From nutritional standpoint, artemia is non — selective filter feeder, and eats algae, bacteria, protozoa and yeasts, as long as feed particles diameter is not over 50-70 pm. Artemia feed can be alive or dead in artificial culture system. Artemia can uses bacteria and protozoa as feed sources, which grow in artemia culture medium. This protozoa (such as; Candida, Rhodotorula) can also be directly swallowed by artemia. The best algae’s for artemia nutrition includes: Dunaliella salina, Spirulina and Scenedesmus. For artemia culture, agricultural products can be utilized such as; rice, corn, wheat, barley flours and their bran.

4. Reproduction

All bisexual species holds 42 chromosomes (2n = 42). A. persimilis holds 44 chromosomes (2n = 44) and Artemia partenogenic is diploid, triploid, tetraploid and even pantaploid. As a general rule, artemia populations are defined on the basis of the number of their chromosomes. However, contrary to mammalian, female artemia is heterogametic [3]. Artemia is produced by two ways: sexual and parthenogenesis (development of a new individual from an unfertilized egg). The mature female ovulates each 140 hours.

According to strain of artemia or method of living, it selects one of the following conditions; oviparous or ovoviviparous. In suitable situation of rising, reproduction trend is as larvae production (ovoviviparous) and in unsuitable situation of growth (salinity >50gm/lit and oxygen <5mg/lit) oviparous will occur. In the latter condition, growth of embryo will stop and enters diapauses. In suitable saline and nutritional conditions, females can produce 75 naplius each day and over its lift cycle (50 days), it reproduces 10-11 times.

In extreme hypoxia, due to increasing hemoglobin production, the color of artemia will change from light brown to yellow and then red.

Artemia cysts are spread by wind and birds. Earth pond or region of high salty water is suitable for culture and reproduction of artemia.