Bio Floc Fish Farming Tank! There has been a significant shift towards round tanks for fish rearing. Properly designed round tanks with a central drain, moderately sloped floor and proper inlet piping take advantage of gravitational and centrifugal forces to keep themselves clean. The water moving in a circular flow will carry the solids to the central drain, from where they can be piped away for separation and re-use or disposal. With a properly designed inlet system, the oxygen rich water will provide just the right current for good muscle tone while distributing new water evenly throughout the tank. All these prerequisite for sustainable aquaculture development can be met by Biofloc technology.
The Biofloc is a protein reach macro aggregate of organic material and micro-organisms including diatoms, bacteria, protozoa, algae, fecal pellets, remains the dead organisms and other invertebrates. It is a technique of enhancing water quality in aquaculture through balancing carbon and nitrogen in the system.
The technology has recently gained attention as a sustainable method to control water quality, with the added value of producing protein rich feed in situ. The basic technology was developed by Dr.Yoram Avinmelech in Israel and initially implemented commercially in Belize by Belize Aquaculture. Biofloc technology has become a popular technology in the fish farming of pacific white shrimp, litopenaeus vannamei.
Advantages and Disadvantages Advantages 1.
Bio-security very good (from water) to date WSSV negative using the system.
2.
Zero water exchange – less than 100 % exchange of whole culture period.
3.
Production (Carrying capacity): 5-10% better than normal system.
4.
Production cost lower by around 15-20%
Disadvantages 1.
High energy input – paddlewheels 28 HP/ha.
2.
Power failure critical – maximum 1 hour at any time (better zero hour failure)
3.
Full HDPE lined ponds – minimum semi-HDPE lined.
4.
Technology similar but more advance – need to train technicians.
The technology has not only been applied at commercial shrimp grow-out farms, but also in super-intensive raceways to produce more than 9 kg shrimp. The smooth tarpaulin fish tank surface
further helps to eliminate disease vectors and skin abrasions, while providing a long lasting, economical pvc tarpaulin fish tank. Presently, a number of studies by major universities and private companies are using Biofloc as protein source in shrimp and fish feeds. Biofloc technology has been used in several parts of the world, countries like Peru, Belize, Guatemala, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, in India and other countries.