Enhancement of nutritional value on zooplankton by alteration of algal media composition: A review

Abstract

In aquaculture, fish larvae regularly need a balanced diet according to the timescale because such diets essential for constant growth and reproduction and can avoid malnutrition. Thus, the use of live food organisms is critical as it will first feed for fish larvae. Studies have shown that zooplankton have more excellent digestibility and are suitable as live prey species for different sizes than other live foods (e.g. rotifer and Artemia). However, zooplankton nutrition still needs to improve to meet the nutritional requirement for fish larvae. Feeding zooplankton with well-nourished microalgae is important as it affects the nutritional value of the zooplankton. Algal growth is related to micronutrients (e.g. nitrogen, phosphorus or selenium) supply in the culture medium and the availability of nutrients affects the quality of the algal. Thus, by enriching the algal diet with micronutrients from the culture media, the nutritional value of zooplankton can be improved. This review focuses on the nutritional value of zooplankton through the manipulation of algal media composition as well as wastewater. The relation between the composition of algal media and nitrogen and phosphorus limitation are also discussed. The review links the microalgae nutrient essential with manipulating algal media composition and the change of zooplankton nutrients.