Swimming In The Murk

Tilapia are the second most cultured fish worldwide after carps because they are easily cultured in a wide variety of environments and are generally hardy and disease free. However, they are susceptible to stress-induced diseases. Extensive losses from disease outbreaks in aquaculture worldwide are a major threat to the sustainability of the aquaculture industry.

Intensive fish production often results in increased incidence of diseases in fish, mainly due to poor water quality. Unfortunately, water quality is one of the most overlooked aspects of pond management, until it starts affecting fish production. Most fish kills and disease outbreaks and issues like poor growth, poor feed conversion efficiency and similar management problems can be directly attributed to poor water quality. Water quality of fish ponds is adversely affected by the accumulation of fish excreta, uneaten fish feed and other organic compounds that may eventually lead to excessive growth of unwanted algae. This not only impairs the pond water colour but also reduces the levels of dissolved oxygen in water. Such undesirable environmental conditions for the fish increase their susceptibility to infectious diseases and drastically reduce fish growth.

This was the situation our client, a fish farmer breeding red tilapia fish in Vietnam, faced. The fish in his farm looked unhealthy and he suspected they were infected. Medication didn’t help as the fish continued to be lethargic with reduced appetites, leading to lower growth and survival rates. Finally, he turned to us for a solution.

And we had a ready recommendation: a combination of Bioclean Aqua Fish and Biogut Aqua.

Also Read: What are the uses of Probiotics in Aquaculture

Bioclean Aqua Fish is a consortium of beneficial bacteria that helps maintain water quality and colour, and stabilizes the dissolved oxygen concentration in water. These bacteria help to biologically reduce the levels of ammonia and production of toxic gases like H2S, ensuring a healthy pond and improved survival of fish. The beneficial microbes in Biogut Aqua help fish in better assimilation of nutrients and microelements and improves their gut microflora. This contributes to the development of a stronger immune system and an increase in the survival rates and growth performance of fishes. It also ensures maximum weight gain in the fishes.

We recommended a dosage of 1 kg/hectare of Bioclean Aqua Fish and 5g of Biogut Aqua per kg of feed. And soon the results were evident.

After using Bioclean Aqua Fish in the fish pond, clear results were noticed within 85 days. Biological reduction of ammonia in the water ensured there was no foul odour in the pond. The colour of the pond water also showed significant improvement. Stabilization of the dissolved oxygen in the pond by Bioclean Aqua Fish, complemented by increased feed intake and digestibility by the fish after using Biogut Aqua, improved the overall health of the fishes.

Also Read: The future of sustainable fish farming

Biogut Aqua, helped in enhancing the growth, stimulating the immune system and improving the resistance of fishes to infectious diseases. There was an increase in the survival rate of the fishes by 26% and the fishes looked healthy and active. There was significant improvement in growth performance too.

And just like that, we took care of the fish and the fish farm took care of itself!