Investigating Alternative Larval Feeding Strategies for Cherry Barb (Puntius titteya) Using Feed Attractants and Liquid Artemia Replacement Diets

The cherry barb (Puntius titteya) is a staple of the ornamental aquaculture industry, with an estimated 60,000 individuals produced monthly in Florida, USA. On a commercial scale, small improvements in efficiency may yield considerable economic and operational benefits. This study investigated first-feeding protocols aimed at reducing the use of live Artemia spp. nauplii by evaluating microdiets (MDs) top-dressed with feed attractants and commercial liquid Artemia replacements (LAs). Larvae were fed MDs top-dressed with 0.25%, 0.50%, or 1.0% of L-alanine, betaine, or L-tryptophan for seven days. Diets with L-alanine and L-tryptophan significantly increased survival compared to the reference diet. A 21-day trial that tested three feed attractants combined into a single diet at previously determined inclusion levels (L-alanine, 0.5%; betaine, 0.25%; and L-tryptophan, 0.25%) showed no additive or synergistic survival benefits. No differences were observed for RNA/DNA ratios at 15 days post-hatch, suggesting no effect on larval quality. Additional experiments were conducted comparing the performance of two commercial LA diets (EZ Artemia Ultra [Zeigler Bros., Inc., Gardners, PA, USA] and LiquaLife® [Cargill Inc., Minneapolis, MN, USA]) against live Artemia. Partial Artemia replacement with EZ Artemia Ultra maintained comparable survival to larvae fed only Artemia. Larval growth was significantly reduced in 100% LA groups, suggesting limitations in nutrition or digestibility. These findings demonstrate that targeted use of feed attractants can enhance early rearing outcomes in P. titteya aquaculture, facilitating the goal of reducing Artemia use and increasing production efficiency and hatchery output.