The effects of using straw as a bacterial substrate in the cultivation of Artemia franciscana

Bacteria are used directly by zooplankton as a food source. The purpose of this study is to use straw as a substrate for the proliferation of bacteria in geomembrane pools and its effects on the production and biochemical compositions of Artemia. One week before Artemia culture, the pools inoculated with Dunaliella sp. and straw (particles less than 200 microns) as follows: treatment 1= geomembrane pool containing Dunaliella sp. (one week of algae cultivation), treatment 2 = geomembrane pool containing Dunaliella sp. and 0.5 grams per liter of straw (one-week algae cultivation and adding straw from the second week), treatment 3 = geomembrane pool containing Dunaliella sp. and 0.5 g/l of straw (algae cultivation and adding straw from the first week) and treatment 4= geomembrane pool containing 0.5 g/l of straw (adding straw from the first week). Artemia was cultured for 18 days and fed based on a turbidity depth of 15 cm. The highest growth rate was observed at the end of day 18 in treatment 3 (P<0.05). The highest amount of protein was obtained in treatment 1 (P<0.05). The highest amount of biomass was observed in the control and T3 groups (P<0.05). The presence of straw in Artemia pools decreased EPA fatty acid by 5-7 times less than the control (P<0.05). Artemia can grow while feeding on environmental bacteria. Applying straw in Artemia cultivation can lead to an increase in PUFA fatty acids with 18 carbon chains.