• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.11-17
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• 1998

Variations of hepatocyte in the larval liver of grouper, Epinephelus akaara wre examined to understand the effect of starvation during the first feeding period, 3 to 5 days after hatching. Total length of the fed larvae increased from the 5th day after hatching, although no significant difference between the fed and starved larvae was found untill the 4th day after hatching. Survival rate of the starved larvae decreased from the 4th day after hatching, and almost all of the larvae died by the 5th day after hatching. Nuclear size of hepatocyte in the starved larvae starterd to decrease from the 4th day after hatching. The sizes by 4th and 5th days after hatching in the starved larvae were 1.4 to 1.9 times smaller than those in the fed ones. Hepatocytes in the starved larvae showed irregular morphology in which the nuclei were irregularly shrunk and highly compacted from the 4th day, while hepatocyte nuclei in the fed ones maintained their uniform features during the whole experimental period. These results implied that the initial larval food should be supplied at least within the 4th day after hatching. Also, it suggested that the size of hepatocyte nucleus might be and indicator of starvation for wild and cultured grouper larvae.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.449-455
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• 1998

The small size food organism(under the size 150${\mu}m$) is needed as food for early stage of marine fish larvae of small mouse (e.g the group of grouper). This study was investigated to develop a method for copepod Apocyclops sp. culture in combination with the rotifer B. rachionus for stable culture of copepod species and harvest of various size food organisms. The culture conditions as temperature, salinity, culture volume, photo period, culture preiod and observation interval were 25${\circ}C$, 22ppt, 40ml, all dark except to observation time, 16 days and every two day during the experimental period, respectively. The Tetraselmis suecica was used as the food for the two testing orgtanisms. After every two day counting, theses two organisms were transferred to fresh culture tanks with Tetraselmis suecica of $7{\times}10^5$cells/ml. In the mixed culture of B. rotundiformis and A. sp., growth of rotifer was suppressed by mixed culture with A. sp. whereas the growth of copepod Apocyclops was promoted in the mixed culture with rotifer B. rotundiformis (the maximum density was 22 individuals/ml through the 16 culture days). Moreover, the number of copepod nauplius were promoted about 2 times in the mixed culture compared to the numbers in single species culture. With this combination culture, the havested two food organisms of variable sizes. This size variation of food organisms was useful tools for larval rearing of small mouse marine fish larvae and next step food organism size of post hatched larvae.