Helenice Pereira de Barros

Ingestion rates of Artemia nauplii for different larval stages of Macrobrachium rosenbergii

Univ Estadual Paulista, UNESP CAUNESP, Aquaculture Ctr, BR-14884900 Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil

Food intake of Macrobrachium rosenbergii during larval development

This work investigates the acceptance of different food types and sizes by Macrobrachium rosenbergii during each larval stage. Food intake of dry and wet formulated diets of four different size classes (250–425, 425–710, 710–1000 and 1000–1190 μm), as well as Artemia nauplii, was determined. Larvae of each zoeal stage were stocked in beakers and fed ad libitum. After 30–45 min, the digestive tract of each larva was observed under a stereomicroscope. Acceptance was evaluated by food intake frequency (FFI). There was no significant interaction (P<0.05) between inert diet size and FFI for each larval stage. Therefore, food intake during larval development is independent of food particle size. The ingestion of Artemia nauplii was significantly higher by larvae between stages II and VI. Between stages VII and XI, FFI for Artemia nauplii and wet diet was similar, while the FFI of the dry diet was similar to live food between stages IX and XI. The wet diet was ingested by more than 50% of the larvae only from stage VII onwards, while the dry diet from stage VIII onwards. These results indicate that larvae could be fed Artemia nauplii only until stage VI. Diet supplementation should start from stage VII onwards, using food particles varying from 250 to 1190 μm.

Integrated Freshwater Prawn Farming: State-of-the-Art and Future Potential

ABSTRACT Integrated aquaculture can be defined as aquaculture systems sharing resources with other activities, commonly agricultural, agroindustrial, and infrastructural. Freshwater prawns are excellent options for integration, since they are omnivores and can therefore take advantage of a wide range of feed residuals, either from aquatic or terrestrial species. Furthermore, due to their benthic habit, they have a well-defined spatial distribution in the environment, thus favoring interaction with various species of fish, other animals, and even with plants. The integrated farming of freshwater prawns includes different culture systems, such as polyculture and coculture with other aquatic species, rice-prawn culture, hydroponics, and integration with terrestrial animals and plants. Our review includes a worldwide perspective on the main commercial integrated systems involving freshwater prawns, the present status of research on integrated freshwater prawn production and the main opportunities for integrated freshwater prawn farming in a world that is moving toward sustainability. The review continues by providing a brief summary of the future prospects for this form of aquaculture. Finally, we conclude that integrating freshwater prawn farming with other aquaculture and farming activities has considerable potential as a means of increasing food production in a sustainable fashion.

Aspects of food management on amazon river prawn larviculture phase

The time supply of live food (Artemia nauplii) at the initial phases of development and the frequency of feeding with inert feed (egg custard) in Macrobrachium amazonicum larviculture were evaluated by two experiments: In Experiment I, newly hatched Artemia were offered to the larvae in three schedules (treatments): at 07:30 h (A07:30); at 12:00 h (A12:00) and 16:30 h (A16:30). In Experiment II, the inert food was offered in the following frequencies (treatments): twice a day at 08:00 and 17:00 h (IF2); three times a day at 08:00; 12:30 and 17:00 h (IF3) and four times a day at 08:00; 11:00, 14:00 and 17:00 h (IF4). Water quality variables (dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, salinity, NH3 + NH4, NO2 and NO3) and production variables (weight, survival and duration of larviculture) were evaluated. The feeding managements studied did not influence significantly either the water quality and production variables. The results indicated that it can be recommended, for M. amazonicum larviculture feeding management, the supply of Artemia nauplii at early morning and inert feed two times per day (early morning and late afternoon), after stage V until the metamorphosis.