In order to collect information on the occurrence of wild Artemia populations in hypersaline environments such as salt lakes, lagoons and salty rivers, field surveys were conducted between 1980 to 1990. The reproduction behavior of Artemia populations and the presence or absence of males was carefully recorded. Sampling involved the use of plankton nets. Collected cysts were characterized on the basis of their diameter and chorion thickness, while nauplii (instar-I) were characterized on the basis of their total length. Artemia populations were found at 18 diferent geographical locations scattered over 12 Iranian provinces. All Iranian Artemia populations are parthenogenetic with the exception of Artemia urmiana from Urmia Lake. During the last five years severe salinity increase has caused a dramatic reduction of population sizes in several hypersaline settings in Iran. The study of cyst and naupli biometry revealed substantial di, erences between populations and can be used, to some extent, for their discrimination. Cyst diameter means values range from 243.2 to 285.4 mm. For some Iranian parthenogenesis, cyst diameters were among the smallest recorded so far for parthenogenetic Artemia. The total length of newly hatched nauplii ranges from 455.5 to 529.8 mm.

Considering nutritional value of Artemia nauplius, it`s widely used feeding shrimp post larvae, early life stages of sturgeon larvae, ornamental fish and marine fish larval.In order to comparison some important characteristics of Artemia cysts, were collected from three different location across Iran including Urmia lake, Maharloo lake and Meighan of Arak. Different biometric characteristics were measured and analyses. Cysts were hatched under identical standard conditions and measured as the length of InstarI nauplius. To determine the cyst diameter and chorion thickness, cysts were cultured in D & K after nocturnal incubation, decapsulated. Then decapsulated and non-decapsulated cyst diameters measured by binocular loup equipped with micrometer eye lenses.Data were statistically analyzed by SPSS software and tested by ANOVA, Duncan test. results of these comparisons on means of chorion layer thickness, cysts diameter ranges in 3 geographical habitats of Iran to introduce to larvae-culturists showed that The largest nauplii were obtained as Instar I, belongs to Artemia from Urmia lake and the smallest one belongs to Artemia from Meighan desert of Arrack at sizes of 511.8, 504.9 micrometer respectively. Also the largest to smallest means of cysts diameters were due to Urmia lake Maharloo Lake and Meighan desert area of Arrack. (285.4, 281.3 and 280.1 respectively).although the chorion thickness of Urmia lake Artemia was smaller than other strains.

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of different levels of Aphanothece halophytica microalgae on the fatty acids and amino acids composition of Artemia urmiana nauplius for 3 weeks. Cysts were hatched under identical standard conditions and the experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with 1200000 of nauplius in 3 trial treatments and 3 replicates (n=100000 in each replicate) included: with 200 mL microalgae with 22 × 10 6 6 6 , 16× 10 and 13× 10 cell/mL respectively and control group (1g yeast per 10000 nauplius). The results showed that at the end of experiment, the highest EPA (3. 99± 0. 25%) and DHA (1. 44± 0. 02 %) was showed in treatments fed with 13× 10 6 cell/mL. Also, the highest Asp, Gli, Ser, Gly, His, Arg, Thr, Ala, Tyr, Val, Met, Ile, Leu and AA was shown in treatments fed with 13× 10 6 cell/mL which showed significant difference compared to other treatments (P<0. 05) Overall, the results of the present study revealed that A. urmiana nauplius fed with different levels of A. halophytica microalgae showed better fatty acid and amino acid composition than to control group, and use of 13× 10 6 cell/mL A. halophytica algae could suggest for A. urmiana nauplius.

This study examined the ability of two enrichment mechanisms, bioencapsulation or/and attachment to the body surface of Artemia nauplii (Artemia franciscana) with two isolated Bacillus probiotics. The probiotics tested were Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus lechiniformis delivered at two concentrations (103 and 106 cells/ml). Results show that both species of bacteria could be bioencapsulated into and attached to Artemia successfully. For all treatments, the attachment of probiotic to Artemia increased, while bioencapsulated probiotic into Artemia decreased over time. With bacteria at 106 cells/ml, attachment levels reached 2.3±0.2×103 CFU/nauplius for B. subtilisand 3.2±0.1×103 CFU/nauplius for B. lechiniformis occurred. When nauplii were exposed to the probiotic bacteria at 106 cells/ml, maximum bioencapsulation levels were 4.2±0.2×103 CFU/nauplius with B. subtilis and 4.1±0.2×103 CFU/nauplius with B. lechiniformis.

In the stages of fish rearing, one of the most important subjects is supplying food with high quality for larva. This food must be easily accepted and diegested with fish larva. Today, widely used live food, especially nauplius of artemia enriched with different materials is applied in the early stages of nutrition of many fish and shrimp species. Fluoride is one of the important minerals that reaches to human from drinking water and seafood such as shrimp and fish and is necessary for strengthen of teeth and bones. In this study, Artemia Franciscana (A. franciscana) was enriched with sodium fluoride in the Shahid Dr Beheshti Hatchery. Artemia cysts after removing the shell and 30 hours after the hatching were in Instar II stage. In this stage, they were enriched with sodium fluoride concentrations 40 and 80 and 160 mg/L and control (no enrichment), each with three replicates. Sampling from controls and exposed treatments was done 2, 4 and 6 hours after enrichment. Then samples froze and ashed in a furnace. The ashes treated with sodium hydroxide and fluoride was determined using potentiometric method through ion selective electrode. According to Duncan test results, interaction between time and fluoride concentration is significant (p<0.01).All of the enriched treatments showed statistically significant differences with control. Most absorption of sodium fluoride was observed at 40 mg/L treatment after 2 hours. Death of Nauplius Artemia was observed in the dose of 160 mg/L and in this concentration, intake of fluoride was not selective. Also, after 2 hours exposure till 6 hours, the concentration of fluoride was reduced in artemia that is probably due to excretion of fluoride from the body. Based on the obtained results, concentration of 40 mg/L Sodium fluoride with the time of 2 hours exposure is the best dose to enrich Artemia with fluoride.

Acipenser persicus Species is native to Iran, hatching rate of production had the highest rate but a high larval mortality. So to raise the percentage of survival and resistance to stress factors in artificial reproduction, freshwater rotifer was enriched with vitamin C feeding the active feeding stage larvae (Exogenous).Thus four treatments were considered. Treatment 1: the same treatment process Shahid beheshti Hatchery first sections Napleus Artemia were then fed Daphnia Treatment 2: a mixture of Artemia Nauples, Rotifer and daphnia equal amount. Treatment 3: Freshwater rotifer (Brachionus calyciflorus) Treatment 4: Rotifer enriched with vitamin C (Ascorbic acid palmitate) was studied. The number of larvae weighting (43 ± 0.5) mg in 100-liter Tank had been making 35 liters of water up to 8 days after initiation of external feeding were studied. During the review Biometry was performed three times. Feeding was based on 20 percent wet body weight four times daily. Average temperatures during the study (22.5 ± 0.5) cintigrad degree, pH water (8.5 ± 0.1) Oxygen (9.58 ± 0.2) mg /lwas measured. Results of the fatty acid profile showed that treatment of 3 and 4 higher precent PUFA and HUFA were significant. And enriched with Vitamin C in the early days of fish fed with increasing activeA group of essential fatty acids and is associated with increased survival rate (p<0.05). Brachionus calyciflorus With Other freshwater rotifer along the first three to four days active feeding larvae, live food, sometimes a good live meal, sometimes working in htchery and farming before will be release.

Brine shrimp (Artemia.) is fascinating organism from subphylum Crustacean, order Branchiopoda, family Artemiidae. Artemia brine shrimps inhabit saline and hypersaline ecosystems and have many tolerance against salinity changes. Urmiah Lake is the most important habitate of Artemia in Iran. Artemia is also reported from Kale-shour located in 35 km north of Gonabad, south khorassan province, Iran. In this study collected Artemia from Gonabad Kale-shour were compared with Artemia urmiana Gunther (1900) and Artemia parthenogenetica from Urmiah Lack using morphometric characters. Cysts samples collected from Kale-shour and Artemia urmiana and Artemia parthenogenetica were obtained from Urmiah Fisheries Company (shilat) Research Center. The Cysts were cultured separately in 20 L aquarium approximately under constant physical and chemical conditions (salinity 62 ppt, temperature 20 ± 1 C°, PH  » 8, slowly and continually aeration, flourscent light with 40 cm distance from aquarium surface). All samples were fed with rice bran and unicellular algae. After 35 days 30 chosen mature female of each culture were narcotized with chloroform and eight quantitative characters (total length, abdominal length, abdominal width, length of furca, head width, distance between compound eyes, eyes diameter, length of the first antenna) were measured under measuring microscope to the nearest 0.001 mm. Data were analysis using the statistical software SPSS 10 and multivariate analysis, result show that Kale-shour Artemia are significantly different from Artemia urmiana, but the Kale-shour Artemia and A. Parthenogenrtica are identical. Two populations could belong to A.parthenogenetica species.