Culture experiments on the harpacticoid copepod, Tisbintra elongata Mori, and evaluation of that species as a food organism for milkfish larvae

Abstract

The mass culture of the harpacticoid copepod, Tisbintra elongata, indigenous to Panay Island were conducted, feeding them on several kinds of food materials. Salinity tolerance as physiological parameter was also examined. At the same time their efficiency as food for milkfish larvae was evaluated.

The highest density of 10.5 individuals/m/ was obtained in copepods fed on rice bran and fermented fish solubles at rates of 0.125 to 0.25 and 0.16 mg/indiv./day respectively. The provision of shelter as habitat was also supplementary for growth. This species of copepod was found to be euryhaline, and could grow to high densities in waters hypersaline to their natural habitat.

Statistically, no significant difference of growth was observed between the milkfish larvae fed on this species and Artemia nauplius. However, comparatively stable results were obtained using Tisbintra as food. In this rearing of milkfish larvae, those larvae whose sizewas 12.3 to 13.5mm in body length were considered to be just prior to morphological change.