Marine fish culture in Britain VIII. A marine rotifer, Brachionus plicatilis Muller, and the larvae of the mussel, Mytilus edulis L., as foods for larval flatfish
The rotifer, Brachionus plicatilis, and the trochophore larvae of the mussel, Mytilus edulis, were compared with Artemia nauplii as foods for larval plaice and sole. The culture techniques for the food organisms are described. An empirically developed culture technique for Brachionus gave a mean daily yield over 80 days of 370000 rotifers from a 30 1 culture to which an average of 4·4 1 of a Dunaliella suspension containing 3000 cells per ul were added daily. Larval plaice and sole gave similar results. Although trochophores were of comparatively little value, Brachionus supported development to metamorphosis. The growth rate on rotifers was less than that on nauplii, but survival was equally good. The daily demand of plaice larvae for rotifers increased from 85 per late stage 2 larva to 1400 per larva approaching metamorphosis.