Rearing European Eel (Anguilla anguilla) Elvers in a Biofloc System
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Publication date
2023-10-17ISSN
2076-2615
Abstract
European eel (Anguilla anguilla) elvers (initial body weight (BW) = 3 g) were raised in triplicate for 60 days in a biofloc system (BFT) at 21 °C. Data from the current first study evaluating this farming technology indicated that European eel elvers adapted well to BFT systems as data on growth performance (specific growth rate = 1.48% ± 0.13 BW/day and FCR = 1.05 ± 0.09) indicated, with production costs using BFT being lower than conventional RAS units. The most critical issues associated with this aquaculture system were the maintenance of the biofloc in tanks by the regular addition of refined sugar (46% C) to keep a relationship for C:N of 20:1, and the prevention of emergence of opportunistic pathogens like the monogenean Pseudodactylogyrus sp. The overall results of this study in terms of elvers’ performance and quality and the composition of the biofloc material and its microbial composition indicated that BFT, which is considered to be one of the most cost-effective, sustainable, and environmentally friendly farming systems due to its zero water exchange and improvement of feed conversion ratio by the dietary contribution of bioflocs, may be satisfactorily used for farming European eels elvers at a density of 2 kg/m3. However, further studies are needed to test this technology with older eel stages.
Document Type
Article
Document version
Published version
Language
English
Subject (CDU)
637 - Produce of domestic (farmyard) animals and game
Pages
16
Publisher
MDPI
Is part of
Animals
Citation
Vinatea, Luis, Ricard Carbó, Karl B. Andrée, Enric Gisbert, and Alicia Estévez. 2023. “Rearing European Eel (Anguilla Anguilla) Elvers in a Biofloc System.” Animals 13 (20): 3234. doi:10.3390/ani13203234.
Grant agreement number
EC/H2020/862658/EU/New Technologies, Tools and Strategies for a Sustainable, Resilient and Innovative European Aquaculture/NewTechAqua
Program
Aqüicultura
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- ARTICLES CIENTÍFICS [2575]
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