The study of Growth, Survival and Nutrition value of Branchinecta orientalis (Crustacea: Anostraca) fed on unicellular algae; Haematococcus sp. and Scenedesmus sp

Success in aquaculture is based on various criteria, and the selection of a suitable feed and its potential use is important. The possibility of using fairy shrimps as diet in aquaculture has not been explored widely. Among the live diets used in the aquaculture, fairy shrimps have the potential to be used as a feed item for fishes such as ornamental fishes that benefit from live food. Also, their cysts and nauplii are useful in larval culture, mainly due to their convenience and availability. Branchinecta orientalis belong to the Anostracans, is a common inhabitant in seasonal water catchments in Northwest of Iran. In this study, growth rate and survival of this species was studied for 15 days using two different unicellular algae, that were combined with given amount enriched yeast. Newly hatched nauplii were grown until sexual differentiation under laboratory conditions (21 ±1°C temperature; 12L/12D photoperiod; 1600 Lm/m2 intensity; 200 nauplius L_1 density) feeding on two specie of unicellular algae Haematococus sp. and Scenedesmus sp. Results were analyzed using One-way ANOVA was used to test mean of different variables. No significant difference was observed on the growth rate and survival between the two treatment groups (p > 0.05). Also our findings provide valuable information on B. orientalis high nutrition value and its capability to use in aquaculture.