Abstract

The importance of rotifer Brachionus plicatilis culture in Venezuela has been increased together with the investigation about the culture of aquatic organisms due to its quality as live food for fish and crustaceans larvae. This study was conducted to determine the salinity (12, 16, 26, 30 y 40 x 10-3) and microalgae (Chlorella sp., Dunaliella salina y Nannochloropsis oculata) to allow the best growth rate of three strains of rotifers from three different locations of Venezuela (Península de Araya, Edo. Sucre; y Pampatar y La Galera, Isla de Margarita). In order to this, 10 rotifer were cultured in test tubes, with a density of 1 ind./ml, and a microalgae concentration of 250.000 cel./ml, and maintained a t 28íC for three days. After this period, all organisms were counted and the growth rate (K), the duplication time (td) and the yield (r) were calculated. N. oculata was the best microalgae for all the three rotifer strains, D. salina was the second best and the last one was Chlorella sp. According to the salinity, the Araya strain showed the best growth rate at 12 x 10-3, the La Galera strain between 12 y 30 x 10-3, and the Pampatar strain at 40 x 10-3. These results established that there are three different strains, each with unique culture and conditions.

PDF Preview