Cultivation of the microalgae Chaetoceros gracilis to feed the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis

Abstract

The microalgae Chaetoceros gracilis was cultivated to feed the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis. Microalgae and rotifers were grown separately, each for 10 days in a growing system volume of 62,5mL to 20L (1st phase). This was followed by 10 days in 250L (2nd phase), after 10 days in 1 500L (3rd phase). The growth rate exponential population at intervals of 24h for C. gracilis was 0,72, 0,30, and 0,28cells/mL to three phases of cultivation. Within 24h the arithmetic growth rate for the population of B. plicatilis was 330, 1 858 and 13 912rotifers/day in three phases of cultivation. Twenty-four hour intervals counts from the increasing number of organisms in the cultivation of microalgae, allows the prediction of a rotifer production necessary to feed a certain number organisms. KEY WORDS Rotifer culture, population growth, fecundity, Chaetoceros culture