Infusoria is a live food that can be used as for young fry of small fish species which are unable to feed on larger live foods giving the optimal head-start towards healthy growth and development.

1. Culture of Infusoria
W.Romen Mangang
College of Fisheries
Central Agricultural University
romenmangang.w@gmail.com

2. Infusoria in common
• "Infusoria" was the old-fashioned aquarist's
quaint expression for a dense culture of
water-borne protozoans of the freshwater
plankton, especially rotifers and
ciliates such as paramecium but including
flagellates and amoebas.
• Infusoria were first observed in 1763 by
microscopic examination of water, in which
hay had been previously soaked.
• There are about 2,000 to 3,000 different
species of infusorian protozoa under the
genera Paramecium, Bursaria,
Blepharisma, Stylonychia, Spirostomum,
Volvox, Stentor, Vorticella, and Epistylis.
11/21/2015 2

3. 11/21/2015 Template copyright www.brainybetty.com 2005 3

4. The most common species includes:
a) Algae (Volvox)
11/21/2015 4

5. 11/21/2015 5
b) Amoebas

6. c) Euglena
11/21/2015 6

7. d) Paramecium
11/21/2015 7

8. 11/21/2015 8
e) Rotifers

9. 11/21/2015 9
f) Stentor

10. 11/21/2015 10
g) Vorticella

11. Infusoria technically
• Infusoria are single-celled animals
(protozoans) belonging to the
family Ciliata and are quite different
than the organisms raised in either
"green-water" (single-celled algae
and Euglena) or rotifer culture
(multicellular invertebrates of the
Rotifera).
• Mostly originate from vegetable
infusions – pulverized vegetation in
water
11/21/2015 11

12. Paramecium
• The most familiar among the
infusorian is paramecium, the
"slipper animalcule“
• They are unicellular and among the
most advanced protozoans
• Feeds on bacteria that break down
organic substances
• They are widely cultured as fish food
• Paramecium are commonly known as
freshwater infusoria.
11/21/2015 12

13. Systematic position
Phylum – Ciliohora
Class – Ciliata
Order – Hymenostomatida
Family – Parameciidae
Genus - Paramecium
11/21/2015 13

14. Biology
• Paramecium have a very distinctive slipper-
like appearance
• Small size, ranging from 25 µm to 300 µm.
• Presence of many surface cilia (hairs)
which are used for swimming and collecting
food.
• They have a semi-transparent appearance
and the interior nuclei and food containing
vacuoles are readily seen as small globules
under the microscope.
• They have distinct front (rounded) and rear
(pointed) ends
11/21/2015 14

15. 11/21/2015 15

16. Culture
Ideal conditions for a ciliate culture, or
"infusoria’’ are :-
a) a starter culture plus organic nutrients.
b) exposure to strong daylight (but not
sunlight).
c) warmth (83oF or 28.5oC is ideal)
d) aeration
e) somewhat alkaline pH above pH 7.0 (If the
water is too soft, a shallow layer of crushed
coral in the bottom of the container to keep
the pH above 7.0.)
f) water free of chlorine
11/21/2015 16

17. Common methods employed for culture
a) By using banana peel
b) Straw
c) Lettuce (blanched or dried)
d) Milk
e) Liquifry
f) Pablam or other powdered cereal
g) Rabbit pellets
h) Raw potato
i) Rice - boiled
j) Grass
k) Yeast
11/21/2015 17

18. By using banana peels
• Add 2 to 3 banana peels are used in about
50 litres of water in an Aquarium or a Jar
• Cover with cloth to prevent entry of flies
• Water turns milky with foul smell after 2-3
days indicating bacterial growth
• after 4-5 days transparent light yellow
colour appears with slime layer formation
due to settling of floating spores of
infosuria in the air
• Harvested when the slime on the surface
of water breaks up & disintegrate
• Cultured continued by regular harvesting
11/21/2015 18

19. By using lettuce leaves
• Add 1 large clean lettuce leaf per litre of
water.
• Pour on enough boiling water to cover then
place this outside and allow to cool.
• Boling water can also be excluded
• The next day pour this into the tub and add
enough aged tap water
• Keep in ideal temperature & light
• Green water with some infusoria observed
after 5 to 6 days.
• In about 2 weeks it should be booming.
11/21/2015 19

20. By using Straw
• Dry straw or hay are added
• Add boiling water and allow to cool
• Transfer in an aquarium
• Add adequate amount of water
• After 5 to 6 days growth starts
• Peak growth after 2 weeks observed
11/21/2015 20

21. By using milk
• In this case a teaspoon or two pinches
of milk powder is added in 50 L water
• Milk can also be used to sustain culture
for regular harvesting
By using Liquifry
• Provides a source of decaying
substrate for bacteria which inturn as a
food for infusoria.
11/21/2015 21

22. Others
• Simillary other methods are also
employed such as potato
• Apple snail or Infusorial snails
(Ampullaria) are good in culture.
• Feed on the lettice leaves, hay or
other water plants. The droppings
(feaces) of the snail containing half
digested leaves will help rise large
number of infusoria
11/21/2015 22

23. Water plant along with Apple
snail
11/21/2015 23

24. Importance
• The first kind of food young fry of small fish
species need is Infusoria.
• Essential for very small fry which are unable
to feed on larger live foods
• To help fry through the first vital days of
their lives and make sure that their
stomachs are always full.
• Having a ready supply of infusoria can
make the difference between success and
failure for an entire hatching of young fry.
• It also gives fry the optimal head-start
towards healthy growth and development.
11/21/2015 24

25. contd..
• Their small size, ranging from 25 µm to
300 µm (a µm = 1/1000 of a mm) makes
them an ideal live food for young fry which
have just consumed their yolk sac
• For comparison, brine shrimp nauplii are
around 400 mm to 500 mm in size and are
so big that many fry can't consume them
until at least a couple of weeks after
hatching.
• Infusoria can be raised on quite a variety of
foods.
11/21/2015 25

26. Conclusion
• The set-up and maintenance of these
cultures is really quite easy
• Have excellent results rearing fry.
• Besides being small in size, they are
soft bodied and nutritionally rich.
• Owing to these qualities, they surve
ideally as starter feed for early stages
of finfish and shellfish in aquaculture
hatcheries.
11/21/2015 26

27. Thank You

28. 11/21/2015 Template copyright www.brainybetty.com 2005 28