Food and Feeding Habits of

Commercially Important Finfishes

from Egg to Adult Stage.
SHREESHA
FMK1306
Dept. of Aquaculture
 Introduction
Nutrient requirement of all animals vary throughout their lifecycle
(Morphology, Physiology of larvae, fingerlings and adult stage)

Larval – Active swimming and actively feeding

Nutrition requirement of larvae

Morphology
Digestive process
Feeding behavior
• Larvae feed actively before their digestive system is well developed
• At larval stage fishes are more choosey
• First feeding is done by live feed either planktons or zooplanktons
• Growth will be rapid
• Larval mouth size decides the feed particle size
• In wild larvae feed mainly on planktons-depends on colure, shape, size and
nutritive valve of the plankton or zooplankton
 Yolk
• May be protein, fat
• Yolk granules smaller at the periphery towards center
• Unite and forming a homogenous mass
 Eggs with amount of yolk
• Microlecithal eggs: are small with little yolk Eg: Bivalves
• Mesolecithal eggs have relatively more yolk than the microlecithal
eggs Eg: Lampreys
• Macrolecithal eggs :have a large yolk Eg: Cephalopods
 LARVA AND JUVENILE IN FISHES
(as pre the feeding habit)

• .Yolk-sac larva or Pro larva - which retains the yolk

• Pre-larva - yolk-sac absorption stage to juvenile stage.
• Post-larva - pre-adult stage, resembles adult
Weaning period !
 Morphology
Mouth size
• Food particles; Large – Starvation is inevitable, Small – Poor growth
• i.e, Murray cod – Large mouth, Artemia nauplii
• Flounders – Small mouth, ciliate protozoans/mollusc villigers
 Digestive Process
• Increasing morphology complexity leads to development of digestive process

• Epithelial cells of digestive tract are absorptive in swim up larvae – secretion of

digestive enzymes are limited

• Digestive enzymes (Protein degrading) – Trypsin, Chymotrypsin,

Carboxypeptidase and Pepsin
 Larval groups according to alimentary
tract, and morphology of the gut and
enzyme secreted
• Salmonids & catfish - Functional stomach before changing from
endogenous to external feed

• Striped bass & marine species - Rudimentary digestive system

• Develop a functional digestive tract but remain stomach less throughout

life e.g.. carps
 Nutritional requirements
• For growth and development 40 essential dietary requirements are
required by fish
• The important nutrients are
Proteins
Lipids
Carbohydrates
Vitamins
Minerals
 Larval stages of carps
• Generally carp seed is classified into 3 categories
• Spawn (hatchlings up to 8mm)
• Fry (8mm to 40mm)
Early fry(8mm-25mm)
Advance fry(25mm-40mm) Larval phase is the most
critical phase for feeding
• Fingerlings(40mm to 150mm)
Early fingerling (40mm-80mm)
Advanced fingerling(80mm_150mm)
 Feeding practices
• Feeding schedule followed in carps:
• Spawn to fry:
• 4 times of initial body weight during first week and 8 times during
second week
• Fry to fingerling:6-8% of biomass first month
5-6% during second month
3-4% during third month

Should be easily digestible

 Feeding behaviour may be affected with
• Environmental cubes
• Time of the day
• Tidal amplitude
• Season
 Classification of food based on its
importance
Main or basic food:  the most preferred food
➢ Occasional or secondary food 

➢ Incidental food

➢ Emergency or obligatory food 

 Categories of food
Food available in the nature can be classified as

• Plankton Phytoplankton –  
• Nekton •  e.g. Diatoms, Dinoflagellates

• Benthos Zooplankton – 
• e.g. Copepods, crustacean larvae,
• Detritus other microscopic invertebrates
Important live food organisms
• Unicellular organisms:
• Yeast
• Algae
• Live animal prey:
• Copepod
• Rotifer
• Artemia
Common
Rotifers
Common
Rotifers
Common
Cladocerans
Copepods
Ostracods
 Practical feeding:
• Feeding behavior of larvae:
• Larvae forms as predator
• Larvae use energy to catch prey
• Each attempt where there is no catch –more energy is wasted
• So more focus is given on feeding the larvae in optimum energy usage
• Environmental factors such as colour pray, light(photic zone), water flow, etc
influence the success rate of feeding
• Type ,density and size of prey is important here for feeding
• Prey size and type :
• Size is very important because larvae have small mouth size so the live feed what they feed on
should have smaller size compared to mouth size of the fish larve
• Newly hatched artemia nauplii or similar kind is eaten by the larvae as the mouth size and feed
size will be balanced
• Even enriched nauplii are preferred
• Rotifers are smaller than artemia in size so most wild larvae feed on rotifers

• Quantitative aspects:
• In open sea distribution of live food organism is more important
• Daily requirements of larvae are maintained by the environment
In general food and feeding habits
of Indian major carps Catla

Stages Food

Larvae Planktonic unicellular algae

Fry Zooplankton organisms Rohu

Adult Crustaceans, molluscs,

decayed macrovegetation

Mrighal
Fish food preferences
 1.Herbivorous
 
Fishes feed on unicellular algae, filamentous
algae, and also higher aquatic plants.
If the plant material in the diet is 75% or
more, the fishes are considered to be
herbivorous
Eg: Labeo fimbriatus, L. rohita, Ctenopharyngodon
idella, Oreochromis mossambicus .
 Thilapia
Stages Food

Larvae Phytoplankton

Fry & fingerling Benthic algae 75% &

periphyton

Adult Macrophytes
 Rabbit fish
Stages Food

Larvae Phytoplankton

Juvenile & Filamentous algae like chaetomorpha

adult &Cladophora,
Also found vegetative and animal
origin food(20%) in the stomach.
Somehow gut content analysis in some cases
noticed animal stuffs in the stomach ,by considering
morphology , mouth pattern and gut length these are
considered as herbivorous fishes
 2. Planktivorous :
Feeding mainly on plankton both phyto and
zooplankton 
 Catla - zooplankton feeder
Silver carp - phytoplankton feeder
 Indian Oil Sardine

Stages Food

Larvae Phytoplankton, planktonic

crustaceans like copepods

Juvenile & Diatoms (80%) like Fragillaria

adult oceanica, Coscinodiscus,
Thallassiothrix and Pleurosigma  Fragillaria oceanica in large numbers indicates
the abundance of oil sardine in coastal
waters.
3. Detritivorous :
Those feeding mainly on
detritus 
eg: Labeo calbasu, Mugil cephalus.
 Mullets(Mugil cephalus)
Stages Food

Larvae Planktonic unicellular algae (95%)

Fry feed on zooplankton until about 3.0 cm 

Adult feeding on detritus(30%), micro-algae

( 40%)and benthic organisms(15%)
 Labio calbasu
Stages Food

Larvae Planktonic unicellular algae

Fry Zooplankton organisms

Adult feed on plants ,filamentous

algae and diatoms, and
mainly on detritus (40%).
 4.Omnivorous

 Feeding on both plant and animal matter.
Varying percentage of plant and animal matter and
they form a link between herbivorous and
carnivorous fishes.
 i.e.Etroplus suratensis,
Cyprinus carpio,
Tor putitora,
Cirrhinus mrigala,
Clarias batrachus,
Heteropneustes fossilis.
 Walking catfish
Stages Food

Larvae Phytoplankton :viz. diatoms,

dinoflagellates and zooplankton 

Juvenile &  Feed on insect larvae (10%), earthworms,

adult shells, shrimps, small fish(30%), aquatic
plants(30%) and debris(20%)
 Heteropneustes fossilis
Stages Food

Larvae Phytoplankton :viz. diatoms, dinoflagellates and zooplankton 

Juvenile & adult  Feed on insect larvae, earthworms, shells, shrimps, small fish, aquatic
plants and debris
 Anchovies
Stages Food

Larvae Phytoplankton :viz. diatoms (40%),

dinoflagellates(30%) and zooplankton 

Juvenile &  copepods, acetes, ostracods,

adult cladocerans, amphipods and
euphausiids.
 Pearl spot
Stages Food

Larvae Zooplankton

Advanced fry Aquatic insects larvae, filamentous algae

and other vegetable matter.
Adult Filamentous algae(20%), aquatic macro
vegetation and planktonic organisms.
Worms, shrimps and insect larvae also
part of its food (70%).
According to different
researchers adult fish feeds on
hydrozoans, sponges, bryozoans,
bivalves, gastropods and
decayed organic matter.
5. Carnivorous :
Feeding on prey organisms.
Wallago attu,
Mystus singhala,
Channa striatus.
 Yellow tail
Stage Food

Larvae Zooplankton

Fry Eggs of sea urchins and oysters

Fingerling Oyster larva, Artimea

Adult Juveniles of horse mackerel and

shrimp
 Turbot
Stages Food

Larvae Zooplankton

Fry and fingerling Artemia salina, Isochrysis

galbana

Adult Other juvenile fish

 Tuna
Stages Food

Larvae Zooplankton

Fry and fingerling eggs, larvae and juveniles of small fishes.

Adult crustaceans (larvae, juveniles and

adults of shrimps and crabs),
cephalopods (juveniles and adults),
 Milk fish
Stages Food

Larvae Oscillatoria, lab lab

Fry Copepod and diatoms

Adult Flat worms, insects, protozoans

After 5 days of hatching the larvae starts to feed

 Sea bass and Sea breams
Stage Food

Larvae Chlorella sp.,

Tetraselmis sp.
Fry Artimea and copepods

Fingerling Rotifers

Adult Chironomids and

oligochaetes, own
fish,other juvenile fish
 Mackerels
Stages Food ).

Larvae Phytoplankton & zooplankton

(cladocerans, ostracods, larval
polychaetes etc)

Juvenile &  
adult Larval of shrimps and fish
 Carangid fishes
Stages Food

Larvae Zooplankton

Fry and fingerling larve of prawns, squids and

anchovies.

Adult fishes like anchovies, sardines,

silver bellies, squids,
cuttlefishes shrimps and crabs.
 Ribbon fishes
Stages Food

Juvanile Copepod, fish larve ,etc

Fry and fingerling larve of prawns, squids and

anchovies.

Adult fishes like anchovies, sardines,

silver bellies, squids,
All the ribbon fish species are highly carnivorous,
cuttlefishes shrimps and crabs. predatory and voracious feeders, feeding both
during day and night. They prefer small and
medium sized fishes and shrimps.
 Sciaenids
Stages Food

Larvae Zooplankton

Fry and fingerling crustaceans larve , especially zoea stage

prawns

Adult Adults feed on fishes (60%). They also feed

on molluscs, echinoderms, annelids etc
(30%). to certain extent carnivores and active predators.
 Lizard fishes
Stages Food

Larvae Zooplankton

Fry and fingerling crustaceans larve , especially zoea stage

prawns, crustaceans like lucifer,
acetes, mysis and fishes
Adult prawns and fishes such as anchovies
and silver bellies. They also feed on small
amount of copepods, cirripid larvae, and
larval forms of crustaceans.
 Pomfrets
Stage feed
larvae Zooplanktons
Fry Moina, daphnia
Fingerling larval stages of squilla, lucifer and
filamentous algae
mainlyTrichodesmium spp,. copepod
nauplii, amphipods, lucifer and zoea
larvae. This species has different feeding
habits at different depths.
adult Feed on prawns , copepods,
 Groupers
Stages Food

Larvae Zooplankton

Fry and fingerling Mysids & small shrimps

Adult Juveniles of other fishes

 Carnivores and predaceous
Elasmobranches in nature
Stages Food
Larvae Zooplankton,
Fry and fingerling larvae of prawns, squids and anchovies. larva
of some other fishes and crustaceans

Adult Sharks mainly feed on pelagic teleost's such

as sardine, mackerel, Bombay duck etc.
and cephalopods (squid, octopus, and
cuttlefish)

Skates and rays mostly feed on benthic

organisms viz. crustaceans, molluscs,
polychaetes, amphipods and smaller
fishes.
 Coldwater fishes
Stage feed

larvae zooplankton

Fry Moina, daphnia

Fingerling Young one of white fish

adult Sand eel,, herrings After hatching of 2 weeks ,feeding

starts
 Reference
• A text book of fish biology and fisheries by Dr. S.S Khanna &
Prof. H.R .Singh
• Marine Fisheries of India by D V Bal & K V Rao
• E-course:-Unit 1: Finfish and Shellfish Food and Feeding Habits
• Wikipedia
• www.Fishbase.com