The Importance of Rotifer as Live Feed in Mariculture

Live feed that consists of phytoplankton and zooplankton plays a vital role in aquaculture, serving as a critical component for the successful seed production of fish and crustaceans. Live feed such as rotifer, artemia and copepod are tiny multicellular zooplankton that are propagated for the first feeding of early larval stage. At the first feeding, the body and mouth or gape size of most larvae are small, limiting the size of food a larvae can capture in this stage; fish larvae require live feed with suitable nutritional value and suitable size range for the success of larviculture. The significance of rotifer being used as a primary live feed is due to the small size, nutritional content, digestibility and high reproductive rate. Rotifers are propagated in a dedicated culture system to provide a consistent and high-quality live feed. The culture methods emphasize maintaining optimal growth parameters that promote the rapid reproduction of rotifers. Apart from that, rotifer enrichment is another key focus in the culture to ensure the live feed meets the larval dietary requirements for optimal growth and survival. Understanding and optimizing rotifer culture techniques remain essential for the success of hatchery operations in the mariculture industry.