FEEDING OF TILAPIA

ON MICROBIAL FLOCS

Yoram Avnimelech
Technion, Israel Inst of Technology

Figure 1

Recycled protein

Figure 2

Data on feed protein utilization

Conventional fish, shrimp ponds 20-25%
ASP Tilapia ponds (Avnimelech)
45%
ASP Shrimp
ponds (McIntosh)
45%
Closed shrimp tanks (Velasco)
63%
ASP shrimp ponds, 15N study
Michele Burford et al. 18-29% of total N
consumption

Typical Biomass:
Intensive shrimp ponds 1-2 kg/m2
Intensive fish ponds 10 50 kg/m2

Objectives
Evaluate uptake of microbial flocs
by fish.
Follow utilization of microbial
protein by fish
Develop predictive tools

Pacific Aqua farms

Imperial valley CA

Pond Characteristics
Conventional
20

ASP
6

% protein in
feed

30-35

20

Aeration,
hp/1000 sq.m

13

13

% Daily Water
exchange

Tanks: 800 l
20 fish, 107 g each
15N added, + 150 g starch
To incorporate all TAN in microbial cells

2 Experimental phases:
1. No feed added for 6 days.
Only food source microbial flocs
2. Feed added (6 days in Pacific, 9
days in Dor, Israel)

Results: Floc volume

Results: a. Floc volume

45
40

floc volum e, m l

35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
-5

Days from5 stocking

10

15

FV = 31 1.714 t, R2 = 0.686,

Floc Plug contained 1.4% dry solids

Daily uptake per fish = 1.15g

700
600

TSS, mg/l

500
400
300
200
100
0
1

12

Days

Changes of TSS, Total suspended solids with time

-20 mg/l day in no fed phase
Daily uptake per fish, 0.954 g

180.0
160.0
140.0

mgC/l

120.0
100.0
80.0
60.0
40.0
20.0
0.0
0

6 days 8

10

12

14

Changes of suspended carbon with time

C = 168 6.61 t
R2 = 0.986
Daily uptake by fish 0.59 g carbon

30.0
25.0

mgN/l

20.0
15.0
10.0
5.0
0.0
0

6 days 8

10

12

Changes of suspended nitrogen

N = 24.8 0.868 t
R2 = 0.987
Daily uptake by fish = 0.039 g N
= 0.25 g protein

14

Daily decrease of TSS, floc volume, suspended

carbon and nitrogen,
during the no feed period.

TSS

Floc
Volume

Carbon

Nitrogen

Daily measured
change

20 mg/l

1.74 ml/l

6.61 mg/l

0.87 mg/l

Equivalent dry SS
change (mg/l)

20

24.3

26.9

23.5

Daily uptake by
fish as equivalent
SS (g/fish)

0.954

1.154

1.18

1.034

Bonus: 15N Results

15N

enrichment (%) of suspended matter

in the Pacific Aquafarm tanks.

1.80
1.60
1.40

% 15N

1.20
1.00
0.80

y = -0.0465x + 1.5942

0.60

R = 0.9728

0.40
0.20
0.00
0

10

12

14

Days

enrichment (%) of suspended

the Dor tanks.

15n enrichment %

15N

2.0
1.8
1.6
1.4
1.2
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0

matter in

y = -0.048x + 1.65
R2 = 0.9455

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0
Days

20.0

25.0

What are the reasons for the decline of

15N enrichment?
1. Uptake of 15N enriched microbial protein.
2. Excretion of TAN originating in old, untagged fish protein

15N

percentage in fish sampled

in the Pacific Aquafarm experiment
15N, Fish, California

0.46

15N enrichment, %

0.44
0.42
0.40
0.38
0.36
0.34
0.32
0.30
0

8
Days

10

12

14

15N

percentage in fish
sampled in the Dor experiment
15 n enrichment, Fish, Dor

0.50
0.48

15N enrichment, %

0.46
0.44
0.42
0.40
0.38
0.36
0.34
0.32
0.30
0

10

15

20

25

Days

Calculation of N uptake and excretion

Assumptions:
Two processes:
1. Uptake of suspended N (flocs, feed)
2. Excretion of TAN
NH3 volatilization, denitrification, negligible.

15Nw (mg /l) =

15Nw (%) x Nt (mg /l)

and:
Net Nt uptake (mg /l) =
15N (mg /1)/ 15Nw(%)

Net Nt Uptake in Pacific was found to be

44.4 + 14.8 mg N/ fish * day
for both non-fed and fed phases
(From balance approach, N uptake
Was 39 mgN/fish * day

The difference between uptake and

accumulation by fish
A certain fraction of N taken up is excreted.
Nt accumulated= Nt up Nt ex
In previous calculations, both those using
material balances and those using 15N,
The net uptake (accumulation) were obtained.
Using the 15 N technique, it is possible to
evaluate amount of excreted N.

Results

During the no-feed period in Pacific expt.,

N uptake was 25 mg N/day * fish.
N excretion 4.4 mg N/day * fish,
i.e. excretion was 15% of uptake,
Compared to ~ 70% for whole pond
balances.
Is it since microbial protein is a better
diet?? More work is needed

Conclusions (1)
1. It was shown that microbial flocs are
effectively utilized by tilapia. Consistent
results were obtained using a number of
independent measures: Floc volume,
changes in time of TSS, C & N in the water
and changes with time of 15N in water &
fish.

Conclusion (2)
2. for a tilapia pond with ca 25 kg fish/m3
and floc volume of ~ 30 ml/m3, about 50%
of feed and protein requirement were
supplied by the microbial flocs.
3. Volumetric concentration of flocs (FV)
is an easily obtained indicator of floc
feeding potential. e.g., 5 ml/l FV is
equivalent to 700 kg feed/ha.

Conclusion (3)
4. It seems that flocs harvesting is
independent of feeding.
5. Floc harvesting probably follows:
Floc Harvesting = VFC * FS * K(fish)
Where VFC is floc volumetric
concentration, FS, properties of flocs
(size, charge, adherence..) and K (fish),
prperty of fish (species, size, etc)

Conclusion (4)
6. It is possible that microbial protein has
a higher availability than feed protein.
7 This topic needs and deserves

more research

Thanks for your attention

agyoram@tx.technion.ac.il