Abstract

The accumulation of biofloc in a rearing media that may bring about some adverse effects on the cultured fish, can be addressed by using a settlement tank. This study aimed to compare the production performance and flesh quality of red tilapia Oreochromis sp. in biofloc systems with and without a settlement tank. This study comprised of two treatments, i.e. biofloc system with settlement tank (Bioras) and biofloc system without settlement tank (Biofloc), each maintined in triplicates. Fish was reared in outdoor tarpaulin tanks with a diameter of 3 m and a height of 1.2 m, which were filled with about 5 m3 of water. Tilapia with an initial average weight of 100 g was cultured at an initial density of 5 kg m- 3 for 112 days with a partial harvest conducted on day 42. The fish was fed with a commercial diet containing 30.5% crude protein to apparent satiation twice a day. The results showed that the production performance of red tilapia in Bioras (75 kg) was higher than that of the conventional biofloc system (70 kg). Mild deformities and limited parasite infestation were observed in the gills of the fish housed in the Bioras system. The fish quality was similar between the treatments, except for the hardness (8.4 kgf), gumminess (3.4 kgf), and chewiness (1.8 kgf), which was higher in the fish housed in the conventional biofloc system. The increase in fish growth in Bioras system could not compensate the increase in cost for the investment and operation of the settling tank, which was about 17% higher in the Bioras system. In conclusion, the present study confirmed that the addition of a settlement tank can be beneficial in controlling biofloc biomass and could improve the growth performance, but not yet profitable for red tilapia commercial production.

Keywords

Biofloc; Bioras; Settlement tank; Red tilapia; Growth performance

Published in

Aquaculture
2023, volume: 563, article number: 738956
Publisher: ELSEVIER

Authors' information