The effect of Virkon® aquatic on the bacterial count of Artemia cultures

Abstract

The use of Artemia as a live food in larval rearing is widespread; however several studies have demonstrated that Artemia nauplii are a vector for introducing potentially harmful bacteria. A variety of methods have been investigated to reduce the bacterial contamination in Artemia including antibiotics, probiotics, ozone and chemical treatments. Virkon® Aquatic is a broad spectrum disinfectant widely used in the aquarium industry, this research looked at the potential of it to reduce bacterial loading of Artemia nauplii. Newly hatched Artemia were placed in a Virkon® Aquatic dip at 6 different dosages rates (10, 20, 40, 80, 100 and 120 ppm) for one hour, with a 0ppm control. Compared to the control samples, exposure to 10 ppm and 120 ppm Virkon® Aquatic resulted in a 93.76% and 99.78% decrease in bacteria loading. Therefore, the results show the novel use of this disinfectant in the reduction of bacterial loads on Artemia is highly effective, and has practical applications for both public aquaria and the ornamental hobbyist.