A feasibility study was performed on the use of a recirculation system for the mass culturing of rotifers at industrial level. Rotifer culture systems with a culture volume of 750 l were operated at three different stocking densities (3000, 5000 and 7000 individuals ml-1) in a completely closed recirculation system. At all operating rotifer densities, a reliable production of 2.2 billion rotifers could be obtained on a daily basis during 3 weeks. Excellent water quality was maintained by the use of protein skimmers, the use of ozone and a submerged biofilter. The microbial counts remained stable during the whole culture period (106 CFU ml-1 on marine agar and 104 CFU ml-1 on TCBS after 15 and 23 days, respectively). No difference in HUFA and protein content were obtained between rotifers harvested from the recirculation system or from a conventional batch culture system. Compared to a commercial batch culture system, the use of a recirculation system can contribute to a 43% saving on the capital investment and the annual operation cost. By using this system, capital investment cost is considerably reduced by 46%. Savings are also made on labour cost (65%) and feed cost (21%) during a 1-year production. In general terms, it can be stated that by using a simple recirculation system, a cost-effective technology and a reliable rotifer culture can be obtained.
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