Feeding Our Fish

The Zebrafish at the AZF consume approximately 10 Kg of pellet food and 12 Kg of Artemia each year.  All the fish are fed a minimum of twice per day, with the brood stock and fry being fed 3-5 times per day during the working week.  This feeding regime includes various dry food pellets, and 1 course of 48 hour old Artemia naupili.

Below are the food clusters we currently offer our fish.

Fry Fishing

One of the biggest challenges a Zebrafish Facility faces, is the ability to rear the very young fish beyond the infamous 14 days.  At around 14 days post fertilization the developing zebrafish fry will have consumed all of the nutrients in its yolk sack.  If at this point in time the fry havent learned to feed, the little fish starve to death, and fall to the bottom of the tank.

There are many methods used by facilities to combat this critical stage of development, some facilities opt for feeding the fry with a small live food mix of paramecia such as the Paramecium putrinum,  a slipper shaped ciliate which is found in oxygenated aquatic environments feeding near vegetative matter.  One of the chalenges with offering a paramecia diet however is that to develop a stable paramecia culture can be challenging in itself, not to mention that it is another aquaculture that needs to be cared for.

Instead of keeping a paramecia culture within the Facility, the AZF has opted for utilizing a simpler yet effective method for rearing the larval zebrafish, offering the young fry a solution known as Green Water.  This is a mixture of ZM-000 and Spirulina powder suspended in water, based on Chris Lawence's protocol.  The idea behind Green Water is that it creates an environment that paramecia will want to naturally inhabit.  Therefore the Green Water although containing small food stuffs for the fish is arguablly feeding instead the microorganisms that the zebrafish fry can then feast on.

Cluster Diets

	NRD 5/8 (500-800µm) NRD formulation is a top performance marine diet aiming at increasing harmonically the digestibility and the metabolizable energy contents, with a special attention to the nutritional need of larvae and post larvae of marine species. This is achieved through careful selection and special treatment of the highest quality raw materials, as well as state-of-the-art processing and production techniques to preserve the diet's nutritional integrity.
Composition:
Moisture	7%
Crude protein	59%
Crude lipids	16%
Total energy	4550 Kcal/kg
Metabolizable	4150 Kcal/kg
DHA/EPA	2
Vit. A	30,000 lU/kg
Vit. D3	2,500 lU/kg
Vit. E	400 mg/kg
Vit. C	2,000 mg/kg
Sumω 3 HUFA	28 mg/g dwt
Antioxidants	ethoxyquine ,BHT, propylgallate

	Perla AQ (600µm) Perla AQ has been developed with the importance of healthy and robust fish in mind; to ensure the highest quality ornamental fish.  Additionally, Perla AQ is fortified with vitamins, minerals and carotenoids to produce ornamental fish with brilliant and vibrant skin colouration.
Composition:
Crude Protein n	50.0%
Crude Lipid	7.0%
Carbohydrates	21.2%
Moisture	9.5%
Ash	12.3%
Total Phosphorus	2.0%
Avail. Phosphorus	1.5%
Astaxanthin	50 mg/kg
C-30 Esther	20 mg/kg

	ZM-100 (80-200µm) The ZM Fry diets are initially semi-buoyant to simulate live feeds and the inclusion of shrimp meal acts as a powerful feed attractant even to species that normally require live feeds. The feed range has defined particle size bands to maximise the quantity of feed available to each batch of fry and prevent pollution from uneaten particles that are either too large or too small. The inclusion of stabilised Vitamin C (ascorbate polyphosphate) and Vitamin B-12 should promote increased fry survival and growth as standard vitamin mixes can be degraded during the manufacturing process.
Composition:
Protein	60.0%
Oil	14.5%
Ash	11.5%
Moisture	7.0%
Vit. A	30,000 IU/kg
Vit. D3	2,500 IU/kg
Vit. E	400 mg/kg
Vit. C	2,000 mg/kg
w3 HUFA	28 mg/kg