Traditional fish farming in open ponds is nowadays no more productive and often leads to several losses. An excellent innovation in aquaculture ‘Biofloc fish farming’ technique increases fish productivity in the same area with lesser inputs.
In this technique waste products of the fishes are converted into proteinaceous feed which enables the growers to go for no or limited water exchange. With ever increasing demand for aquatic foods Biofloc technology offers a promising future to farmers and will also help to ensure food security.
Advantages of Biofloc Farming
Higher Productivity
A lesser land water space accomodates more no of fishes than that of conventional farming ponds thereby greatly increasing productivity.
Eco friendly sustainable system
Nitrogen waste is efficiently converted into protein feed having double benefits of water conservation and waste management.
Controls diseases and reduces pathogen transfer
Probiotics present in the mixture kills harmful microbes. Moreover disease and pathogens of one container will not spread to other container which restricts the loss of whole culture.
Zero or limited water replacement
The microbes in the tank convert nitrogenous wastes such as nitrate and ammonia into protein feed. So, there is no requirement of water replacement.
Reduced feed cost
Feed cost is ultimately reduced by ( 30-50%) due to dual positive factors of effective utilisation of feed and regeneration of lost feed. Whereas there are no ways to regain lost feed in traditional culture.
Easy harvesting
Harvesting becomes easy due to high stock density within a small area and facilitated mechanism.
In Biofloc technique fishes are reared on small heighted tanks about 4 m in diameter with approx capacity of 600 fishes. In addition to fishes a culture of heterotrophic bacteria is also grown along them. The setup also requires aeration and mixing mechanism to balance oxygen supply and for proper functioning of heterotrophic bacterial culture.
Heterotrophic bacterial cultures grown along with fish performs the task of recycling nutrients. Bacteria consumes unutilised protein feed and nitrogenous waste which in turn increases their own protein content. We can recollect these proteins from aggregates known as flocs and utilize them again as fish feed.
Heterotrophic Bacteria also converts harmful ammonia into non toxic nitrates and usable proteins. In fact in traditional pond farming, when we provide protein feed to fishes they can utilise only about 25% of it for their direct body growth. While the remaining 75% goes to water and contributes to unwanted aquatic weed or algal growth. The accumulation of wasted feeds and nitrogenous waste in water degrades its oxygen level and a need for water replacement arises in conventional aquaculture.
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Biofloc Farming
Easy harvesting
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Reduced feed cost
increasing demand
fish productivity
pathogen transfer
water conservation
proteinaceous feed
direct body growth
Biofloc technology
high stock density
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proper functioning
Higher Productivity
traditional culture
excellent innovation
small heighted tanks
effective utilisation
unwanted aquatic weed
dual positive factors
unutilised protein feed
lesser land water space
Biofloc technique fishes
Traditional fish farming
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conventional aquaculture
limited water replacement
conventional farming ponds
Eco friendly sustainable system
Heterotrophic bacterial cultures
