Comparative survey on effect of Artemia urmiana enriched with vitamin C and HUFA, daphnia and formulated feed as food on growth, survival and resistance of sturgeon larvae ( Acipenser persicus and Huso huso)

High mortality frequently occurs in larval mass production of Persian sturgeon fish, Acipenser persicus. Nutritional deficiencies in live food, Artemia urmiana nauplii, fed to larvae could be a reason. A series of experiments was carried out to evaluate the effects of nutritional enrichment of Artemia by oils in different concentrations with or without different levels of vitamin C during two enrichment periods (12 and 24h) on survival, growth rate and salinity tolerance in Persian sturgeon larvae reared in tanks after 20 days. Four types of oils (ICES30/4, sturgeon ovary, cod liver, and linseed oils) were evaluated. HUFA oil source with or without vitamin C did not affect the growth rate of Persian sturgeon larvae. Nevertheless, survival rates and chemical compositions were significantly improved (P