Ozonation of a recirculating rainbow trout culture system I. Effects on bacterial gill disease and heterotrophic bacteria

Abstract

Ozone was added to water in a recirculating rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) culture system just before it entered the culture tanks in an attempt to reduce the numbers of heterotrophic bacteria in system water and on trout gills, and to prevent bacterial gill disease (BGD) in newly stocked fingerlings. During four 8-week trials, ozone was added to the system at a rate of 0.025 or 0.036–0.039 kg ozone/kg feed fed. In the control, where no ozone was added, and in previously published research, BGD outbreaks occurred within two weeks of stocking, and these outbreaks generally required three to four chemotherapeutant treatments to prevent high mortality. In three of four trials where ozone was added to the system, BGD outbreaks were prevented without chemical treatments, but the causative bacterium, Flavobacterium branchiophilum, still colonized gill tissue. The one ozone test where BGD outbreaks required two chemical treatments coincided with a malfunction of the ozone generator. Although ozonation did reduce BGD mortality, it failed in all trials to produce more than a one log10 reduction in numbers of heterotrophic bacteria in the system water or on gill tissue. Failure of the ozone to lower numbers of heterotrophic bacteria or to prevent the causative BGD bacterium from occurring on gills was attributed to the short exposure time to ozone residual (35 s contact chamber) and rapid loss of oxidation caused by levels of total suspended solids. Rationale for ozone's success at preventing BGD mortalities are not fully understood but may in part be due to improved water quality. Use of the lower ozone dosing rate (0.025 kg ozone/kg feed) appeared to provide the same benefits as the higher dosing rate (0.036–0.039 kg ozone/kg feed fed); however, the lower ozone dosing rate was less likely to produce a toxic ozone residual in the culture tank and would also reduce ozone equipment capital and operating costs.