Effect of no carbohydrate addition on water quality,growth performance and microbial community in water‐reusing biofloc systems for tilapia production under high‐density cultivation

A 56‐day experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of no carbohydrate addition applied to control water quality in water‐reusing biofloc systems for tilapia (GIFT Oreochromis niloticus) cultivation. Reusing water‐contained flocs was initially inoculated into six 300 L indoor tanks. Thirty fish (average individual weight 99.62 ± 7.34 g) were stocked in each tank. Glucose was extra added into three tanks (GLU‐tanks) according to biofloc technology, while other tanks were no carbohydrate added (NCA‐tanks). Concentrations of total ammonia nitrogen in GLU‐tanks and NCA‐tanks were fairly consistent and below 4.74 ± 0.35 mg/L. Nitrite concentrations in NCA‐tanks were significantly lower than GLU‐tanks, which were below 0.59 ± 0.10 mg/L during the later culture period. NCA‐tanks achieved a low relative abundance of denitrifiers and high concentrations of nitrate. Soluble reactive phosphorous in NCA‐tanks was consistently increased, which was decreased to a low level in GLU‐tanks. However, growth parameters in NCA‐tanks were similar to GLU‐tanks (p > .05) and reach a high finial density of 24.32 ± 1.04 kg/m³. Cetobacterium sp. was the first‐dominant bacterial genus in all tanks, which was a commonly indigenous bacterium in the intestinal tract of freshwater fish. The results demonstrate the feasibility of no carbohydrate addition in water‐reusing biofloc systems for tilapia.