Larval rearing of zebrafish (Danio rerio) in response to nutritional and environmental variables

Abstract

Abstract The zebrafish (Danio rerio) has attained the status of an iconic research model, joining historically important study animals such as the white rat (Rattus norvegicus) and the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster). Zebrafish has emerged as the new standard for modelling a range of fundamental vertebrate health, development, and molecular processes. Elaborate and at times costly protocols have been proposed for larval rearing in manuals for the administration of cultured rotifers and Artemia spp. Zebrafish larviculture in green water environments presents a far less costly alternative, and larval performance using green water culture supplemented with inexpensive live feeds was investigated using four treatments with three replicates as Green Water Only (GWO); Green water + Paramecium spp. (GWP); Green water + Paramecium spp. + Artemia spp. (GWPA) and Green Water + Artemia spp. (GWA). The mean percentage survival rate ± SE was 55.33 ± 2.33a (GWA), 44.67 ± 0.88b (GWPA), 36.33 ± 1.76c (GWP) and 27.00 ± 1.15d (GWO). The mean final TL (mm) ± SE was 12.53 ± 0.40a (GWA), 11.04 ± 0.51a (GWPA), 7.60 ± 0.56b (GWP) and 6.67 ± 0.39b (GWO). The mean final wet weight (mg) ± SE were 19.7 ± 2.33a (GWA), 13.0 ± 2.08a (GWPA), 2.7 ± 0.67b (GWP) and 1.0 ± 0.29b (GWO). The mean condition factor was 1.00 ± 0.09 a (GWA), 0.95 ± 0.06 a (GWPA), 0.62 ± 0.14 b (GWP), and 0.32 ± 0.04 b (GWO). Substantially improved performance (P<0.05) was attained in GWA treatment (55.3% survival, 12.53mm TL, and 19.97mg wet weight). The result of the study demonstrates that zebrafish larvae could be reared successfully and cost-effectively in green water culture either with Artemia nauplii alone or a combination of Paramecium spp. and Artemia sp. nauplii.

Keywords: Zebrafish (Danio rerio), Paramecium spp. Artemia sp. nauplii, Cholera spp. larviculture, green water