The dissolution of total suspended solids and treatment strategy of tailwater in a Litopenaeus vannamei recirculating aquaculture system

In recirculating aquaculture systems(RASs),the effective treatment of aquaculture tailwater is essential to maintain the health of the RAS.This study investigated the optimal time and method for tailwater treatment during three periods of the aquaculture of the Litopenaeus vannamei:nursery(0–26 d),middle(27–57 d),and later(57–104 d).The variation of several water parameters during the dissolution of total suspended solid(TSS)in tailwater,applied with the effects of ozone on the microorganism and water quality parameters were investigated.Results showed that the TSS concentrations in tailwater decreased with time,although not significantly(P>0.05),whereas total ammonia nitrogen(TAN),nitrite(NO-2-N),and nitrate(NO_(3)^(-)-N)increased significantly(P<0.05).Therefore,TSS should be removed from the tailwater as early as possible,being most optimal within 4 h.Ozone removed 38.24%–48.95%of TSS,17.78%–90.14%of TAN,and 87.50%–98.90%of NO-2-N after 4 h of treatment.However,it resulted in the significant accumulation of NO_(3)^(-)-N.Moreover,the total number of Vibrio and bacterial counts in aquaculture tailwater was reduced completely by ozone within 4 h.Thus,these results provided technical details and data support for the effective treatment of tailwater from shrimp RAS.

Numerical simulation of the hydrodynamics within octagonal tanks in recirculating aquaculture systems

A three-dimensional numerical model was established to simulate the hydrodynamics within an octagonal tank of a recirculating aquaculture system. The realizable k-e turbulence model was applied to describe the flow, the discrete phase model （DPM） was applied to generate particle trajectories, and the governing equations are solved using the finite volume method. To validate this model, the numerical results were compared with data obtained from a full-scale physical model. The results show that： （1） the realizable k-e model applied for turbulence modeling describes well the flow pattern in octagonal tanks, giving an average relative error of velocities between simulated and measured values of 18% from contour maps of velocity magnitudes; （2） the DPM was applied to obtain particle trajectories and to simulate the rate of particle removal from the tank. The average relative error of the removal rates between simulated and measured values was 11%. The DPM can be used to assess the self-cleaning capability of an octagonal tank; （3） a comprehensive account of the hydrodynamics within an octagonal tank can be assessed from simulations. The velocity distribution was uniform with an average velocity of 15 cm/s; the velocity reached 0.8 m/s near the inlet pipe, which can result in energy losses and cause wall abrasion; the velocity in tank corners was more than 15 cm/s, which suggests good water mixing, and there was no particle sedimentation. The percentage of particle removal for octagonal tanks was 90% with the exception of a little accumulation of 〈5 mm particle in the area between the inlet pipe and the wall. This study demonstrated a consistent numerical model of the hydrodynamics within octagonal tanks that can be further used in their design and optimization as well as promote the wide use of computational fluid dynamics in aquaculture engineering.

Intestinal microbiota of healthy and unhealthy Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L. in a recirculating aquaculture system

The present study sampled the intestinal content of healthy and unhealthy Atlantic salmon （Salmo salar L.）, the ambient water of unhealthy fish, and the biofilter material in the recirculating aquaculture system （RAS） to understand differences in the intestinal microbiota. The V4--V5 regions of the prokaryotic 16S rRNA genes in the samples were analyzed by MiSeq high-throughput sequencing. The fish were adults with no differences in body length or weight. Representative members of the intestinal microbiota were identified. The intestinal microbiota of the healthy fish included Proteobacteria （44.33%）, Actinobacteria （17.89%）, Baeteroidetes （15.25%）, and Firmicutes （9.11%）, among which the families Mierococcaceae and Oxalobacteraceae and genera Sphingomonas, Streptomyces, Pedobacter, Janthinobacterium, Burkholderia, and Balneimonas were most abundant. Proteobacteria （70.46%）, Bacteroidetes （7.59%）, and Firmicutes （7.55%） dominated the microbiota of unhealthy fish, and Chloroflexi （2.71%）, and Aliivibrio and Vibrio as well as genera in the family Aeromonadaceae were most strongly represented. Overall, the intestinal hindgut microbiota differed between healthy and unhealthy fish. This study offers a useful tool for monitoring the health status of fish and for screening the utility of probiotics by studying the intestinal microbiota.

Total Replacement of Fish Oil with Vegetable Oils in the Diet of Juvenile Jade Perch Scortum barcoo Reared in Recirculating Aquaculture Systems

To determine the replacement of fish oil with vegetable oils in the diet of juvenile Jade perch Scortum barcoo, four feeds with each a different oil （fish, sunflower, linseed and a mixture of 75% canola and 25% linseed oil）, were fed to Jade perch reared in recirculating aquaculture systems （RAS）. The trial lasted for 10 weeks and the fatty acid （FA） profile of both feed and fish muscle tissue were examined. There was no difference in growth, feed conversion rate （FCR） and mortality. The fish grew from 10 g to 110 g with a FCR of 1.25 and 0 mortality. The FA profile of the fish muscle tissue reflected the FA profile of the feed. The flesh of the fish that were fed the linseed oil diet, were extremely high in omega-3 （n-3） polyunsaturated FA （n-3 PUFA） with 3.75% of wet weight. This is one of the highest concentrations of n-3 PUFA ever recorded in fish flesh. In a finishing feeding test, the remaining vegetable oil fed fish were fed the fish oil diet for another two weeks immediately after the 10 weeks trial, to check for a possible recovery of n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids （HUFA）. The wash out rate of FA towards n-3 HUFA in the muscle tissue was about 25% over this two weeks period.

Effects of spectral composition,photoperiod and light intensity on the gonadal development of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar in recirculating aquaculture systems(RAS)

Artificial lighting regimes have been successfully used to inhibit sexual maturity of Atlantic salmon in confinement.However,when these operations are applied in commercial recirculating aquaculture systems(RAS) using standard lighting technology,sexual maturation is not suppressed.In this study,an L_9(3~3) orthogonal design was used to determine the effects of three factors(spectral composition,photoperiod,and light intensity) on the gonadal development of Atlantic salmon in RAS.We demonstrated that the photoperiod at the tested levels had a much greater effect on the gonadosomatic index and female Fulton condition factor than spectral composition and light intensity.The photoperiod had a significant effect on the secretion of sex steroids and melatonin(P<0.05),and a short photoperiod delayed sex steroid and melatonin level increases.The three test factors had no significant effects on the survival rate,specific growth rate,relative weight gain,and male Fulton condition factor(P>0.05).The optimum lighting levels in female and male Atlantic salmon were LD 8:16,455 nm(or 625 nm),8.60 W/m^2;and LD 8:16,8.60 W/m^2,455 nm respectively.These conditions not only delayed gonadal development,but also had no negative effects on Atlantic salmon growth in RAS.These results demonstrate that a combination of spectral composition,photoperiod and light intensity is effective at delaying the gonadal development of both male and female salmon in RAS.

Characterization of Bacterial Community,Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria,and Nitrospira During the Operation of a Commercial-Scale Recirculating Aquaculture System for Culturing Pufferfish Takifugu rubripes

We investigated the changes in communities of bacteria,ammonia-oxidizing bacteria,and Nitrospira during the operation of a pufferfish Takifugu rubripes recirculating aquaculture system by using high-throughput DNA sequencing.Differences in bacterial communities were observed at days 1-32,47-62 and 78-93 of biofilm development by using 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing.The relative abundance of Proteobacteria(Gammaproteobacteria)increased,while that of Bacteroidetes(Flavobacteria)decreased.The proportions of Nitrosomonas and Nitrospina ranged from 0.02%to 0.30%and from 0.02%to 0.83%,respectively.Ammonia monooxygenase gene pyrosequencing revealed that the top three operational taxonomic units were related to Nitrosomonas aestuarii(17.5%-61.1%),uncultured beta proteobacterium clone B67S-54(1.9%-45.2%),and uncultured bacterium clone AZPa8(3.6%-24.7%).Nitrite oxidoreductase gene pyrosequencing revealed that the relative abundance of the dominant strain Nitrospira sp.Ecomares 2.1 increased,but that of the abundant species Nitrospira marina decreased.Our results demonstrated that the communities of bacteria,ammonia-oxidizing bacteria,and Nitrospira were changing during the operation of the pufferfish recirculating aquaculture system.

Characterization of the bacterial communities associated with biofilters in two full-scale recirculating aquaculture systems

Bacteria play a major role in metabolizing ammonia and other metabolites in recirculating aquaculture systems(RASs).To characterize and compare the bacterial communities in the biofilters of two full-scale RASs for the culture of puffer fish,Takifugu rubripes,at different ages and densities were studied.In overall,47807 optimized reads of the 16 S rRNA gene with V4-V5 region were obtained from four biofilm samples collected after biofilm maturation.At 97%cut-off level,these sequences were clustered into 500 operational taxonomic units,and were classified into 19 bacterial phyla and 138 genera.At the phylum level,Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were the most abundant,followed by Nitrospirae and Planctomycetes.At the genus level,Colwellia,Marinifilum,Oceanospirillum,Lutibacter,Winogradskyella,Pseudoalteromonas,Arcobacter,and Phaeobacter were the top members.Nitrosomonas and Nitrospira were main ammonia-and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria.Differences in bacterial communities at different sampling dates and similarities of both biofilters were revealed in the Venn diagram and cluster analysis.Maintaining a good water quality and health offarmed fish in RASs depended on the correct management of the bacterial communities.This study provides more accurate information on the bacterial communities associated with the bifilters of both RASs.

Stocking density effects on growth and stress response of juvenile turbot(Scophthalmus maximus) reared in land-based recirculating aquaculture system

Stocking density is widely recognized as a critical factor in aquaculture and a potential source of long-term stress.The influence of stocking density on growth and stress response of juvenile turbot（Scophthalmus maximus, ~3–75g, initial to final weight） was examined in fish held under low（LD, ~0.21–5.31 kg/m^2, initial to final density）,medium（MD, ~0.42–10.81 kg/m^2） and high stocking density（HD, ~0.63–14.27 kg/m^2） for 120 days in a recirculating aquaculture system（RAS）. In this trial, the growth curve for weight of juvenile turbot in RAS, all fitted by the Schnute model. No significant difference was found in growth performance among the three densities until at the final sampling（Day 120）. The final weight and body weight increase（BWI） in the HD group were significantly lower than in other groups（P〈0.05, weight：（75.83±2.49） g,（75.39±2.08） g,（65.72±2.86） g and BWI：（2 436.12±28.10）%,（2 421.29±4.64）%,（2 097.88±20.99）% in LD, MD and HD groups, respectively）. Similarly, the specific growth rate（SGR）, feed conversion ratio（FCR） and coefficient of variation for weight（CV_w） were adversely affected by high stocking density（P〈0.05）. However, there was no difference in survival and Fulton＇s condition factor（K） of turbot among the different groups. Physiological analyses demonstrated a clear increase in the plasma cortisol level and an obvious decrease in growth hormone（GH） concentration in the HD group on Day120（P〈0.05）. There was no significant effect of stocking density on plasma glucose, Cl– and protein levels. All these findings would provide a reference for selecting the optimal stocking density of juvenile turbot in RAS.

Deep learning-based intelligent precise aeration strategy for factory recirculating aquaculture systems

Factory recirculating aquaculture system(RAS)is facing in a stage of continuous research and technological in-novation.Intelligent aquaculture is an important direction for the future development of aquaculture.However,the RAS nowdays still has poor self-learning and optimal decision-making capabilities,which leads to high aqua-culture cost and low running efficiency.In this paper,a precise aeration strategy based on deep learning is de-signed for improving the healthy growth of breeding objects.Firstly,the situation perception driven by computer vision is used to detect the hypoxia behavior.Then combined with the biological energy model,it is constructed to calculate the breeding objects oxygen consumption.Finally,the optimal adaptive aeration strategy is generated according to hypoxia behavior judgement and biological energy model.Experimental results show that the energy consumption of proposed precise aeration strategy decreased by 26.3%compared with the man-ual control and 12.8%compared with the threshold control.Meanwhile,stable water quality conditions acceler-ated breeding objects growth,and the breeding cycle with the average weight of 400 g was shortened from 5 to 6 months to 3–4 months.

Effects of light intensity and photoperiod on the growth and stress response of juvenile Nile tilapia(Oreochromis niloticus)in a recirculating aquaculture system

Light is an essential natural factor of fish growth and development.A light regime in indoor aquaculture is critical for sustainable fish production.This research aimed to investigate the effect of light intensity and photoperiod on the growth performance and stress response of Nile tilapia(Oreochromis niloticus),which is an important commercial species,in a recirculating aquaculture system(RAS).Fingerlings with an average weight of 5±0.9 g were randomly assigned to nine 1.5 m3 tanks with 145 fish in each tank,cultured under different light intensities(1000,2000,and 3000 lx)and photoperiods(12L:12D,18L:6D,24L:0D),and fed to apparent satiation twice a day for 160 days.The growth of tilapia subjected to 2000 lx was significantly better than that exposed to 1000 and 3000 lx(P<0.05)as indicated by the final weight(351.17±10.59 g),growth efficiency(0.77±0.26),specific growth rate(2.65%±0.21%per day)and feed conversion coefficient ratio(1.30±0.36).No significant difference was observed in the growth rate among different photoperiod groups(P>0.05).Light intensity and photoperiod manipulation did not cause a significant chronic stress response in tilapia.This study demonstrated that light intensity,especially at 2000 lx,and photoperiod manipulation could stimulate the growth of tilapia in the RAS and significantly affect economic profitability.This study also served as an important reference for tilapia indoor aquaculture.

Optimization and evaluation of a bottom substrate denitrification tank for nitrate removal from a recirculating aquaculture system

A bottom substrate denitrification tank for a recirculating aquaculture system was developed. The laboratory scale denitrification tank was an 8 L tank （0.04 m2 tank surface area）, packed to a depth of 5 cm with a bottom substrate for natural denitrifying bacteria. An aquarium pump was used for gentle water mixing in the tank; the dissolved oxygen in the water was maintained in aerobic conditions （e.g. 〉 2 mg/L） while anoxic conditions predominated only at the bottom substrate layer. The results showed that, among the four substrates tested （soil, sand, pumice stone and vermiculite）, pumice was the most preferable material. Comparing carbon supplementation using methanol and molasses, methanol was chosen as the carbon source because it provided a higher denitrification rate than molasses. When methanol was applied at the optimal COD：N ratio of 5：1, a nitrate removal rate of 4591 ± 133 mg-N/m2 tank bottom area/day was achieved. Finally, nitrate removal using an 80 L denitrification tank was evaluated with a 610 L recirculating tilapia culture system. Nitrate treatment was performed by batch transferring high nitrate water from the nitrification tank into the denitrification tank and mixing with methanol at a COD：N ratio of 5：1. The results from five batches of nitrate treatment revealed that nitrate was successfully removed from water without the accumulation of nitrite and ammonia. The average nitrate removal efficiency was 85.17% and the average denitrification rate of the denitrification tank was 6311 ± 945 mg-N/m2 tank bottom area/day or 126 ± 18 mg-N/L of pumice packing volume/day.

Dynamic simulation based method for the reduction of complexity in design and control of Recirculating Aquaculture Systems

In this work we introduce the“Extensible Fish-tank Volume Model”that can reduce the complexity in the design and control of the Recirculating Aquaculture Systems.In the developed model we adjust the volume of a single fish-tank to the prescribed values of stocking density,by controlling the necessary volume in each time step.Having developed an advantageous feeding,water exchange and oxygen supply strategy,as well as considering a compromise scheduling for the fingerling input and product fish output,we divide the volume vs.time function into equidistant parts and calculate the average volumes for these parts.Comparing these average values with the volumes of available tanks,we can plan the appropriate grades.The elaborated method is a good example for a case,where computational modeling is used to simulate a‘‘fictitious process model”that cannot be feasibly realized in the practice,but can simplify and accelerate the design and planning of real world processes by reducing the complexity.

Effects of flow velocity on water quality and ammonia excretion in recirculating aquaculture system culturing juvenile largemouth bass(Micropterus salmoides)

Flow velocity plays an important role in recirculating aquaculture systems(RAS)and the growing practice of culturing juvenile largemouth bass(Micropterus salmoides).In this study,the effects of flow velocity on the water quality as well as the ammonia excretion were discussed from the perspective of actual production,and a polynomial model of ammonia nitrogen excretion was established,using the juvenile largemouth bass.Results showed that the range of ammonia nitrogen and nitrite nitrogen decreased with flow velocity increasing,while the number and volume share of large particles increased.According to the polynomial model,compared with the medium flow velocity(11 cm/s,2.45 body length(bl)/s),the ammonia excretion of juvenile largemouth bass at high(18 cm/s,4.00 bl/s),and low(4 cm/s,0.90 bl/s)flow velocity changed faster with time,and the excretion rate peaked at the 6th hour after feeding,earlier than that under medium flow velocity.Therefore,it is suggested to increase the flow velocity at the 5th hour after feeding and then decreased it at the 10th hour,to ensure better water quality in RAS culturing juvenile largemouth bass.

A Novel YOLOv5s-Based Lightweight Model for Detecting Fish’s Unhealthy States in Aquaculture

Real-time detection of unhealthy fish remains a significant challenge in intensive recirculating aquaculture.Early recognition of unhealthy fish and the implementation of appropriate treatment measures are crucial for preventing the spread of diseases and minimizing economic losses.To address this issue,an improved algorithm based on the You Only Look Once v5s(YOLOv5s)lightweight model has been proposed.This enhanced model incorporates a faster lightweight structure and a new Convolutional Block Attention Module(CBAM)to achieve high recognition accuracy.Furthermore,the model introduces theα-SIoU loss function,which combines theα-Intersection over Union(α-IoU)and Shape Intersection over Union(SIoU)loss functions,thereby improving the accuracy of bounding box regression and object recognition.The average precision of the improved model reaches 94.2%for detecting unhealthy fish,representing increases of 11.3%,9.9%,9.7%,2.5%,and 2.1%compared to YOLOv3-tiny,YOLOv4,YOLOv5s,GhostNet-YOLOv5,and YOLOv7,respectively.Additionally,the improved model positively impacts hardware efficiency,reducing requirements for memory size by 59.0%,67.0%,63.0%,44.7%,and 55.6%in comparison to the five models mentioned above.The experimental results underscore the effectiveness of these approaches in addressing the challenges associated with fish health detection,and highlighting their significant practical implications and broad application prospects.

The Relationship between the Area of Aquaculture Pond and Purification Pond in Water Circulation Aquaculture System

The establishment of water circulation aquaculture system realized the hi- erarchical use of nitrogen, phosphorus and other eutrophic substances in aquaculture wastewater and the recirculation use of water resource. However, no research has been reported on the detailed calculation of the relationship between the area of aquaculture pond and purification pond. In this study, referring to the absorption ability of aquatic plants to pollutants in aquaculture wastewater and pollutant generation and discharge coefficient in aquaculture pond, based on the general rules of water quality management in freshwater aquaculture system, a calculation mode was es- tablished to investigate the relationship between the area of aquaculture pond and purification pond in freshwater recirculation aquaculture system, which was feasible to explain related cases and would provide theoretical basis to reduce the economic costs in the construction of water circulation aquaculture system and realize the bal- ance between the ecological benefits and the economic benefits.

Effect of copper on the growth of shrimps Litopenaeus vannamei : water parameters and copper budget in a recirculating system

Shrimps( Litopenaeus vannamei) were intensively cultured in a recirculating aquaculture system for 98 days to investigate effects of 0.3 mg/L Cu on its performance, Cu budget, and Cu distribution. Shrimps in Cu-treated systems had greater mean final weight(11.10 vs 10.50 g), body length(107.23 vs 106.42 mm), survival rate(67.80% vs 66.40%), and yield(6.42 vs 5.99 kg/m 3), and lower feed conversion ratio(1.20 vs 1.29) than those in control systems but the differences were not significant. Vibrio numbers remained stable(10 4 –10 6 colony forming units/mL) in the rearing tanks of both control and treated systems. Total ammonium-N, nitrite-N, nitrate-N, pH, chemical oxygen demand, 5-day carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand, and total suspended solids were similar in controls and treatments. Dissolved Cu concentration in the treated systems decreased from 0.284 to 0.089 mg/L while in the control systems it increased from 0.006 2 to 0.018 mg/L. The main sources of Cu in the treated systems were the artificially added component(75.7% of total input), shrimp feed(21.0%), water(2.06%), and shrimp biomass(1.22%). The major outputs of Cu occurred via the mechanical filter(41.7%), water renewal(15.6%), and draining of the sediment trap(15.1%). The foam fractionator removed only 0.69% of total Cu input. Harvested shrimp biomass accounted for 11.68% of Cu input. The Cu concentration of shrimps in the Cu-treated systems(30.70 mg/kg wet weight) was significantly higher than that in control systems(22.02 mg/kg). Both were below the maximum permissible concentration(50 mg/kg) for Cu in seafood for human consumption in China. Therefore, recirculating systems can be used for commercial on-growing of Litopenaeus vannamei without loss of shrimp quality, even in water polluted by 0.30 mg/L Cu. The mechanical filter is the main route for Cu removal.

Application of Constructed Wetlands on Wastewater Treatment for Aquaculture Ponds

A group of constructed wetlands （CWs） were applied to the recirculating aquaculture system. This study assessed the performance of CWs in treating the aquaculture wastewater, examined the water quality condition of aquaculture ponds and the growth and the survival rate of ＂target＂ species （Ictalurus punctatus and Megalobrama amblycephala）. The results showed that CWs were effective on reducing the concentrations of 5-day biochemical oxygen demand （BOD5, at 70.5%）, total suspended solids （TSS, at 81.9%）, chlorophyll a （Chl-a, at 91.9%）, ammonium （NH4^＋, at 61.5%） and nitrate nitrogen （NOa-N, at 68.0%）. Effect of CWs on phosphate （PO43 -P） removal was relatively lower （at 20.0%）. The concentrations of BODs, TSS, Chl-a, NH4^＋ and TN, TP in the recirculating culture pond were significantly lower than that in the control pond（ p〈0.05 ）. CWs could help to increase total yield, survival rate of the ＂target＂ species and significantly decrease feed conversion ratio （ p〈0.05 ）.

Effects of biological flocculation technology(BFT)on water quality dynamics and immune response of grass carp(Ctenopharyngodon idella)

The biofloc technology(BFT)offers benefits in improving feed utilization and reducing the feed conversion ratio compared to the recirculating aquaculture system(RAS).In this study,high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing was employed to investigate and compare the bacterial communities in these aquaculture systems and the gut microbiota of grass carp reared in them.We observed a significant distinction between the microbial communities of the aquaculture systems and the intestinal microbiota of grass carp.The genera cetobacterium and bacillus were more abundant in the BFT system,accounting for only 0.05% and 0.25% in the RAS.Our study also demonstrated that BFT could influence the intestinal microorganisms of grass carp(Ctenopharyngodon Idella)by reducing the relative abundance of burkholderia-caballeronia-paraburkholderia and increasing that of cetobacterium.Based on bugBase community predictions,the potential pathogenicity in BFT and grass carp intestine was lower than in RAS.Regarding gene expression in the grass carp intestine,immunosuppressive genes showed higher expression,while pro-inflammatory genes exhibited lower expression in grass carp reared in BFT.Furthermore,the final average length and weight of grass carp in the BFT system were significantly higher than those in the RAS.This study provides valuable insights into gut microbiome ecology in relation to two grass carp aquaculture systems,which could be effectively applied in grass carp management to promote health and improve water quality.

Comparison of nitrate-removal efficiency and bacterial properties using PCL and PHBV polymers as a carbon source to treat aquaculture water

Nitrate(NO_(3)^(−))accumulation in recirculating aquaculture systems(RASs)with high stocking densities presents a problem for reared animals and the environment.The use of a biodegradable polymer as organic carbon for heterotrophic denitrification exhibits good performance for NO_(3)^(−)removal from wastewater.A comparison of NO_(3)^(−)–N removal efficiency and bacterial properties using polycaprolactone(PCL)and poly(3-hydroxybutyrateco-3-hydroxyvalerate)(PHBV)as carbon sources to treat aquaculture water was conducted for a 102-day period.The results indicated that the NO_(3)^(−)–N removal rates of 0.27±0.07 and 0.19±0.05 g/L per day,respectively,could be achieved with influent concentrations ranging from 81.1 to 132.75 mg/L and a flow rate of 1 L/h.The removal of NO_(3)^(−)–N versus consumed PCL(1:1 w/w)was significantly higher than that versus consumed PHBV(0.3:1 w/w)(P<0.05).The concentrations of effluent nitrite-nitrogen and total ammonium nitrogen were maintained at an acceptable level.The bacterial community structures between the two types of reactors varied significantly.Acidovorax and Denitratisoma were the top two genera of the bacterial community in the biofilm in the PCL beads with a dominance of 26.83%and 6.67%,respectively.In the PHBV beads,Acidovorax at 17.95%and Bdellovibrio at 6.37%were the top two genera.The PCL-denitrification reactor developed in this study showed better potential than the PHBV-denitrification reactor in removing NO_(3)^(−)from aquaculture water.

Effect of seeding biofloc on the nitrification establishment in moving bed biofilm reactor(MBBR)

In recirculating aquaculture systems,nitrification is usually accelerated by inoculating nitrifier or mature biocarriers.In this study,the performance of the establishment of nitrification in the MBBR according to three different strategies:conventional method(Control group A),inoculation with biofloc recovered from a tilapia biofloc culture system(Group B),and addition with extra nitrite(Group C)in the Moving bed biofilm reactor(MBBR)was compared.Among them,the biofloc-inoculated group considerably accelerated the nitrification process in the MBBR(38 d),which is roughly 18 d faster than the control group(A)(56 d)and 21 d faster than group C(59 d).Less ammonia(8 mg/L NH_(4)^(+)-N,10 mg/L in other groups)and external nitrite(2 mg/L NO_(2)􀀀^(-)N)in the influent caused effluent ammonia to drop more slowly(5 d slower than the control group,8 d slower than the B group),which is detrimental to the nitrification process’development.Notably,the influent’s hydraulic retention time(HRT)was reduced from 12 h to 6 h following the successful establishment of nitrification.During the adaptation to reduced HRT,the MBBR inoculated with biofloc experienced short-term changes in the water quality index of the effluent water,whereas the other groups did not.The biofilm seeded with biofloc had the highest mean gray value ratio(1.42)of live/dead cell fluorescence,which grew better and could cover the entire groove under multiple microscope observations.However,the other groups did not demonstrate a similar trend.In summary,the research found that seeding biofloc use as nitrification bioaugmentation into the MBBR of the recirculating aquaculture system(RAS)to greatly speed up the nitrification process.