A comparison of artificial and natural foods and their combinations in the rearing of goldfish, Carassius auratus (L.)

Intensive grow‐out of goldfish, Carassius auratus (L.), larvae and juveniles in closed systems requires the control of environmental conditions and feeding. This study investigates the use of different types of live food and combinations of live food and dry food in a series of four rearing experiments. Juvenile goldfish can be weaned from Artemia onto live food at about 24 days after the onset of feeding without causing a reduction in growth and survival. The replacement of Artemia by Daphnia at day 10 appears feasible, as growth and survival were not significantly affected. Fish fed decapsulated Artemia cysts grew better than fish fed live Artemia. Within the first 14 days, goldfish juveniles should be fed at least 155 cysts per fish per day to achieve fast growth and to minimize size variation.