CULTURE OF ROTIFERS USING DIFFERENT TYPES OF LIVESTOCK WASTES

Abstract

A ten-day study was conducted to evaluate the suitability of different livestock manures as organic media for rotifer culture and to assess the associated water quality parameters. Twelve 6-L microcosms arranged in triplicate were assigned to four treatments: control (municipal tap water only), rabbit droppings (RD), poultry droppings (PD), and sheep droppings (SD), each supplemented with NPK fertilizer and soybean cake except the control. Rotifers were isolated from river water and inoculated into the culture media after three days of aeration. Baker's yeast was provided as feed throughout the culture period. Rotifer abundance was determined every other day from the second day of culture, while temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and alkalinity were monitored. Water quality remained within acceptable ranges for rotifer production: temperature (21–25°C), pH (6.7–7.5), dissolved oxygen (8.1–11.3 mg/L), carbon dioxide (9–14 mg/L), and alkalinity (90–111 mg/L). No significant differences (P > 0.05) were observed among the measured physicochemical parameters across treatments. Rotifer populations increased steadily and reached peak abundance on the eighth day of culture before declining slightly by the tenth day. The poultry droppings treatment recorded the highest mean rotifer yield (131.33 individuals/mL), followed by rabbit droppings (108.67 individuals/mL) and sheep droppings (94.00 individuals/mL). Although differences in rotifer yield among the organic media were not statistically significant (P > 0.05), poultry droppings demonstrated the greatest carrying capacity and sustained higher rotifer production throughout the culture period. The findings indicate that livestock manures can serve as effective and inexpensive nutrient sources for rotifer culture. Among the media evaluated, poultry droppings showed the greatest potential for large-scale rotifer production because of their superior productivity and ability to sustain rotifer populations over an extended period. The use of locally available livestock manure offers a practical and sustainable approach for producing live feed to support fish hatchery operations and aquaculture development.

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