Simple Summary
Ompok pabda fish has been increasing in market price because of its good taste and soft bony texture; thus, intensification of pabda cultivation by increasing stocking density can be an option to satisfy this market demand. However, intensification may result in some negative impacts on the culture environment and fishes, including water quality deterioration and production loss. Biofloc technology (BFT) is an environment-friendly approach for producing fish with higher stocking density. The present study aimed at assessing the effect of different stocking densities on the water, nutritional, hematological, and growth parameters of pabda fry reared in BFT and a traditional culture system (TS) in indoor tanks. The experiment had stocking densities for the treatments of 17 (TS1) and 22 (TS2), 17 (BFTS1), 22 (BFTS2), and 27 (BFTS3) fish/m2. Biofloc was developed in tanks using molasses as the carbon source (C:N = 20:1). Compared to the TS, the BFT system had a good index for water quality, nutrition, and growth of fish. Taking into account feed intake and benefit–cost ratio values, a stocking density of 22 fry/m2 was found optimal for the O. pabda BFT system. Globally, the data of this study may be useful for the aquaculture society to increase pabda and other catfish production in a sustainable way.
Abstract
The present study evaluated water quality, immune responses, nutritional condition, and production of Ompok pabda fry (0.29–0.31 g) reared in a Biofloc technology (BFT) system (C:N = 20:1; molasses as organic carbon source), compared to the traditional culture system (TS; farmer’s practice). The experiment had stocking densities for the treatments of 17 (TS1) and 22 (TS2), 17 (BFTS1), 22 (BFTS2), and 27 (BFTS3) fish/m2. The fishes were fed at 3–10% of their body weight, and reared in cemented tanks for 90 days. Regarding water quality, dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, and total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) levels varied significantly (p < 0.05) between the traditional and BFT tanks. The highest specific growth rate (SGR) was in the BFTS1-reared fishes (4.11 ± 0.17) but the lowest was in the TS2-fish (3.51 ± 0.05). The fish reared in BFT had higher levels of protein, lipids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, essential amino acids, hematocrit, and neutrophil than the fish reared in TS tanks. Moreover, 98.33% survival was recorded in the BFTS1 while 86.67% was in the TS2. The highest BCR was estimated for the BFTS2 (1.22). Taking into account FCR and BCR values, a stocking density of 22 fry/m2 is likely practicable for an O. pabda BFT system.