Preliminary evaluation of the seaweed Gracilaria cervicornis (Rhodophyta) as a partial substitute for the industrial feeds used in shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) farming

The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of Gracilaria cervicornis meal as a partial substitute for the industrial feeds used in shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) farming. A total of 90 L. vannamei juveniles (0.34 g) were assigned randomly into nine experimental units at a stocking density of 10 shrimp tank−1 and fed a commercial shrimp feed (CSF; 35% crude protein) as a control treatment, a feed made entirely of G. cervicornis (GCM), and a mixture of equal parts of the commercial shrimp feed and the Gracilaria meal (MIX) for 30 days. Over the first 2 weeks of the experiment, the survival was high (100%) in all dietary treatments. However, at the termination of the feeding trial survival decreased to 40% in shrimp fed GCM, significantly lower (P