Food consumption, growth and respiration of sole, Solea solea (L.), during early ontogeny in a hatchery environment

Three components of the energy budget, consumption (C), respiration (R) and growth (G). were measured in larval and early juvenile sole (77 μg to 7.2 mg dry weight) kept under controlled temperature (15^oC), light (photoperiod 18 h at 800 lux) and food (Artemici salina. 5 ind ml^-1) conditions. The increase in body weight with age is described by the growth function W_t= 51.9 e^0143t, where t is time in days from hatching. W_t is weight (ug dry wt) at time t, 51.9 is the estimate of larval weight at hatching (Wo) and 0.143 is the instantaneous growth coefficient. Daily food consumption (C, in ug dry wtday”¹ ind^-1) increased with body weight (W, in ug dry wt) according to the allometric function, C = 1.852W^0.852. Low routine oxygen consumption (R, in nl 0₂ h^-1 ind^-1) was best described in relation to body weight by the allometric equation R = 1.47W^0.975 By using the above growth and allometric functions and by converting G, C and R into their energetic equivalents (joules day^-1 ind^-1), the changes in assimilation efficiency (K₁) and gross growth efficiency (K₁) during ontogeny could be modelled.