~ 189 ~ International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies 2014; 2(1): 189-196 ISSN: 2347-5129 IJFAS 2014; 2(1): 189-196 © 2013 IJFAS www.fisheriesjournal.com Received: 06-07-2014 Accepted: 01-08-2014 Hyppolite Agadjihouede (a) Laboratory of Hydrobiology and Aquaculture, Faculty of the Agronomic Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi (UAC), 01 P.O. Box 526, Cotonou, Benin. (b) High National School of Agronomics Sciences and Technics of Ketou, BP95 Ketou, Benin. Elie Montchowui (a) Laboratory of Hydrobiology and Aquaculture, Faculty of the Agronomic Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi (UAC), 01 P.O. Box (b) High National School of Agronomics Sciences and Technics of Ketou, BP95 Ketou, Benin.526, Cotonou, Benin. Simon Ahouansou Montcho (a) Laboratory of Hydrobiology and Aquaculture, Faculty of the Agronomic Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi (UAC), 01 P.O. Box 526, Cotonou, Benin. (b) High National School of Agronomics Sciences and Technics of Ketou, BP95 Ketou, Benin. Clément Agossou Bonou Laboratory of Applied Biology Research / Polytechnic School of Abomey-Calavi, University of Abomey-Calavi (UAC), 01 P.O. Box 2009 Cotonou, Benin. Philippe A. Laleye Laboratory of Hydrobiology and Aquaculture, Faculty of the Agronomic Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi (UAC), 01 P.O. Box 526, Cotonou, Benin. Correspondence: Hyppolite Agadjihouede (a) Laboratory of Hydrobiology and Aquaculture, Faculty of the Agronomic Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi (UAC), 01 P.O. Box 526, Cotonou, Benin. (b) High National School of Agronomics Sciences and Technics of Ketou, BP95 Ketou, Benin. Growth and development of three species of the zooplankton (Brachionus Calyciflorus, Moina micrura and Thermocyclops sp.) breeding on poultry dropping in mixed condition in tanks Hyppolite Agadjihouede, Elie Montchowui, Simon Ahouansou Montcho, Clément Agossou Bonou and Philippe A. Laleye Abstract Breeding of Brachionus Calyciflorus (rotifer), Moina micrura (cladoceran) and Thermocyclops sp. (copepod) on poultry dropping were investigated in mixed condition. The most production per day was obtained in chicken dropping medium (p < 0.05) with in top B. Calyciflorus (973 ± 249 individuals/L), followed M. micrura (126 ± 08 individuals/L) and Thermocyclops sp. (45 ± 19 individuals/L). M. micrura had a higher intrinsic rate (a) and the less duplication time (Td) (a = 0.88 ± 0.05; Td = 1.13 ± 0.07), followed B. Calyciflorus (a = 0.73 ± 0.02; Td = 1.38 ± 0.05) and Thermocyclops sp. (a = 0.21 ± 0.01; Td = 5.08 ± 0.88). The colonization phase ranged 6-12 th day for M. micrura and B. calyciflorus and 18-21 th day for Thermocyclops sp. Evolution profile and dynamic of populations showed: (1) quickly evolution marked by a peak followed a crash of species rotifer (B. calyciflorus) and cladoceran (M. micrura); (2) more late evolution of copepod (Thermocyclops sp.). In perspectives of culture of life food for larviculture, it result of this experiment that the harvest of zooplankton may be realized 6-12 th day when the zooplankton production reached its high level; and rotifers and cladocerans were abundant. Keywords: Growth, Development, Zooplankton, Brachionus Calyciflorus, Moina micrura, Thermocyclops sp., Breeding and Poultry dropping. 1. Introduction Among freshwater zooplanktons, protozoans, rotifers, cladocerans, and copepods are numerically more abundant than other groups [1] . In terms of biomass, rotifers and crustaceans (cladocerans and copepods) are often the dominant group [2, 3] . Because of their high sensitivity to changes in the physico-chemical characteristics of natural water systems, there are sometimes only a few cladoceran species present as dominant groups. For example, Bosmina, Cercopagis, and Daphnia are usually wide-spread in temperate water, while Ceriodaphnia, Moina, and Simocephalus attain higher densities in tropical waters [2] . The most important environmental factors controlling generally the growth and reproduction of zooplankton are temperature [4, 5] and food quantity and quality [6, 7] . Algae are one of the most important and commonly affecting factors for herbivorous zooplankton such as cladocerans and rotifers. However, there is not always a good equivalence between size (or nature) algae and those of the dominant herbivorous [8] . The big cladocerans as Daphnia which are the most effective herbivorous in temperate environment, are little represented in tropical environment [9] when the grazing especially exercised by bodies of small size (rotifers, shorts cladocerans, nauplii of copepods, etc.) on the small cells will rather have tendency to move competition for nutriments in favor of the big algae or cyanobacteries not consummate and susceptible to proliferate. But, the pressure of grazing by zooplankton herbivorous is indirectly modulated with the selective predation of bodies’ zooplanktivorous (fishes, invertebrate predators), of which some belong to the zooplankton, as some rotifers, cladocerans or the terminal stages of cyclopids. The importance of such interactions trophics in cascade [10] was demonstrated in many ecosystems. All those studies especially concerned the temperate environments and the natural ecosystems and the models elaborated for those