Abstract
Six experimental diets for juvenile sea cucumbers Apostichopus japonicus were evaluated and compared with current commercial diets. Sea cucumbers (50 per tank; initial mean weight $2.3{\pm}0.1g$) in three replicates of seven groups were fed one of six experimental diets (ED1, 20% wild-harvested Sargassum thunbergii powder; ED2, 20% commercial S. thunbergii powder; ED3, 20% Undaria pinnatifida and Ascophyllum nodosum powders; ED4, 40% U. pinnatifida and A. nodosum powders; ED5, 10% brewer's yeast; and ED6, 10% sea shell powder) or a commercial diet (CD) for 28 weeks. The survival rate in all groups was 85-94%, with no significant difference among the experimental groups. The mean body weight of the sea cucumbers was significantly different among the experimental groups 6 weeks after the feeding trial. The final mean weight of the sea cucumbers was highest in ED1, ED3, and ED4, followed by ED6, ED5, ED2, and CD, in decreasing order. The results of this study suggest that U. pinnatifida and A. nodosum powders could provide a substitute for the S. thunbergii powder commonly used in commercial sea cucumber diets. Thus, the EP4 diet formulation, which contains no S. thunbergii, could be used as a practical feed for juvenile sea cucumbers.
