Effects on the survival and development of Acartia tonsa fed different Rhodomonas species cultivated on different nitrogen concentrations

Marine larvae need a live feed with a high amount of PUFA especially EPA and DHA to have a healthy development. Copepods are the preferred choice of live feed since they are there natural food source and have the right biochemical composition for a healthy larval development. The main question was to examine the possibility to increase the EPA and DHA content in A. tonsa through a mono-diet of R. baltica and R. salina cultivated on four different nitrogen concentrations 0, 33, 66, and 100% NaNO3. The experiment was divided in two the microalgae and the copepods. In the microalgae experiment was carried out by measuring the growth rate, carrying capacity, and biochemical composition (C:N molar ratio, TL, and FA) of R. baltica and S. salina reared on 0, 33, 66, and 100% NaNO3 in the growth medium. The NaNO3 treatment that had the highest DHA, EPA, and C:N ratio of each species was chosen to a feeding experiment of A. tonsa. R. baltica and R. salina cultivated in 66% NaNO3 had statistically higher (ANOVA, p