Effects of Chlorella-feeding on larval milkfish, Chanos chanos, as evidenced by histological monitoring

Abstract

Milkfish, Chanos chanos, larvae were found to suffer 100% mortality within 6 days of feeding when reared on Chlorella sp. According to the liver ultrastructure, Chlorella-fed fish underwent starvation. Likewise, no signs of lipid absorption were observed in the intestine of Chlorella-fed larvae. On the other hand, Chlorella-related histological alterations of the enterocytes in the anterior part of the intestine were different from starvation-related alterations. It is concluded that Chlorella-feeding creates a starvation situation for larval milkfish, but the early losses with this diet are due to an additional stress specifically introduced by Chlorella-feeding.