Controlled production of Artemia biomass using an inert commercial diet, compared with the microalgae Chaetoceros

During laboratory experiments Artemia were fed 14 days from nauplius to adult stage with a commercially available, enriched and unenriched, inert, dry baby food ('Nestum'). Growth, survival, and nutrient content of Artemia were determined, and compared with Artemia fed with the unicellular microalgae Chaetoceros sp. Raising Artemia on Nestum resulted in a high survival rate (Nestum: 72%; Nestum enriched 79%) and after 11 days a growth of 4.93 mm with Nestum and 5.02 mm with enriched Nestum, which was similar to Artemia reared on Chaetoceros. The lipid content of Artemia reared on Nestum was significantly higher and the protein content lower than Artemia reared on Chaetoceros. The carbohydrate and ash content were similar. The results show that rearing Artemia with Nestum is a viable and economical alternative to the laborious production of unicellular algae.