Mass culture of Moina macrocopa using organic waste and its feeding effects on the performance of Pagrus major larvae

Moina macrocopa (Straus, 1820), was cultured on different animal manures (i.e. chicken manure, Pig manure and cow manure) and food waste to detect the influence of these food sources on its mass production. Then M. macrocopa was used as feed for the rearing of Pagrus major larvae and its effects on their performance was studied. At first, the experiment was carried out for 21 days to identify the best culture medium for M. macrocopa. Food waste treatment resulted in higher density of M. macrocopa compared to other animal wastes. The percentage of unsaturated fatty acids was also significantly higher in the food waste treatment. Subsequently, we compared the effect of M. macrocopa cultured on food waste, Artemia and artificial diet on rearing the larvae of Pagrus major, red sea bream. The feeding time differed for each treatment, but the feeding number and amount were adjusted for all treatments. Results showed that larvae fed with M. macrocopa showed higher survival rates, growth rates, stress tolerance rate and DHA/EPA ratio than larvae fed with Artemia and artificial diet. The present results revealed that M. macrocopa cultured on food waste has an outstanding food potential and a probable substitute for Artemia. Keywords: Moina macrocopa, Food waste, Fatty acid content, Artificial diet, Pagrus major, Larva