To quantify Artemia Nauplii used for coral feeding experiments, collect the samples at two time points. At each time point, use three syringes to collect 20 milliliters of water from the feeding container's surface, middle layer, and bottom layer. Transfer the collected water sample into individual 500-milliliter beakers.
Next, add 180 milliliters of hot water, approximately 60 degrees Celsius, to the beaker to achieve a 1 to 10 dilution. Add two milliliters of water sample from the beaker into each well of a six-well plate. Next, using a stereo microscope, set to 6.5 times magnification.
Count the number of Artemia Nauplii in each well. Density measurements of Artemia Nauplii before and after coral feeding sessions showed that the initial assessment at T0 showed no difference in both temperature treatments. After two and four weeks of culture, the Artemia Nauplii density was lower after feeding in both temperature treatments.
There was no difference in the pre-feeding density between temperature treatments, or the post-feeding density between temperature treatments at any of the three time points assessed.
