Stocking Density and Diet of Two Oyster (Crassostrea gasar and Crassostrea gigas) Seeds in Fluidized Bed Bottle Nursery System

Crassostrea is the most farmed oyster genus worldwide and has significant economic and social impacts with environmental benefits. Hatchery oyster seed production is a highly costly phase, and a fluidized nursery system can help reduce this cost and reduce seed production time. The present study evaluated the survival and growth of two oyster species (Crassostrea gasar and Crassostrea gigas) in a fluidized bed bottle nursery system. With C. gasar, two experiments were performed; one tested three stocking densities and the other three bialgae diets. With C. gigas, one experiment with a bialgae and monoalgae in an initial bottle occupation of 8.8% produced more seeds per bottle, but an initial bottle occupation of 2.2% produced bigger seeds. Also, the experiment with C. gasar and with C. gigas tested diets did not affect seed survival, but the diets with bialgae I. galbana and N. oculate promoted more seed growth. The fluidized bed bottle nursery system developed for this study was adequate for the seeds of the oysters C. gasar and C. gigas in the nursery phase.