Growth performance and health of juvenile tambaqui, Colossoma macropomum, in a biofloc system at different stocking densities

Abstract

The present study evaluated the biofloc system (BFT) for rearing of tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) at different densities. Juveniles of 23.74 ± 0.22 g were randomly distributed following a 2 × 3 factorial design to evaluate three stocking densities (50, 100 and 200 fish/m3) in BFT (BFT50, BFT100 and BFT200) and clear water (CW50, CW100 and CW200) and basal (BS30, with 30 fish/m3), in triplicates for 60 days. Water quality variables, zootechnical performance and blood parameters were evaluated. The dissolved oxygen concentration was significantly lower in BFT and inversely related to stocking density, while electric conductivity was higher for BFT. The fish of BFT50 and BFT100 presented the lowest feed conversion ratio, the greatest final weight, weight gain and specific growth rate among treatments. Blood parameters showed no statistical differences among treatments. BFT is efficient for culturing tambaqui, and 100 fish/m3 is the best stocking density for the tested growth stage, despite presenting greater biomass and productivity in the density of 200 fish/m3. © 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd