Dietary Fish Meal Replacement with Hermetia illucens and Tenebrio molitor Larval Meals Improves the Growth Performance and Nutriphysiological Status of Ide (Leuciscus idus) Juveniles

Simple Summary The success of wild fish conservation strongly depends on the development of effective methods for restocking material rearing. An essential element in this process is the nutrition of juvenile stages of fish in controlled conditions, requiring the optimization of diet composition to meet specific nutritional and behavioral requirements. This study aimed to evaluate the possibility of using insect-derived meals as an alternative to fish meal in diets for the ide (Leuciscus idus) juveniles. Insects are a significant part of omnivorous fish diets, such as the ide natural diet, so their usage in aquaculture is strongly justified. Insect larval meals of two insect species, namely, black soldier fly and mealworm, improved the growth, feed utilization, and health of ide juveniles. However, superworm larval meal negatively affected the abovementioned parameters and is not recommended for the diet of juvenile cyprinid fish. The ide (Leuciscus idus) is a native European species of rheophilic cyprinid fish whose wild population status is dependent on conservation efforts, particularly regular restocking. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of including insect meals as a component in the diet of ide juveniles on their growth performance, feed utilization, and nutriphysiological status. Four diets were formulated: three with insect meals, HI-with 20% Hermetia illucens meal, TM-with 20% Tenebrio molitor meal, and ZM-with 20% Zophobas morio meal, and the control group diet, CON-fish meal with no insect component. The effects of the various diets on the efficiency of rearing ide juveniles were assessed based on fish growth parameters, feed utilization parameters, somatic indices, and intestinal and hepatopancreatic histomorphology. The highest increase in fish weight gain and the protein efficiency ratio was observed in the HI and TM groups, while the lowest values were observed in the CON and ZM groups. Comparable results were noted for the feed conversion ratio, which was most favorable in the HI and TM groups and increased in the ZM group. The use of black soldier fly and mealworm larval meal in the diets of ide juveniles had a positive effect on rearing results and overall fish health.

Automated summary

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of using insect meals as a component in the diet of ide juveniles. Black soldier fly and mealworm larval meal improved the growth, feed utilization, and health of the juveniles, while superworm larval meal had a negative effect.