Growth and developmentof palythoa (Palythoa canariensis) : effects of the dietary treatments

Abstract

Palythoa canariensis is a soft coral endemic to the Canary Islands. Previous studies show that this species adapts well to culture conditions and, like other species of the genus Palythoa, produces palytoxin. From previous studies blue light resulted in best animal performance although the growth of the animals difficult to define due to the appearance of polyps. In present study, for the first time, 2 specific diets for this species were assayed against blue light and 2 different depths of the aquariums on the growth of the animals. A feed formulation based on a common commercial aquarium feed was prepared and used as a control and, based on that, a source of bioactive polyphenols well know as growth and health promoters was included in a second diet. Aloe vera byproduct, locally generated from the aloe gel production, was selected as key ingredient in present case and after processing and analysis included at a 2% in the formula feed. Results showed that the greatest increase in weight and the highest number of polyps was obtained for the control diet and the lower depth 13 cm. As contaminants did not differ among diets, this indicates a possible negative effect of the dietary polyphenol content on the growth and development of these animals, which should be deepened in subsequent studies.