Effect of dietary taurine supplementation on growth performance and feed selection of sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax fry fed with demand-feeders

Two series of experiments were conducted for the evaluation of the effect of dietary taurine supplementation on survival, growth performance and feed preference of sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax fry when fed with demand‐feeders a fish/soybean meal‐based diet. In the first experiment, fish were imposed one of four diets supplemented with taurine (0, 0.1, 0.2 or 0.3% taurine on a dry weight basis), while in the second they had simultaneous free access to the four diets supplemented with taurine. When not allowed to choose, fish exhibited better specific growth rate of 3.2 and 3.2% per day with diets supplemented with 0.2 and 0.3% taurine than those of 2.3 and 2.2% per day of 0 and 0.1% taurine, respectively. When fish were free to access the diets, they selected more actively the 0.2 and 0.3% taurine‐supplemented diets than the 0 and 0.1% taurine. As survival was not significantly different among trials, the results indicate that sea bass fry require a 0.2% taurine in the diet for better growth when fish meal and soybean meal are the primary sources of protein. The positive correlation between growth performance and nutrient preference is discussed as a method for improvement of fry food formulation.