Fatty acid profiles of two freshwater fish larvae (gudgeon and perch) reared with Brachionus calyciflorus Pallas (rotifer) and/or dry diet

The efficiency of the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus Pallas as a nutritional source for rearing larvae was studied in a coldwater cyprinid, the gudgeon Gobio gobio (L.), and in a percid, the perch Perca fluviatilis L., through their composition in fatty acids. Rotifer intake affected the fatty acid profiles of the larvae significantly, with an especially remarkable presence of the linoleic family. In gudgeon fed with rotifers, the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) reached 10.98% of the dry weight of the sample. This rate was highly influenced by the presence of the acids C18:2n-6 and C22:6n-3 which represented 66% of the total PUFA. In perch fed exclusively with rotifers, the PUFA represented 7.27% of the dry weight. In both cases, the ratio n-3/n-6 decreased by 75% and 73% after 10 days of feeding with B. calyciflorus. This variation was probably due to the exogenous supply in acids of the linoleic family through the rotifers and to the fact that these two species of fish seem to favour the mobilization of the n-3 PUFA such as C22:6n-3 for growth and survival. Moreover, with the utilization of rotifers, the reactions of elongation and desaturation from the C18:2n-6 and C18:1n-9 seemed to be much more important in the larvae. Lastly, the transition from a diet based on rotifers to one made up exclusively of frozen Artemia nauplii led to a significant reduction of fatty acids in fish. It reached 60.2% and 26.5% of the total fatty acids in the gudgeon and perch, respectively, and was observed especially at the level of the PUFA. On the other hand, a slight increase of the ratio n-3/n- 6 was pointed out in the perch fed a mixed diet (co-feeding with rotifers and dry food), a phenomenon probably due to the reduction of C18:2n-6 in the larvae.