Biofloc Tilapia Farming

Fine foam that lasts a long time means dissolved protein is building up, usually from overfeeding or floc that has aged too far. Cut the feed for one to two days, add a little carbon source, and drain the sludge through the central pipe. Coarse foam that breaks straight away is only an effect of aeration and is harmless.

Deep green means algae have taken over, usually because the pond gets too much direct sun. Healthy biofloc is milky brown to light greenish. Put up a shade net, and hold the C:N ratio at 15 to 20 to 1 so the heterotrophic bacteria outcompete the algae.

Dissolved oxygen falls to its lowest just before dawn, when bacteria and fish are both breathing with no photosynthesis to help. If the fish gather at the surface, your aeration is not enough. Add air stone points, and make sure the blower never stops.

Measure with an Imhoff cone and let it settle for 20 minutes. Healthy floc volume is 20 to 40 ml per liter. If it goes past that, drain some of the bottom water through the central pipe and replace it with enough clean water. Removing excess floc is far safer than letting it load the oxygen.

The off-flavor comes from geosmin produced by cyanobacteria, not from waste. Purge the fish in clean aerated water for one to three days before selling. This removes almost all of the smell.

Biofloc is a fish farming technique that uses heterotrophic bacteria to turn the nitrogen waste in the pond into clumps of microorganisms called floc. The floc is rich in protein and is eaten again by the fish, so the water does not need frequent changes and feed use drops.

Tilapia tolerate high density and swings in water quality, eat floc directly, grow fast, and market demand in West Java is steady all year. That combination makes tilapia the best fit as the first species in our fish line.

In a biofloc system with aeration running 24 hours, tilapia stocking density is generally 100 to 150 fish per cubic meter of water. That is far above a conventional pond, which usually holds only 10 to 20 fish per cubic meter.

No. As long as the floc is under control, water is only topped up to replace what evaporates and what is lost when the sludge is siphoned. This is why biofloc can cut water use by about 90 percent compared with a flow-through pond.

The core equipment is a round tarpaulin pond on a wiremesh frame, a blower and air stones running 24 hours, a central drain pipe, water quality meters such as a pH meter and a DO meter, an Imhoff cone to measure floc volume, and a carbon source such as molasses. Backup power is required because aeration must not stop.

From fingerlings of 5 to 7 centimeters, tilapia generally reach a market weight of 250 to 350 grams in four to six months, depending on water temperature, feed quality, and floc stability.

The off-flavor comes from geosmin produced by algae on the bottom of earthen ponds. Biofloc ponds use tarpaulin and constant circulation, so the sludge is lifted and the flesh tends to be cleaner. For the best result, the fish are still purged for one to two days in clean water before harvest.

No, not if you mean real biofloc. Floc is a colony of living bacteria that breathe, and they, not the fish, are the biggest oxygen users in the pond. Once aeration stops, the oxygen is gone within hours, the floc dies and settles, and ammonia spikes.

What people often call catfish without an aerator is really an ordinary high stocking density pond that relies on the ability of catfish to take air from the surface. That can work, but the stocking density has to be far lower, the water needs routine changes, and there is no floc to be eaten again. If the power where you are cuts out often, prepare a battery-powered backup blower before you stock the fingerlings, not after.

Biofloc catfish are generally stocked at 200 to 400 fish per cubic meter of water, two to three times tilapia. Catfish can take that many because they have an arborescent organ that lets them take air straight from the surface, so they hold up better when dissolved oxygen drops.

For a D3 pond with one meter of water, the volume is about 7 cubic meters, so it fits 1,400 to 2,800 fish. Beginners should start at the lower end. High stocking density demands aeration, feed, and measuring discipline that are just as high, and a failure at high density runs its course far faster.

The order is the same as for tilapia. Set up the round tarpaulin pond on its wiremesh frame on level, compacted ground, fit the central drain pipe at the lowest point, then assemble the blower with air stones running 24 hours. Fill with water and let it stand for two to three days so the chlorine gases off.

After that, culture the bacteria first, do not stock the fingerlings straight away. Add probiotics, molasses, and a little feed, and leave it for seven to ten days until the water is milky brown and the floc volume reads 20 to 40 ml per liter in the Imhoff cone. Only then stock catfish fingerlings of 5 to 7 centimeters, and hold the C:N ratio at 15 to 20 to 1 by adding molasses every time you add feed.

Milky brown to light greenish brown, cloudy but not thick, and with no foul smell. That color comes from the colony of heterotrophic bacteria at work turning ammonia into floc protein.

Deep green means algae have taken over, usually because the pond is too exposed to the sun. Very dark brown with a sharp smell means the floc is too old and the sludge has built up. Clear water is not a good sign in biofloc, because it means no floc has formed at all. Color is only a first guess; the decision still comes from the Imhoff cone and the meters.

First tell the types of foam apart. Coarse foam with big bubbles that breaks straight away is only an effect of aeration and is harmless. What to watch for is fine white or brownish foam that piles up thick and lasts a long time.

That kind of foam means dissolved protein is building up, usually from overfeeding or from floc that has aged too far and started to break down. Cut the feed for one to two days, siphon the sludge through the central pipe, and add a little carbon source so the bacteria take up the excess nitrogen again. Check the floc volume too, because thick foam almost always comes with floc that has passed 50 ml per liter.

Our biofloc fish line is still in preparation and we are not selling fish yet. Please leave a message through the contact page so we can let you know first when the first harvest schedule and the official prices are announced.