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BIOFLOCS IN AQUAFARMING

Pradeep Kumar
M.Venkatasamy

Fisheries College and Research Institute,


Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University,
Thoothukudi 628 008.

Intensification of aquaculture industry may enhance the chances of disease


outbreak and environmental pollution. The increased level of intensification requires
more supplementary protein feed which in turn contributes to nitrogen pollution in
culture and surrounding systems. Decomposition of dead algae, uneaten feed, fish
excreta and other organic matters release excess nitrogen in the form of ammonia and
nitrite and amplify the nitrogen toxicity level, which affects the growth and molting of
aquatic organisms and in extreme cases cause mass mortalities which ultimately result in
reduction in production. To overcome this problem, there are so many techniques such as
use of biofilter, frequent water exchange and green water culture system that can be used
to remove excessive nitrogen, but none of these techniques has proved technically
feasible and economically viable. So there is a need to use such a technique, which is
economical, ecofriendly as well as user friendly to remove or optimize the level of such
toxic compounds in the pond water. One such option is, the biofloc based culture system.
‘Biofloc’ is the retention of waste for conversion of small protein molecules in
the form of floating mass, which consists of a wide variety of beneficial nitrifying
bacteria, fungi, protozoans, rotifers, brown and green microalgae, grazing micro
invertebrates and detritus. They are continuously mixed and suspended, treating and
bioconverting via autotrophic, heterotrophic and filter feeding or grazing both dissolved
and particulate wastes into microbial biomass. It is possible to convert particulate wastes
and dissolved wastes into beneficial form of microbiofloc through bioconversion process.
Formation

All microorganisms are omnipresent, but it is valid only for open continuous
system and in closed environments inoculation may be necessary. Aquaculture system,
being an open system, there may be no need of such inoculation. The biodiversity is
determined by the influx of the arrival of new species. Microbial community makes its
own niche and ecosystem engineering occurs by the inhabitants themselves. As there
may be plenty of wastes present in the culture system such as fish excreta, unconsumed
feed and other organic and inorganic matter, there must be the growth of omnipresent
microbes, but the success of floc formation depends upon optimizing the amount of
carbonaceous material to be added. Research showed that the excess addition of the
carbon source enhance the development of poly hydroxy alkanoate (PHA) for
accumulating microorganisms. PHAs play a greater role in microbial balance in the guts
of hosts. Bacteria and other microorganisms require carbohydrates for their growth. As
protein is the major component of new cell material, nitrogen is also required as an
essential element. Thus microbial utilization of carbohydrates or any other low nitrogen
feed in accompanied by the immobilization of inorganic nitrogen. This is the basic
principle carried out by the microbial community which lives in floc structure because
there is less chance of wash out i.e., avoidance of wash out. Second most probable
reason behind it is that it will be very difficult for them to get food when they live singly
(size ≈ 1µ m), so in floc they can enjoy much food. Third reason may be due to
prevention of predation i.e., lower predation by natural enemies because in floc they can
only grazed from the edge.

Constituents

Bioflocs are heterogenous mixtures, which constitute floc forming


bacteria, filamentous microalgae, some predating microorganisms like protozoea and
rotifer and non living components, as stated earlier. The composition depends upon
environmental factors such as C/N-ratio, predation, light, temperature etc. The
concentrations of floc vary from a few to 40g/dm3, which constitute 10 – 90% living
things with C/N-ratio ≈ 10. Extra cellular polymeric substance (EPS), storage polymers
(PHA, glycogen and polyphosphate) are the special components in biofloc.

Role

The deterioration of water quality due to unconsumed feed, faecal matter of


cultured organisms or the presence of other organic matters in ponds is nullified because
the floc microbes act as conditioner for water, which always control excess nitrogen by
feeding with carbohydrates and through the subsequent uptake of nitrogen from the water
for the synthesis of microbial protein. Hence biofloc based aquaculture system also offers
potential to use as zero exchange recirculation aquaculture system.
In most of farming practices farmers are using feeds comprising protein
(18 -50%), lipid (10-25%), carbohydrates (15-20%), ash (<0.5%) and trace amount of
vitamins. The bacterial protein and single cell protein synthesized by the heterotrophic
bacterial population in the biofloc are utilized directly as a food source by the cultured
organism, thus lowering the demand for supplemental feed protein. In biofloc, 10-90% is
living things, which serve as feed for cultured organism simulating natural environment
and hence there is an increment in production. So biofloc based aquaculture system can
be compared with estuarine ecosystem which is the world’s most productive system
because these flocs are essentially the same as the suspended detritus and planktonic
organisms of nutrient rich estuaries.
Probiotic bacteria in the microbial floc continuously surround the stocked fish or
shrimp and provide natural disease prevention and control. The presence of calcium in
biofloc protects the cultured species against heavy metal toxicity. The bacteria such as
Alcaligenes eutrophus, Azotobactor vinelandii, Pseudomonas oleovorans and others of
biofloc synthesize and accumulate PHA granules. Such granules are synthesized under
condition of nutrient stress i.e., when an essential nutrient like nitrogen is limited in
presence of excess carbon source. These PHA are polymers of beta hydroxy short chain
fatty acids and if degraded in gut, they could have antibacterial activity similar to short
chain fatty acids or organic acids. The break down of PHA inside the gastro intestinal
tract can be carried out via enzymatic and chemical hydrolysis. Thus it acts as a
biocontrol agent against pathogenic disease.
And so, in the present scenario of aquafarming with the emerging viral problems
and the high input cost, the biofloc technology based culture system appears to be an
answer for sustainable production with lower cost, by containing and converting the
waste material of the system into microbial protein rich food.

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