Growth and Survival of <i>Macrobrachium rosenbergii</i> Postlarvae (De Man, 1879) Fed with EPA and DHA Enriched Artemia

Nutritional quality of Artemia used in prawn hatchery determines the quality of seed output and its performance in the culture. The present study aimed at determining the effect of n-3 HUFA enriched Artemia feeding on growth and survival of postlarvae (PL) of M. rosenbergii. The Artemia were fed with n-3 HUFA emulsions at 2 ml L-1 and samples were taken at 0, 12, 24, 36, 48 h for analyzing fatty acid profile. Results exhibited that 24 h enriched Artemia had a significantly higher level of EPA (3.76±0.11%) and DHA (2.29±0.01%) and it declined after 24 h. The PL of M. rosenbergii were fed with freshly hatched (T1), 12 h enriched (T2), 12 h un-enriched (T3), 24 h enriched (T4) and 24 h un-enriched (T5) Artemia during initial 10 days and reared for 40 days with commercial diet. The highest SGR (3.21% day-1) and survival (83.33 ± 3.34 %) was observed in T4 compared to other treatments. Data of the present study suggest that 24 h is an optimum duration for the enrichment of Artemia and feeding it for short duration enhanced the growth and survival of M. rosenbergii.