Effects of algae, yeast and photosynthetic bacteria diets on survival and growth performance in the fairy shrimp, Streptocephalus sirindhornae (Branchiopoda, Anostraca)

Abstract

Abstract This study investigated the effects on survival, growth performance and water quality of algae, yeast and photosynthetic bacteria as diets for larval and immature/mature Streptocephalus sirindhornae. Survival of the larvae fed with the alga Chlorella vulgaris and the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodopseudomonas faecalis for 5 days was higher than 80%, while those fed with the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was 4.4%. After feeding the 6-day-old fairy shrimp until they reached 30 days of age, those fed with bacteria showed the highest survival and growth rate. Ammonia, nitrate and nitrite concentrations in the water treated with R. faecalis were the lowest. The highest ammonia concentration, the lowest dissolved oxygen, and excessive turbidity were found in the yeast treatment. Frequent water replacement could not overcome this, which resulted in the low survival rate. Utilization of photosynthetic bacteria in fairy shrimp culture is for the first time reported herein, and the disadvantages of using yeast in S. sirindhornae cultivation are discussed.