production and application
of on-grown artemia in freshwater ornamental fish farm
L.C.
Lim, A. Soh, P. Dhert, P. Sorgeloos-2001
Aquaculture Economics and Management, 5(3/4): 211-228
Abstract:
This paper describes a pilot culture system for the
production of on-grown Artemia in freshwater ornamental fish farms. The
system had 21 culture units, each consisting essentially of three
components: an oval-shaped raceway, an air-water lift system and two waste
collectors. Using artificial seawater at 20 ppt for culture and at a mean
production rate of 3 kg/m³ of water in a 12-day cycle, the system had a
production capacity of 8 metric tons of on-grown Artemia a year. Biochemical
analyses were performed to evaluate the nutritional value of the on-grown
Artemia against three conventional live feeds, viz. live Artemia nauplii
live Moina and frozen bloodworms. Cost-benefit analysis showed that with a
capital investment of US$ 82,000 and an annual cost of production of US$
81,000, the system achieved a high international rate of return of 88% over
a 10-year period and a short payback period of 1.23 years. The availability
of on-grown Artemia would not only offer farmers and exporters a better
alternative live food organism for feeding to their fish, but more
importantly the possibility of enhancing the fish performance and quality
through bioencapsulation.
(Freshwater Fisheries Centre, Agri-food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore, Lorong Chencharu, Singapore 769194, Republic of Singapore, Tel: +65-7519850, Fax: +65-7523242, e-mail: 333@post1.com)