     

Release of nutrient from fish food and effects on Microcystis aeruginosa growth

This study aimed to explore the relationship between Microcystis aeruginosa growth and nutrients released from fish food, which mainly simulates the effect of uneaten food on algae growth and water quality variables during aquaculture activities. Fish food (0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5 and 1 g dosages tested) of different grain sizes (original; 0.147 ≤ d ≤ 0.85 mm; d ≤ 0.147 mm) was added each into M‐II culturing medium (nitrogen and phosphorus absent). During the experimental running period, the concentrations of total phosphorus (TP), orthophosphate phosphorus (PO₄^3?‐P), total nitrogen and ammonia‐nitrogen (NH₄⁺‐N) increased significantly with increasing fish food dosages regardless of their grain sizes. Furthermore, grain size had a negligible effect on nutrient release from fish food with the same dosage. Based on the above experiment, M. aeruginosa was introduced into the culturing media at different dosages (nitrogen and phosphorus absent) with 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.5 g fish food to assess algae growth characteristics. Algae cell density significantly increased with the dosage ranging from 0 to 0.2 g. NH₄⁺‐N and PO₄^3?‐P were the main fractions of available nutrients used by M. aeruginosa in the fish food. In comparison to the growth dynamics of algae in M‐II culturing medium, the lag phase for M. aeruginosa in the presence of fish food extended significantly when calculating the time from the addition of fish food and insignificantly when the time for nutrient release from fish food was excluded.