Students and lecturers from Indonesian Airlangga University (UNAIR) successfully mass-produced Artemia to help local shrimp farmers.
Reza Istiqomatul Hidayah, postgraduate student from the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine (FPK UNAIR), and her team tested Dunaliella sp., Tetraselmis sp. and Chaetoceros sp. as different feed solutions for Artemia mass production.
Dunaliella sp. showed the lowest growth, Tetraselmis sp. resulted in large feces production and Chaetoceros sp. showed the best results due to its high protein content, Reza explained. The team found that a feed combination of Chaetoceros sp. and rice bran is suitable for Artemia growth and nutritional consistency. Currently, the team is performing pathogen-free tests.
Besides producing Artemia biomass, the team also produced salt from Artemia farming waste. “Water from the siphon process is dried under the sun becoming crystallized salt, so this water is not wasted,” she added.
FPK UNAIR has cooperated with the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries of Madura Island, including Pamekasan and Sumenep. Those are potential locations for Artemia mass production, the team said.
