PROPHYLACTIC HEALTH PROPERTIES OF BIOFLOC AND TILAPIA CONDITIONED WATER IN SHRIMP AQUACULTURE

Umi Salmah Binti Ahmed Sajali*, Francis Murray, David C. Little, Andrew Desbois & Andrew P. Shinn

 Malaysian researcher Umi Salmah from the University of Stirling’s Institute of Aquaculture and funded by the BBSRC Newton Fund Global Research Partnership (GRP): IMAQulate Project conducting her studies within the disease challenge facility of Fish Vet Group Asia based in Chonburi Thailand   - 1st May - 20th July 2017. Her research was based on comparing the performance of 3 microbial-based technologies including a fish-conditioned green water, a purpose-made biofloc &, a pure culture of microalgae as a means of reducing shrimp mortalities when challenged with the acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (APHND)-causing bacterium. She found that shrimp reared in low salinity (5ppt) of co habiting Nile Tilapia-conditioned green water or in biofloc, in concentrations as low as 50% or 0.25 g of dry matter per litre, provided levels of protection from the effects of the pathogenic Gram- negative bacteria.

From her research, she hopes to go on to explore the structure of the water bacterial community and find whether specific substances contribute to protecting shrimp. Although there is much interest in microbial-based technology in aquaculture, there are very few studies that have explored its use on shrimp immunity or in minimising the impacts of disease. Biofloc and green water represent low cost strategies in minimising the impacts of pathogens like AHPND; its use as part of proper pondwater management can help small-scale farmers throughout much of Asia and Africa reduce disease related losses & maximise production. The transfer of this type of technology - is at the heart of the IMAQulate project in creating sustainable aquaculture in SE Asian countries.

*For more information, please contact Umi Salmah Binti Ahmed Sajali at umis@salcra.gov.my or umisalmah_as@hotmail.com

Our thanks to Dr Andy Shinn and his colleagues at the Fish Vet   Group