Pembenihan ikan kerapu dihadapkan pada rendahnya sintasan, terutama fase awal hidupnya. Rendahnya sintasan diduga berhubungan dengan belum berkembangnya organ pencernaan larva dan tidak tersedianya pakan yang siap diserap tubuh. Pemberian asam amino bebas seperti taurin dan glutamin melalui rotifer diharapkan dapat meningkatan ketersediaan nutrien yang dapat diserap dengan cepat oleh larva, sehingga sintasan larva tinggi dan dapat tumbuh lebih cepat. Penelitian bertujuan mengukur pengaruh glutamin atau taurin terhadap sintasan dan pertumbuhan larva kerapu bebek Cromileptes altivelis. Larva umur 1 hari (10 ekor.L-1) dipelihara dalam bak fiberglass volume 500 L yang diisi air laut sampai 330 L. Larva diberi pakan rotifer diperkaya 0,5 g glutamin, 0,5 g taurin, atau tanpa glutamin dan taurin. Larva dipelihara selama 16 hari dengan pemberian pakan 2 kali per hari. Satu jam setelah pemberian pakan dilakukan pengamatan terhadap jumlah rotifer dalam saluran pencernaan larva ikan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan jumlah rotifer dalam saluran pencernaan larva meningkat seiring dengan bertambahnya umur. Namun, jumlah rata-rata rotifer yang dikonsumsi larva pada perlakuan 0,5 g glutamin atau 0,5 g taurin lebih banyak dibanding perlakuan tanpa taurin dan glutamin. Larva yang diberi rotifer hasil pengkayaan dengan 0,5 g glutamin atau 0,5 g taurin memiliki sintasan yang tidak berbeda (P>0,05), masing-masing 19,2±2,25%, dan 24,5±1,20%, dan secara signifikan lebih banyak dibanding larva di perlakuan tanpa glutamin dan taurin yang nilainya 13,0±1,70%. Larva yang diberi rotifer hasil pengkayaan dengan 0,5 g taurin secara signifikan lebih panjang (5,5±0,18 mm) dari ikan di perlakuan 0,5 g glutamin (5,3±0,12 mm). Demikian juga, larva di perlakuan glutamin lebih panjang dari pelakuan tanpa glutamin dan taurin (5,0±0,16 mm). Pengkayaan rotifer menggunakan asam amino bebas taurin atau glutamin dapat meningkatkan sintasan dan pertumbuhan larva kerapu bebek. Namun, taurin lebih baik dibanding glutamin karena memberi efek ke pertumbuhan ikan yang lebih cepat. Kata kunci: taurin, glutamin, kerapu bebek, Cromileptes altivelis. The hatchery production of grouper faced to the problem of low surival rate, especially during the first feeding period. During this period, the digestive organ of larvae was underdeveloped, and the nutrient in live food was not readily absorbed by larvae. Feeding on free amino acids, such as taurine or glutamine, enriched rotifer would be enhanced the nutrient readily absorbed thereby resulting to the improvement of growth and survival rate of larvae. A duplicate experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of rotifer enriched with free amino acid of glutamine or taurine, on the growth and survival rate of larval grouper Cromileptes altivelis. One day old larvae were cultured in 500 l fiberglass containing 330 l of sea water with a density of 10 ind.L-1. Larvae were fed on rotifer enriched with either 0.5 g glutamine, 0.5 g taurine, or without glutamine nor taurine. Larvae were fed on rotifer twice a day at 08.00 and 14.00, and cultured for 16 days. One h after feeding, rotifer content in the gut of larvae were observed. Results showed that larvae fed on rotifer enriched with 0.5 g taurine or 0.5 g glutamie had higher rotifer content in the gut than that in the other group. Larvae fed on rotifer enriched with 0.5 g glutamine or 0.5 g taurine had the same survival rate (P>0.05), 19.2±2.25% and 24.5±1.20%, respectively; these values were significantly higher than that in the other group which was 13.0±1.70%. The total length of larvae fed on rotifer enriched with 0.5 g taurine (5.5±0.18 mm) significantly was the biggest compared than others; while those fed on rotifer enriched with 0.5 g glutamine (5.3±0.12 mm) was bigger than fish fed on rotifer without glutamine nor taurine (5.0±0.16 mm). Thus, it can be concluded that survival rate and growth of larvae were improved when feeding on rotifer enriched with taurine or glutamine. Nevertheless, taurine was more efective than glutamine due to its effect resulted the highest growth performance of larval grouper. Keywords: taurine, glutamine, grouper, Cromileptes altivelis
Free Amino Acid Enriched Rotifer for Larval Grouper Cromileptes altivelis (Pengkayaan Rotifer dengan Asam Amino Bebas Untuk Larva Kerapu Bebek Cromileptes altivelis)