Hydrobiologia 298: 167-173, 1995.
D. Belk, H. J. Dumont & G. Maier (eds), Studies on Large Branchiopod Biology and Aquaculture II.
@1995 Kluwer Academic Publishers.
167
Evaluation of agro-industrial wastes as diets for culture of the fairy shrimp
Streptocephalus proboscideus (Frauenfeld, 1873)
(Crustacea:Branchiopoda:Anostraca)
A. lawahar AliI & Luc Brendonck 2
Laboratory for Biological Research in Aquatic Pollution, University of Ghent, J. Plateuastraat 22, Ghent,
Belgium; Present addresses: 1 Laboratory of Animal Ecology, University of Ghent, K. L. Ledeganckstraat 35,
B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; 2 Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Freshwater Biology, Vautierstraat 29,
B-I040 Brussels, Belgium
Key words: Anostraca, aquaculture, inert feed, cyst production, water quality
Abstract
Two micronized waste products were evaluated in a closed recirculation system for their suitability to replace a costly
diet oflive algae in the culture of the Sudanese fairy shrimp, Streptocephalus proboscideus. The test population was
kept at a density of 50 individuals 1-1 (sex ratio: 111). An agricultural waste product (YM20; mixture of pea and
corn), and an industrial waste product (POME; Palm Oil Mill Effluent) were fed at two regimes: 0.1 and 0.2 mg DW
animal- 1 h- 1 . The microalga Selenastrum capricomutum, used as a reference diet at a density of 2.0±0.82 x 10 5
cells ml- 1 , proved adequate in preliminary screening experiments. The effect of the diets and feeding regimes on
selected biological variables and water quality were followed by weekly observations and measurements. Results
in terms of growth (= increase in length), cyst production, and mortality were more successful when animals were
supplied high densities ofYM20 than in all other treatments: mean brood size was 155±6 cysts with a maximum of
266. Length after 6 weeks was about 2 cm while this ranged between 1.4-1.7 cm for the other treatments. Weekly
mortality rate was comparable under high food conditions. Mortality rate gradually increased from 5% in the first
week to 15% in the last week. Water quality, especially nitrite concentration (measured as N02-N), was slightly
better in the dry food fed than in the algae fed cultures. Present results are promising for large-scale culturing of
S. proboscideus in a cost-effective way by making use of agro-industrial waste products.
Introduction
In recent years, there has been an upsurge of interest
in the use of freshwater anostracans (fairy shrimps)
as a new type of live food in aquaculture (Prasath
et al., 1994) and as test organisms in aquatic toxicology (Centeno et al., 1993a, b, c). The potentials of
subtropical species in general and of Streptocephalus
proboscideus in particular are reviewed ·in Brendonck & Persoone (1993). This species possesses a high
fecundity (Brendonck, 1991; Brendonck et ai., 1993)
and can be cultured successfully under controlled conditions, using a diet of live microalgae (Brendonck
et aI., 1990).
Mass rearing of these filter feeders using microalgae, is expensive and labour-intensive. For large-scale
culturing on a cost-effective basis, a cheap algal substitute should thus be developed. In contrast with brine
shrimp culturing, where the applicability of cheap diets
has been widely explored (e.g. Dobbeleir et aI., 1980;
Johnson, 1980; Sorgeloos et aI., 1980; Brisset et al.,
1982; Lavens et aI., 1987), only little comparable work
has been done on freshwater anostracans (De Walsche
et al., 1991; Coutteau et aI., 1992; Maeda-Martinez
et aI., 1994).
The above trials on fairy shrimps, however, were
performed on a small scale, without continuous filtration of the culture medium and/or at low animal
densities. In the present study, a preliminary attempt
is made to screen micronised waste products as algal
substitutes for the culture of a Sudanese population
of S. proboscideus. Experiments are conducted in a
D. Belk, H. J. Dumont & G. Maier (eds), Studies on Large Branchiopod Biology and Aquaculture II.
@1995 Kluwer Academic Publishers.
167
Evaluation of agro-industrial wastes as diets for culture of the fairy shrimp
Streptocephalus proboscideus (Frauenfeld, 1873)
(Crustacea:Branchiopoda:Anostraca)
A. lawahar AliI & Luc Brendonck 2
Laboratory for Biological Research in Aquatic Pollution, University of Ghent, J. Plateuastraat 22, Ghent,
Belgium; Present addresses: 1 Laboratory of Animal Ecology, University of Ghent, K. L. Ledeganckstraat 35,
B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; 2 Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Freshwater Biology, Vautierstraat 29,
B-I040 Brussels, Belgium
Key words: Anostraca, aquaculture, inert feed, cyst production, water quality
Abstract
Two micronized waste products were evaluated in a closed recirculation system for their suitability to replace a costly
diet oflive algae in the culture of the Sudanese fairy shrimp, Streptocephalus proboscideus. The test population was
kept at a density of 50 individuals 1-1 (sex ratio: 111). An agricultural waste product (YM20; mixture of pea and
corn), and an industrial waste product (POME; Palm Oil Mill Effluent) were fed at two regimes: 0.1 and 0.2 mg DW
animal- 1 h- 1 . The microalga Selenastrum capricomutum, used as a reference diet at a density of 2.0±0.82 x 10 5
cells ml- 1 , proved adequate in preliminary screening experiments. The effect of the diets and feeding regimes on
selected biological variables and water quality were followed by weekly observations and measurements. Results
in terms of growth (= increase in length), cyst production, and mortality were more successful when animals were
supplied high densities ofYM20 than in all other treatments: mean brood size was 155±6 cysts with a maximum of
266. Length after 6 weeks was about 2 cm while this ranged between 1.4-1.7 cm for the other treatments. Weekly
mortality rate was comparable under high food conditions. Mortality rate gradually increased from 5% in the first
week to 15% in the last week. Water quality, especially nitrite concentration (measured as N02-N), was slightly
better in the dry food fed than in the algae fed cultures. Present results are promising for large-scale culturing of
S. proboscideus in a cost-effective way by making use of agro-industrial waste products.
Introduction
In recent years, there has been an upsurge of interest
in the use of freshwater anostracans (fairy shrimps)
as a new type of live food in aquaculture (Prasath
et al., 1994) and as test organisms in aquatic toxicology (Centeno et al., 1993a, b, c). The potentials of
subtropical species in general and of Streptocephalus
proboscideus in particular are reviewed ·in Brendonck & Persoone (1993). This species possesses a high
fecundity (Brendonck, 1991; Brendonck et ai., 1993)
and can be cultured successfully under controlled conditions, using a diet of live microalgae (Brendonck
et aI., 1990).
Mass rearing of these filter feeders using microalgae, is expensive and labour-intensive. For large-scale
culturing on a cost-effective basis, a cheap algal substitute should thus be developed. In contrast with brine
shrimp culturing, where the applicability of cheap diets
has been widely explored (e.g. Dobbeleir et aI., 1980;
Johnson, 1980; Sorgeloos et aI., 1980; Brisset et al.,
1982; Lavens et aI., 1987), only little comparable work
has been done on freshwater anostracans (De Walsche
et al., 1991; Coutteau et aI., 1992; Maeda-Martinez
et aI., 1994).
The above trials on fairy shrimps, however, were
performed on a small scale, without continuous filtration of the culture medium and/or at low animal
densities. In the present study, a preliminary attempt
is made to screen micronised waste products as algal
substitutes for the culture of a Sudanese population
of S. proboscideus. Experiments are conducted in a