title: Rearing of Fabrea salina Henneguy (Ciliophora, Heterotrichida) with three unicellular feeds.
abstract: The growth rate of the ciliate Fabrea salina was studied in batch cultures in the presence of three feeds, tested separately from each other: the Prymnesiophyceae, Isochrysis galbana obtained from pure culture, the Chlorophyceae Dunaliella salina, and the commercially available yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. F. salina, and D. salina were harvested below the surface from the first evaporation pond and the crystallizer pond, respectively in multi-pond salterns (Sfax, Tunisia). The highest density of Fabrea was recorded with I. galbana (26 ind ml(-1)). However, the greatest length (243 microm) was recorded with Fabrea fed with D. salina. The lowest density, length and biovolume values were recorded with Fabrea fed with S. cerevisiae. The ANOVA test showed that density (F=18, d.f.=57), length (F=33, d.f.=57), and biovolume (F=19, d.f.=57) of Fabrea fed with yeast were significantly different (p<0.001) from those when Fabrea was fed with D. salina and I. galbana. The ciliate Fabrea encountered in the Sfax saltern (Tunisia) might be a valuable food source for Tunisian marine fish hatcheries.
authors.affiliation: Unité de recherche 00/UR/0907 Ecobiologie, planctonologie et microbiologie des écosystèmes marins, département des sciences de la Vie, faculté des sciences de Sfax, université de Sfax, Tunisie.
authors.forename: Wassim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Guermazi
authors.forename: Jannet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Elloumi
authors.forename: Habib
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ayadi
authors.forename: Abderrahmen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bouain
authors.forename: Lotfi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Aleya
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000460:Chlorophyta; D016798:Ciliophora / Q000254:growth & development*; D004032:Diet; D056890:Eukaryota; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae