Selection of suitable phyto-food organisms for the rotifer, Brachionus plicatilis cultivation in high and low water temperature seasons

Chlorella has been used as a very useful food for rearing rotifer which is an important live food for early stages of fish and crustancean larvae. But Chlorella does not grow well in higher or lower temperature such as during summer or winter season in this country. Therefore, cooling or heating facilities are needed for Chlorella culture during summer or winter, but it costs too much for the commercial scale fish farmers. To solve this problem, the growth rates of 34 different species of phytoplanktons were examined at the various levels of temperatures, salinites and light intensities to select suitable species as the food for rotifers for summer and that for winter. After the suitable species were selected, growth comparisons of rotifer groups which were fed the selected species of phytoplanktons against rotifer group fed Chlorella as a control were done. Fatty acid compositions of the selected phytoplanktons and rotifer groups which were fed these selected phytoplanktons were examined. It was revealed that Nannnochioris oculata was optimum for rotifers in summer season and Phaeodactylum tricornutum was suitable for that in winter season. The optimum temperature, salinity and light intensity for former phytoplankton were , and 5,000 lux and those for later were , and 8,000 lux, respectively. In the higher temperature condition, the growth of N. oculata fed rotifer group was better than Chlorella ellipsoidea fed group. In the lower temperature condition, however, the growth of Chlorella fed rotifer group was slightly better than P. tricornutum fed group. Between two selected phytoplanktons, N. oculata has the highest content of linolenic acid (18 : 3 - 3, - 6) which is essential fatty acid for marine fish larvae. A rotifer group which was fed this plankton also showed the highest linolenic acid content among the other rotifer groups.