Le King’s College switch to Rotifers for zebrafish feeding

When an big research center decide that using Rotifers is more practical to feed 40,000 zebrafish…

The staff at the zebrafish facility at King’s College London shows that rotifers (Brachionus plicatilis) are sufficient and are better for the growth of zebrafish than used in addition to Brine shrimp (Artemia franciscana). Indeed, by eliminating Artemia sp. in the diet, zebrafish larvae reach 20% faster sexual maturity. This while maintaining a survival rate still high of over 80%.

Data for average nursery survival rates and time spent in nursery of fish fed on Brine Shrimp or Rotifers:

The new rotifer-based, low-salinity nutritional protocol was implanted in August 2016 for all stages of zebrafish development. A combination of inert and live food is still retained from the juvenile stage. On the other hand, during the embryonic stage, the King’s College team now focuses exclusively on rotifers.

Feeding regimes *before* and *after* the establishment of the new 5 ppt rotifer protocol were as follow:

By reducing the amount of food required for the same nutritional value for zebrafish, the team finally saw a significant saving in labor time and equipment.

Comparaison du coût hebdomadaire (réparti en %) entre le matériel et la main d’oeuvre nécessaire pour 5ppt de rotifères et d’artémies au KCL.