Comparison of yeast and algal diets for bivalve molluscs

Four species of bivalve molluscs were fed diets consisting of varying proportions of the yeast Candida utilis and the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana. Juvenile Argopecten irradians, Mercenaria mercenaria, and Mytilus edulis grew as fast or faster than controls when fed diets containing as much as 50% yeast. Growth of soft tissue in Crassostrea virginica, however, decreased with the amount of yeast in the diet. The relative food values of the different diets were not closely correlated with gross chemical composition or amino acid composition.