Growth performance and hemato-biochemical alteration in pangasius pangasius under biofloc culture system
Summary
The requirement for protein and food resources is the biggest concerns of human nutrition. Present study was conducted to assess the survival, growth potential and hemato-biochemical alterations in Pangasius pangasius under Biofloc culture system. For this purpose, 3000 fish were stocked in three tanks, one tank kept as control and two tanks were kept as treated tanks. Tank 1st was given as Basel diet, while tank 2nd & 3rd was given as probiotics + carbon source (molasses) + Basel diet. Randomly ten samples were selected from each tank at day 45 and 90 to check the fish growth measurements. The experiment was lasted for 90 days. Growth measurements showed that there was significant difference in survival and growth potential between control and biofloc culture system. The hematological and serum biochemical studies also showed significant differences in control and treated groups. This study indicated that Pangasius pangasius have high growth rate, low mortality, and high immunity resistance against harmful bacteria in BFT. In general, the study will fulfill the high demand of protein in future.
Keywords: Pangasius pangasius, Biofloc culture system, Growth parameters, Hemato- biochemical alterations
INTRODUCTION
As a part of agriculture, the fishing industry contributes significantly to both the country’s economy and food security. Fishing provides a direct contribution to food supplies, a means of subsistence for those who live along the shore, export revenue, and economic growth (Ahmed, 2017). Fishing is essential to Pakistan’s economic development even though it accounts for less than 1% of its GNP since it employs a sizable portion of the population living in backward parts of Balochistan and Sindh and communities with high levels of poverty (Khan, 2020). The predicted 373.392-million-dollar value of fisheries exports in 2020, or 1.6% of Pakistan’s overall exports, was put at that amount. In the home economy, fishing is crucial.
All of Pakistan’s provinces practice aquaculture cultivation. There are roughly 13,000 fish farms in Pakistan, with a total area of fish pools of about 60.47 thousand hectares, and Punjab and Sindh have the largest potential for aquaculture. Following the Fish Development Board’s clearance, catfish farming began in Pakistan in 2011–12 (Aslam et al., 2020). Tilapia and pangasius are easily cultivated aquaculture species. One of the aquaculture growers claims that it is simple to raise these kinds of catfish. Fish is widespread in clear water and renowned across the world for producing and growing four times as much as other fish species. Per yielding acre, 8000 Pangasius can be produced. However, Pangasius feed and seed are also pricey, costing. Pangasius imports its fish eggs and seeds from Thailand. The Pangasius fish artificial breeding technique in Pakistan has been successfully finished by the Punjab Fisheries Department. Fish seeds are currently offered in Pakistan. Fish waste is beneficial for growing plants and vegetables, including cabbage, tomatoes, and other crops, and it may be cultivated next to fish farms. At one of the aquaculture farms close to the Malir River, this method of growing vegetables is practiced (Islamabad Post, 2021).
The catfish species Pangasius pangasius(Hamilton, 1842) belongs to the family Pangasiidae in the order Siluriformes. Because of its sweetness and fine flavor, as well as the high protein, mineral, and fat content of its meat, it makes a good fishery of substantial value and is utilized to fetch a high market price as a food fish (Islam et al., 2012). As a game fish, it is also well-liked. Recently, it entered the ornamental fish market, and evidence also suggests that it was shipped from India as an indigenous ornamental fish (Monalisa et al., 2013). India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Myanmar, the Malayan Peninsula, Indonesia, Vietnam, Java, and Thailand all have significant populations of Pangasius pangasius.
Numerous issues, including overexploitation, habitat degradation, water pollution, destruction of breeding sites, and improper management, have been suggested as possible causes for the observed dramatic reduction in Pangasius pangasiusnatural population numbers (Alam et al., 2014). The main hazard to the species in its vast geographic distribution has likely been habitat loss caused by stream divergence for irrigation. Jhingran, 1975 has claimed that dams in the lower portions of the Pangasius restrict the flows of the river, which has a negative impact on its stocks.
An extremely resilient fish, Pangasius pangasiuscan endure extremes in salinity, temperature, and turbidity. It can also survive in environments with little dissolved oxygen. However, the population of this fish species is dropping quickly and is currently under threat of extinction in nature as a result of overfishing, habitat degradation, the destruction of breeding grounds, etc. Two solutions can be used to address the issue of overfishing: (i) a full restriction on fishing during the breeding season to preserve the brooders; and (ii) the designation of size-specific catches to safeguard the young and the current stock. The causes of habitat deterioration and breeding ground damage must be determined, and appropriate steps must be made to address these issues (Gupta, 2016).
To overcome these obstacles, the production and productivity must rise through consistent strengthening employing cutting-edge methods and technology. One recent innovation in aquaculture is biofloc technology (Dawood et al., 2016; Daniel and Nageswari, 2017). Using in-situ mass microbial production, BFT is a climate-smart knowledge. The fundamental idea behind biofloc technology is that heterotrophic microbes can transform ammonia into microbial biomass that can be eaten by the cultured cell. Ammonia and other hazardous waste can be converted into microbial biomass to keep concentrations of these substances low, improving the environment for fish raised in a culture (Ogello et al., 2021).
The microbes in biofloc-based aquaculture systems contribute to the maintenance of high-water quality (Emerenciano et al. 2017), which increases the viability of the culture by lowering the feed conversion ratio (FCR), lowering the cost of feed for milkfish, and lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Shrimp and other finfish like rohu and tilapia benefit from the growth, reproduction, and disease-resistance properties of biofloc technology (Xu and Pan 2014; Ahmad et al. 2017; Ekasari et al. 2014).
An aquaculture system called the Biofloc system uses organic material and recycled nutrients to produce fish (Crab et al., 2012). In such a system, the sustainable method is based on microorganisms flourishing in the medium with little water exchange. According to another description, BFT is a sustainable fish production system that can perform self-nitrification without the need for water exchange in fish ponds. In this type of system, the flocs are made up of communities of organic particulate matter and related microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi, flagellates, ciliates, algae, nematodes, molluscs, and other creatures (Khanjani and Sharifinia, 2020; Luo et al., 2020). Increased production and a lower feed conversion ratio occur as a result of fish using accumulated microorganisms as a supplementary food source. The late 1980s and early 1990s saw the usage of BFT, which was first known as bacterial mass, in tilapia ponds and shrimp farms (Avnimelech, 2012). It has been utilized in Malaysian and Indonesian small-scale commercial ponds since late 2002. Shrimp and tilapia are now being grown using this technique. In tilapia’s ultra-dense biofloc system, it is anticipated that output of between 20 and 40 kg m3 can come from tiny concrete tanks. This biofloc system has several important benefits, including efficient water and land usage, the utilization of recycled nutrients and organic matter, and a reduction in disease infiltration into the production system, which can improve biosecurity in a fish farm. Additionally, large-scale production in biofloc systems might lessen environmental issues associated with aquaculture wastewater discharge into aquatic environments. Fish may absorb water flocs, saving the dietary protein from fish and soybean meal. Additionally, by substituting commercial diets with the biofloc system, the danger of mycotoxin contamination and anti-nutritional elements in food may be substantially decreased, thereby lowering the expenses of fish farming (Wasielesky et al., 2006; Kuhn et al., 2010a; Crab et al., 2012; Emerenciano et al., 2013; Khanjani et al., 2020c).
Biofloc technology is said to boost the fish’s ability to develop, according to studies conducted by several researchers (Azim and Little, 2008; Khanjani et al., 2021b). The best water quality and ongoing biofloc production were blamed for the enhanced growth performance. Bioactive substances, including carotenoids, chlorophylls, and Phyto-steroids, as well as poly beta-hydroxybutyrate, are present in biofloc and help cultured aquatic organisms develop (Ekasari et al., 2010; Toledo et al., 2016). Numerous investigations have shown that fish are capable of digesting microbial proteins and consuming biofloc. According to (Avnimelech, 2007) fish ponds can produce enough biofloc to satisfy 50% of the world’s protein needs. According to their findings, the control treatment without biofloc had the greatest feed conversion ratio and the lowest protein efficiency. According to research, combining biofloc with fake meals increases feed efficiency and feed conversion ratio (Khanjani et al., 2020a; Mirzakhani et al., 2019; Wasielesky et al., 2006). Bacteria harbouring peptidoglycan or lipopolysaccharides, as well as polyhydroxy butyrate and bacterial proteins, can all help a plant’s development. Bioflocs also aid fish in absorbing artificial diets and aid in digestion because to their probiotic qualities (Aguilera-Rivera et al., 2014). (Khanjani et al., 2021c) found that tilapia fingerlings raised in a biofloc system with molasses enrichment had the greatest survival rate (98.97%) (Kuhn et al., 2008; Wasielesky et al., 2006; Khanjani et al., 2017). In general, biofloc treatments have greater survival rates than control groups. Stress brought on by extreme variations in the water quality parameters such as dissolved oxygen, pH, non-ionized ammonia, nitrite, and TAN is one of the key factors contributing to decreased fish survival in aquaculture (Santacruz-Reyes and Chien, 2012; Avnimelech, 2012). Compared to traditional aquaculture systems with water exchange, the biofloc system has much fewer variations in water quality (Khanjani et al., 2021d). The existence of antioxidants in the biochemical composition of the biofloc bacteria as well as immunostimulants like peptidoglycans, beta-glucans, and lipopolysaccharides in the bacteria’s cellular wall may also lengthen fish longevity and boost their resistance to disease (Kim et al., 2014; Supono et al., 2014; Walker et al., 2020). The essential amino acids, fatty acids, and other minerals found in bioflocs are also essential for the life and growth of fish (Xu and Pan, 2013).
Objectives
The overall objective of study to culture the fish under biofloc culture system, the detailed objectives were:
- To determine the survival rate and growth performance of fish Pangasius pangasius under biofloc culture system
- To assess the hemato-biochemical alterations of fish cultivated in biofloc culture system
- To check the cellular changes in Pangasius pangasius whencultured in biofloc system