ABSTRACT.

For this study six ponds •were used, pond I — 3 were fertilized with 2kg chicken dropping, that was fermented in 3 s.parate calibrated buckets for 5 days before fertilizaon. Ponds — 6) were fertilized with 2 kg chicken dropping that was also fermented in another 3 separate calibrated buckets for 5 days in addition to 25 kg soyabean plant in form of hay as organic material per month respectively, for 3 months. The experiment was carried out in 36m2earthen ponds. Ten litre water samples were taken from each pond and filtered through a 1'JOmicron-mesh size sieve 4m1 samples were examined undé a light microscope. The classes of zooplankto observed was dominant by cladocerans, copepoda, and insecta. The effect of application of fertilizer to the boosting of the natural foods in the various ponds was determined by analyzing the pond water samples before fertilization at the beginning of the study, nd after fertilization at the end of the stud',, especialy nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. The statistical ar.ysis t...I. The r suits ndicated that at 95% confidence interval the differences between the treatments in terms of natural food de.3lopment (Zooplanktons) and levels of Nitrogen and Potassium with respect to months were significant at P < 0.05. Hence, the best method to boost natural food (zooplanktons) in ponds is by fertilizing the ponds with chicken dropping and oyabean plant. (and probably any form of plant litter) in the form of hay than to fertilize with chicken dropping only.