Trachinotus carolinus

Evidence that supplementation with prebiotics, probiotics, or combinations of both (synbiotics) enhances the health, growth, and survival of aquacultured teleosts has sparked significant research into their application. This study evaluates the effects of β-glucan and Pediococcus acidilactici synbiotic supplementation in aquacultured Florida pompano (Trachinotus carolinus).
The first study defined embryonic and larval organogenesis. The gastrointestinal tract is differentiated, but not yet fully functional within the first seven days post hatch evidenced by the absence of gastric glands, gastric mucous cells, lipid vacuoles in the anterior intestines, and the persistence of acidophilic supranuclear vesicles. Synbiotics may serve as a source of exogenous digestive enzymes prior to complete gastrointestinal maturation.
The second study investigated hematological, serum biochemical, and protein electrophoretic changes with and without β-glucan and P. acidilactici symbiotic supplementation. Significant decreases in blood urea nitrogen and carbon dioxide concentrations were observed in supplemented Florida pompano compared to controls and may represent enhanced mucosal tissue health, urea excretion, and osmoregulatory function associated with supplementation.

Florida Pompano Trachinotus carolinus are molluscivorous, greater than 70% of their natural diet consists of hard-shelled gastropods and bivalves. A specialized feeding mechanism (pharyngeal jaw) forms a crushing surface used to grind prey. In aquaculture, extruded pellets are fed and this feeding apparatus results in pellets fracturing and loss of fragments through their gill rakers. The effect of pellet form (hard vs. soft) and size on fractured pellet waste (FPW) and production characteristics of Pompano reared in recirculating aquaculture systems was addressed. No difference in FPW between the standard pellet size and smaller pellet size treatments. However, a difference in FPW at first feeding of the day between the hard and soft pellet treatments was observed, with no difference in FPW present at the last feeding. Results suggest that pellet size does not reduce the amount of FPW produced, while the use of soft pellets reduces the amount of FPW.