Department of Aquaculture, Faculty of Fisheries, University of Pekalongan, Pekalongan City, Indonesia
Corresponding author
ariadi_heri@yahoo.com
Milkfish larvae (Chanos chanos) are an omnivorous species. Consequently, this study aimed to identify the types of plankton found in the stomachs of milkfish larvae and to determine suitable natural feed. The research was carried out in the coastal area of Slamaran, Pekalongan City, using three sampling sites with different substrate structures. The main data collected included the diversity of plankton species in the stomachs of milkfish larvae and the plankton present in their natural habitat. The results showed that various plankton genera, such as Tintinnopsis sp., Peridinium sp., Coscinodiscus sp., Brachionus sp., Chlorella sp., Cryptomonas sp., Skeletonema sp., Navicula sp., and Rhizosolenia sp., were in the stomachs of the milkfish seeds. In the natural waters, several plankton genera were identified, including Nitzchia sp., Amphora sp., Cyclotella sp., Chlamydomonas sp., Microcystis sp., Alexandrium sp., Tintinnopsis sp., Oocystis sp., Skeletonema sp., Brachionus sp., Coscinodiscus sp., and Peridinium sp. The water quality parameters were relatively stable across the three sampling locations. The types of plankton in the stomachs of milkfish seeds caught from natural waters included green algae, blue-green algae, diatoms, dinoflagellates, and several zooplankton species. Some of the plankton genera in the milkfish seeds' stomachs had similarities with the plankton genera present in the waters where the seeds were caught, specifically Peridinium sp., Coscinodiscus sp., Brachionus sp., Skeletonema sp., Tintinnopsis sp., and Microcystis sp. This finding was in line with the known omnivorous nature of milkfish, which targeted several phytoplankton species as part of their feeding behavior.