CULTURE OF NATURAL FEED Phronima sp. AT DIFFERENT SALINITY LEVELS

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the effect of different salinity levels in the rearing medium on population growth, reproduction, life cycle, and nutritional content of Phronima sp. The research was conducted at the Science and Technology Area Laboratory (KST) Kurnaen Sumadiharga, Marine Aquaculture Research Center BRIN, North Lombok, for 25 days. A Completely Randomized Design (CRD) was applied with four salinity treatments (35, 30, 25, and 20 ppt) and four replicates each. Parameters observed included juvenile count, developmental duration from juvenile to adult, egg count per female, survival rate, and proximate nutritional composition. ANOVA results indicated that salinity differences had no significant effect (P > 0.05) on any biological parameter. The number of juveniles produced ranged from 14.75–16.25 individuals per female, while the number of F1-generation eggs per female ranged from 10.20–10.94 eggs. The life cycle of Phronima sp. lasted approximately 18 days, comprising the egg-bearing female stage (days 0–3), juvenile stage (days 3–15), and adult stage (days 15–18). Survival rate ranged from 70.01–74.97%. The highest protein content was found at 35 ppt (42.01%), while the highest lipid content was recorded at 25 ppt (6.62%). Overall, the salinity range of 20–35 ppt remains within the physiological tolerance of Phronima sp., supporting its successful culture as an alternative natural feed to replace Artemia.