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Raising rotifers for use in aquaculture

  • Part Five: Aquaculture, feeding and nutrition
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Abstract

Of the three Brachionus species used in aquaculture, Brachionus rubens, B. calycilorus and B. plicatilis, the latter is most widely used in raising marine fish and shrimp larvae due to its tolerance to the marine environment. In freshwater aquaculture the use of B. rubens and B. calycilorus is limited, probably because inert food products are readily available as feed for freshwater larvae.

The rotifer Brachionus plicatilis is used in large numbers as the first food organism in intensive cultures of marine fish and shrimp larvae. An adequate supply of these rotifers relies on mass cultures. The reproductive rate of rotifers in these cultures depends on food quality and quantity, salinity, temperature and pH of the medium. Removal of waste products from culture tanks leads to higher and more efficient production of rotifers over extended periods of time. Rotifers have to be enriched with polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are essential for proper development and survival of marine fish and shrimp larvae.

The future use of preserved rotifers and their resting eggs may help to overcome unforeseen failures of live cultures and may lead to more efficient use of these organisms in raising freshwater and marine fish and shrimp larvae.

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Lubzens, E. Raising rotifers for use in aquaculture. Hydrobiologia 147, 245–255 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00025750

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