Interreg Project Austria Czech Republic

The aim of this project is the cultivation and production of microalgae (phytoplankton) with service and residual water as a feed source for zooplankton cultures (rotifers also called Rotifera), which in turn can be used as high-quality feed for various fish species.

Through this project, competences in water utilization, microalgae cultivation and fish farming will be combined and expert knowledge will be used across disciplines.

In 2021, a rearing facility for saltwater rotifers of the species Brachionus plicatilis was established in the fish farm. The algae cultures with Nannochloropsis sp. and Chlorella sp. necessary for feeding the rotifers were established.

In 2022, freshwater rotifers of the species Brachionus calyciflorus were now also added, since saltwater rotifers remain mobile in freshwater only for a short time and the addition of freshwater rotifers in rearing tanks with fish larvae is generally less problematic. Test trials on compatibility and feasibility are now being conducted on various fish species such as eelpout, whitefish, pikeperch and perch. Another innovation is the use of a PhotoBioReactor (PBS) developed in the course of this project for algae rearing, which can automatically regulate the pH and temperature, as well as the light intensity for ideal algae rearing.