Nutritional effect of Artemia nauplii enriched with Tetraselmis suecica and Chaetoceros calcitrans microalgae on growth and survival on the river prawn Macrobrachium americanum larvae

The nutritional value of nauplii and metanauplii I of Artemia enriched with microalgae as food for freshwater prawn larvae (Macrobrachium americanum) was tested. The larvae were fed with three different diets consisting of Artemia nauplii (D-1), Artemia metanauplii I enriched with Tetraselmis suecica (D-2), and Artemia metanauplii I enriched with Chaetoceros calcitrans (D-3) from zoea (Z)(II). Growth showed differences since the third week, and the highest and lowest growth was observed with D-3 and D-1, respectively. The first metamorphosis to post-larvae appeared with treatment D-3 at 9 weeks. Survival showed differences at the first week with D-1 and D-3 treatments, and D-2 showed the best survival up to week 4. From the sixth week to the end, treatment D-3 reached the highest survival. With treatments D-1 and D-2, all larvae died at the 9th and 10th week, respectively. D-3 was the most effective of the three diets.