To optimize the biomass and cyst production in pond based Artemia
culture systems, utilization of these associated bacteria may play a significant
role. But in these open systems uncontrollable variations in
many parameters, such as in the availability of different food sources
(bacteria or algae) make it extremely difficult to evaluate the contribution
of single diet among a wide variety of foods available at the same
time. In laboratory co-feeding tests, Artemia has been proven to get
more nutrients from bacteria in case of lack of microalgae supply (Toi
et al., 2013), but only when isolating associated bacteria and offering
them as food for Artemia under gnotobiotic culture conditions their nutritional
role can be studied.