The effect of different feed rations on the productive performance and bacterial composition of the intestine of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) reared using biofloc technology (BFT), in addition to water quality and the bacterial composition of the biofloc, was evaluated. During a 4-month period, five feed rations were evaluated: B-100, complete feed ration; B-90, 10% reduction; B-80, 20% reduction; B-70, 30% reduction; and B-60, 40% reduction, and a control group (C) supplied with clean water and a full feed ration. Each treatment was evaluated in triplicate. Fish were stocked into 18 circular tanks (3.14 m 3 ) at a density of 50 tilapia/m 3 per tank.At the end of the study, water samples and sections of fish intestine were taken.Colony-forming units (CFU) were counted on a plaque, and bacterial identification was carried out using the polymerase chain reaction, amplifying the 16S rRNA gene.All treatments exhibited good water quality throughout the study. Seventeen different species of bacteria were encountered in water and 15 species of bacteria were identified in the intestine of the tilapias. Treatments B-70 and B-60 were exhibited the highest number of bacteria recorded in water and intestine. The productive performance of Nile tilapia of treatment groups B-100, B-90, and B-80 was similar to C. The results indicate that during tilapia cultivation using BFT, it is possible to reduce the feed ration by 20% without apparent damage to the health and productive performance of Nile tilapia. The bacteria contribute to the maintenance of growth and survival of Nile tilapia by acting as a probiotic.
K E Y W O R D Spathogenic, PCR, probiotic, productive performance, water quality
There is high demand for the clownfish of the genus Amphiprion in the marine aquarium market (Bruckner, 2005;Militz, & Foale, 2017); therefore, various investigations have been conducted to study their biology and to develop culture protocols for their production under controlled conditions (Dhaneesh et al., 2012;Putra et al., 2012;Seyedi et al., 2013). However, like other ornamental species, the body pigmentation of the clownfish decreases during captivity (Yasir & Qin, 2010); therefore, it is necessary to determine what factors influence the loss of the intensity of the body pigmentation. In general, it is known that the body coloration of the fish in their natural environment can vary depending on the environment (camouflage), feed, sex, health status, age and social range
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.