Unraveling the effects of live microalgal enrichment on Artemia nauplii

Abstract

Artemia nauplii, though deficient in many essential nutrients, are used extensively in fish/shellfish larviculture. Enrichment using various diets can enhance their nutrient profile to the required level. The present study examines the effects of enrichment of Artemia nauplii with live microalgae viz., Pavlova viridis, Isochrysis galbana, Nannochloropsis oculata and Dicrateria inornata. Total length and width, survival percentage and the fatty acid profile of the microalgae enriched and unenriched nuaplii were estimated at 0, 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 h time intervals. No significant increase in total length and width was observed between the enriched and unenriched Artemia nauplii during the study, indicating the absence of any enrichment diet induced growth rate of the nauplii. Salinity stress study revealed that the microalgae enriched nauplii can live long in low saline conditions than the unenriched nauplii. The total PUFA content of the live microalgae enriched nauplii reached maximum at 7 h post-enrichment followed by a significant drop after 9 h. The results of the study indicated that live microalgae can be used as excellent enrichment dietary sources for Artemia nauplii, which in turn can provide many of the vital nutrients essential for fish larviculture.