This report was carried out at the Animal Sciences Department - Fish Culture Sector of the Federal University of Santa Maria, RS, Brazil, in a system for larvae raising with thermoregulation and recirculation of water, in order to assess the replacement of canola oil for soy lecithin in the feeding of south american catfish (Rhamdia quelen) larvae during their 21 days of life. In the experiment, seven treatments with three replications were tested by using different proportions of canola oil (0-5%) and soybean lecithin (0-4%), added to a diet prepared with beef liver and sugar canne yeast. The best results were obtained in treatment containing 2% of soy lecithin, in which catfish larvae presented 80.25% survival rate, 184.89mg average individual weight and 28.03mm total length, what significantly differs from the other treatments. According to the results obtained in the experiment, it is concluded that soy lecithin (2%) is more efficient as a lecithin - canola oil combination in south american catfish larvae nutrition.
lipids; soybean lecithin; larvae; Rhamdia quelen
