Production of live food (Aquatic micro animals)for the rearing of fish fry at hatcheries ROTIFERSBrachionus sp. CRUSTACEANS (CLADOCERANS)Moina sp. Daphnia sp.

1. Production of live food (Aquatic micro
animals)for the rearing of fish fry at hatcheries
ROTIFERS
Brachionus sp.
CRUSTACEANS
(CLADOCERANS)
Moina sp. Daphnia sp.
Fish Seed Hatchery Bahawalpur
Pakistan
Hafiz M Waseem
B.Sc Bahawudin zakrya University Multan
M.Sc Zoology University Of Education Lahore
M.Phil Zoology University Of Agriculture Faisalabad

2. LIVE FOOD FOR FISH FRY AT HATCHERIES
ROTIFERS
Brachionus sp.
CRUSTACEANS
(CLADOCERANS)
Moina sp.
Daphnia sp.

3. ROTIFERS
•Rotifers - Initial natural food- Fish larvae.
•Rotifers -Excellent food - Larval fish - smaller size- Easy up
take
•Onset of the feeding- fish larvae select prey -50-100 µm.
•Larval fish -fully functional stomach- absent
•Food absorption -difficult -digestive enzymes are lacking
•At that time- live food like – importance rotifers
•At Fish hatcheries- considered living Food capsules or Bio
capsules that transmit macro and micronutrients, vitamins
and even antibiotics
•Multiplication rate - quite high .
•One reproductive cycle 1-5 days - ambient conditions.
•Female life spans is 6-8 days at 25˚C.

4. •Male life spans about two days.
•They produce their first off spring -18 hours old.
•Food supply, adequate, good, life time fecundity, a-sexual
female is 20-25 daughters.
•Rotifers -about 950 cells nervous, digestive, excretory and
reproductive system.
•Size ˂ 400 µm
•Food ˂3-17 µm
•Under optimal condition, a single rotifer - 200
Nannochloropsis cells per minute
•Nannochloropsis- 2 million cells /ml are sufficient to
maintain-ingestion rate
•Rotifer density ˃ 100/ml - Algae are consumed with in an
hour

5. Brachionus calyciflorus

6. MOINA
• Moina is a genus of crustaceans within the family Moinidae.
• They are referred to as water fleas.
• The name is the result of not their size, but their short jerky hopping
movement in water.
• All Moina are small or medium-sized cladocerans.
• Moina are approximately half the length of adult Daphnia.
• Size dimension of adult Moina ranged from 700-1000µm.
• Young Moina (less than 400 micro meter) are approximately the same
size or only slighter than adult rotifers.
• Daphnia are approximately twice the length of adult Moina, as a result
large size of Daphnia are not suitable for the fry of many small fish.
• As a result Moina are ideally suited for feeding fish.
• However, the newly hatched fish fry of many species can ingest young
Moina as their initial food (Rottmann et al., 1992).

7. • Moina appear in high concentrations in pools, ponds, lakes, ditches,
slow-moving streams, and swamps where organic material is
decomposing.
• They become especially abundant in temporary water bodies, which
provide them with suitable conditions for only a brief period.
• Moina are generally quite tolerant of poor water quality.
• Moina are particularly resistant to changes in the oxygen concentration
and often reproduce in large quantities in water bodies strongly polluted
with sewage.
• The ability to survive in oxygen-poor environments is due to their
capacity to synthesize hemoglobin.
• Hemoglobin formation is dependent on the level of dissolved oxygen in
the water.
• The production of hemoglobin may also be caused by high temperature
and high population density.
• Moina are resistant to extremes in temperature and easily withstand a
daily variation of 5°C–31°C; their optimum temperature is 24°C–31°C

8. • They live in water where the amount of dissolved oxygen varies from
almost zero to supersaturation.
• Moina is offered as starter food to fry of cat fishes like Clarias
microcephalus and Clarias gariepinus.
• Moina sp.is being used to rear fry of hybrid of above cat fish species.
• They are commonly found in ponds or ditches with stagnant water.
• Moina is one of the best feed for small fishes and is very digestible.
• Many fish farms and hatcheries use Moina as alive feed for larvae and
Juveniles and it is found to improve production.
• Dry weight of Moina contains 50% protein and 20 % Lipids.
• They are filter feeders and mainly feed on algae, bacteria and yeast.

9. ISOLATION OF MOINA
• We need a starter stock to start mass culture of
Moina in farms.
• Starter can be collected from the water in ponds
and ditches but we have to isolate Moina from the
group of organisms in pond water.
• Therefore filter the water using a 100 micron
meshed screen or net.

10. •Collect the filtrate from the screen which contains,
Moina and other organisms.
• Use a droper or pipet to collect the Moina.
•View the sample using simple microscope with 10 X
lens.
•If you see Moina then collect them and make another
drop with it.
•Add a drop of water and dilute it.
• Then it will be easy to collect the Moina separately
from the group.

11. •Collect each Moina separately and add 20 individuals
to 500 ml bottle.
•Add filtered Chlorella or filtered green water.
•Chlorella is a best food for Moina.
•We can also feed the Moina with yeast, mixed
(2mg/liter) water after filtering through 80 micron
mesh net.
•Within four days, the Moina in the starter stock
reproduces and double the initial rate.
•Use the starter stock to begin a mass culture in 50 to
100 liters tanks/aquariums.

12. •Moina reproduces parthenogenetically and around
10-12 young ones are produce per day.
•The young ones become adult within 18-24 hours and
start reproduction.
•50 individuals becomes 20000 individuals with in
seven (7) days under proper rearing conditions.
•The Moina rearing tanks need an optimum 0.5m
depth water.
•It is better to close 1/3rd with a sheet to give shade.
•They can be cultured in 24-31 degree Celsius room
temperature.

13. • They need aeration in small quantity only.
•Harvest the Moina at the peak density and is about 5
numbers/ml water.
•Use a screen or net having 100 micron mesh.
•It is better to harvest at early morning or evening.
•Add ground nut oil cake at the rate of 75 mg/liter
every five days to improve production of algae and
thus Moina too.
•We can produce100 gm Moina /meter cube/7 days if
properly cultivated and cared.

14. SURVEY, MICROSCOPIC EXAMINATION, ISOLATION &
IDENTIFICATION AT FR&TI LAHORE
• Microscopic examination of water samples of selected
water bodies
• Identification of targeted animal on the basis of different
morphological characters.
• Use of Wisconsin plankton net having 48µm mesh.
• Size fractionation of samples with plankton sieves 600 µm
and 210 µm

15. STEPS INVOLVED IN ROTIFERS PRODUCTION
1. Mix Zooplanktons are harvested from earthen fish pond using
Wisconsin plankton net.
2. Approximately 200 liters of pond’s water is passed through
Wisconsin plankton net.
3. Size fractionation of aquatic life in this water is carried out with
plankton sieve set.
4. After verifying presence of rotifers under microscope, it is
inoculated in the green water tank.
5. After elapse of 7-8 days of rotifers inoculation, this tank would
have maximum rotifers production in it.
6. These rotifers are ready to feed fry of any fry of fish species.
7. Rotifers again can be harvested with Wisconsin plankton net.

16. WISCONSIN PLANKTON NET HAVING MESH 40 µm IN ITS BOLTING
CLOTH

17. PLANKTON SIEVE SET

18. I
Moina brachiate

19. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MOINA & DAPHNIA
• Moina have an open pouch.
• Daphnia, the brood pouch is completely closed

20. ADVANTAGES OF CULTURING PLANKTON IN CONCRETE TANKS
To obtain highest density in the shortest possible time.
The shortest lifecycle of phytoplankton along with there ability to absorb and
assimilate nutrients rapidly assume a standing crop as long as conditions are
favorable for growth and nutrients are available.
Cultured microalgae grow best in the nutrient media with quite different primary
and trace nutrients composition than natural water.
Nitrate levels in intensive microalgae are commonly 100-1000 times higher than
that in nature
Cyst or eggs of zooplankton species propagate enormously in the controlled
environmental condition.

21. • The green water produced in laboratory condition can be used as inoculum in
concrete tanks.
• The green water is maximized in concrete tanks which is further utilized by the
rotifers in these tanks.
• By adopting the above procedure in local condition in concrete tanks availability
of rotifers to the fry will improve fry rearing technology at fish hatcheries.
• It is therefore imperative to get benefit from the experiences of other nations so
that availability of natural food like rotifers may be easily made to the fry of
culture able fish species during breeding season at hatcheries.

22. MAINTENANCE OF MOINA IN AQUARIUM
• Isolated cladoceran are kept in aquaria to observe their propagation.
• Half the aquarium is filled with tap water.
• Water heater was installed in case of need.
• Moina is poured in the aquarium
• 500-1000 ml green water was added in this aquarium on daily basis.
• After 7-8 days Moina will attain the full bloom in aquarium.
• Moina may culture crash in aquarium as oxygen decline to 0.4 ppm
because of yeast

23. MAINTENANCE OF MOINA IN PLASTIC BOTTLES
• Moina may be kept in different 1000 ml plastic bottles feeding with
10-15 ml green water in on daily basis.
• Supernatant containing Moina is poured to fresh new flasks for further
subculturing

24. MOINA PROPAGATION IN FIBER GLASS TANKS
Tank #1 4,20,000 ( Moina has entered in next developmental stage)
Tank #2 13,44,600 ( Reddish Moina )

25. MOINA CYSTS
• Cysts of Moina can be collected at 210 µm sieve

26. INFECTED MOINA

27. MOINA

28. BOOM OF MOINA IN AQUARIUM
(Video)

29. MOINA BEING PROPAGATED IN AN AQUARIUM

30. MAINTENANCE OF MOINA THROUGH
SUBCULTURING IN PLASTIC BOTTLES

31. HARVESTING OF MOINA FROM PLASTIC BOTTLES

32. MOINA CULTURING IN FIBER GLASS TANKS
OUT SIDE THE ‘C’ BLOCK

33. HARVESTING OF MOINA

34. PREPARATION OF GREEN WATER IN
CONCRETE TANKS
• The average dimension of each tank is 29.6 feet ×7.1 feet.
• After filling the water up to three feet, average volume of
water in each tank is 17000 liters.
• Ammonium Sulphate _________ 0.6 g/liter
• Urea __________________ 0.4g/ liter
• Single Super Phosphate__________ 5.0mg/ liter.
• Moina available in the fiber glass tank are used as a
inoculum for each concrete tank having a green water.
• 7--8 days are required to achieve maximum growth of
Moina in each tank.

35. CULTURING OF MOINA IN CONCRETE TANK

36. SUGGESTIONS TO PROPAGATE MOINA IN
BULK
For the successful production of Moina it is
necessary that following items should be taken
for consideration
• Provision of concrete tanks for Moina and
green water propagation so that more
batches may be started in different dates
• D type iron structure for greenhouse on
concrete tanks.
• 3 mm polycarbonate sheets for green house
for Light Diffusing (OKORDER Thailand)

37. HARVESTED MOINA GLASS JAR

38. HARVESTED MOINA FROM FIBER GLASS TANKS
SHOWING TWO DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES

39. MOINAAT WORK

40. MOINA WITH MATURE EGG POUCH
AT WORK

41. SNAPSHOTS OF MATURE MOINA

42. EPHIPPIUM OF MOINA

43. 11. This tank is now ready for harvesting of rotifers to feed early fry of fish
species.
REARING OF FRY OF CULTUREABLE FISH SPECIES
1. Concrete tanks in shed #2 having an area of each tank 14.3ft × 6.6ft × 3ft =
283ft3 will be used for rearing of fish fry of any culture able fish species.
2. For each trial, 4000 fry of any culture able fish species can be stocked in
each of four tanks.
3. A network of perforated plastic pipes at pond bottom is used for making
vigorous aeration in these tanks.
4. Aeration of these tanks is done on continuous basis through air compressor.
5. Rotifers are harvested from any of 630ft3 concrete tanks of shed #2 by using
Wisconsin plankton net.

44. 6. Sixteen liters concentrate of rotifers from concrete tank of 630ft3 dimension is
harvested then offered as a feed to the fry rearing tanks at 10:00 and 16:00 on
daily basis.
7. Total count of rotifers on each harvesting/ feeding is determined
microscopically.
8. Aeration of these tanks is done on continuous basis through air compressor.
9. Growth and survival rate of fish fry is monitored after the lapse of one
month.

45. TRIAL ON NURSING OF FRY OF LABEO
ROHITA
• Last year a trial on nursing of fry of Labeo rohita on rotifers was conducted in
two concrete tanks of shed # 2 for 17 days i.e. from 22nd July to 8th August 2019,
having an area i.e. 14.3ft × 6.6ft × 3ft = 283ft3.
• In each tank 4000 fry of Labeo rohita was stocked. In tank # 1, rotifers were
offered as feed to the fry while in tank #2; fry was fed with “Boiled eggs”.
• At the end of this trial 2400 and 2100 fry of Labeo rohita was harvested from
the tanks #1 & 2 respectively. The fry that was harvested from tank # 1 have an
average weight 0.16 g and average length 2.4 cm.

46. • Similarly of tank # 2 have an average weight 0.12g and average length 2.0 cm
respectively.
• Survival rate of fry reared in Tanks #1 and 2 was 60% and 53% respectively.

47. •The Moina rearing tanks need an optimum 0.5m depth water.
•They need aeration in small quantity only.
•They can be cultured at 24-31 degree Celsius temperature.
•Moina reproduces parthenogenetically and around 10-12
young ones are produce per day.
•The young ones become adult within 18-24 hours and start
reproduction.
•Under optimum conditions, Moina reproduce at only 4-7
days of age, with a brood having eggs 4-22 per female.
•50 individuals becomes 20000 individuals with in seven (7)
days under proper rearing conditions.
•In properly cared tank 100 gm Moina /meter cube/7 days can
be produced.

48. • Starter stock of Moina is essential to start mass culture of Moina
in concrete tanks.
• Starter can be collected from the water in ponds and ditches then
to isolate Moina from the group of organisms.
• 200 -300 liters of the targeted/selected pond’s water are passed
through “Wisconsin plankton net” using a 38µm mesh.
• It will contains, Moina and other organisms.
• The filterate is again passed through 500 µm sieve/screen to
eliminate other undesirable organisms.
• That can be used as inoculant in a green water tank.
• In Thailand Moina is being cultured in concrete tanks.
• Moina culturing is mandatory component of “Cat fish hatcheries
in Thailand”.
• Moina is offered as starter food to fry of cat fishes like Clarias
microcephalus and Clarias gariepinus.
• Moina is being used to rear fry of hybrid of above cat fish
species.

49. •It is therefore imperative to work on the technique of “Moina
culturing” in local conditions of Punjab so that growth and
survival of fry of valuable cat fishes may be improved.

50. ENRICHMENT OF ROTIFERS

51. MASS CULTURE OF ROTIFERS

52. • Moina are resistant to extremes in temperature and easily withstand a
daily variation of 41°F–88°F (5°C–31°C); their optimum temperature is
75°F–88°F (24°C–31°C).
• Diffuse light or shade over of the water surface of the Moina culture
container is recommended.
• Diffuse light is created on cloudy days but can be imitated by applying
a diffuse coating to the roof top such diffuse coating help in reducing the
excessive intensity of sun that retard the production of Moina
• A greenhouse covered with shade cloth (50%–80% light reduction) is
ideal. Outdoor cultures should be protected from rain to help stabilize
production and screened to prevent entry of predacious aquatic insects.

53. CONCEPT OF DIFFUSE LIGHT(1)

54. CONCEPT OF DIFFUSE LIGHT(2)

55. ROTIFERS CULTURE IN CONCRETE TANKS
 For culture of rotifers concrete tanks of an area 50m2 are required that can hold
12500 liters water
On the commencement of each experiment each concrete tank is thoroughly
cleaned.
 Addition of Fertilizers Urea 1 kg, Triple Super Phosphate 1 Kg.
Water is filled up to desired depth.
 Inoculation of 100 liters of green water from algae culture lab.
This tank remains unchanged for three days. After elapse of three days another
tank is selected in which parent stock of Brachionus sp. is available.

56. A Wisconsin plankton net having a mesh size ˂ 38 µm is placed at the drainage
of this tank for the purpose to harvest live rotifers.
 In this way 4-5 liters concentrate of rotifers will be collected with this method.
Harvested rotifers will be inoculated in the above tank in which green water has
already been inoculated.
 It will take 7-8 days to harvest rotifers from this tank. Harvested rotifers are used
to inoculate another experimental tank or to feed fry of local fish species.