Abstract
Probiotics for freshwater fish farming can be administered as single or multiple mixtures. The expected benefits of probiotics include disease prophylaxis, improved growth, and feed conversion parameters, such as the feed conversion rate (FCR) and specific growth rate (SGR). In the current work, we review the impact of probiotics on freshwater finfish aquaculture. Data were gathered from articles published during the last decade that examined the effects of probiotics on fish growth, FCR, and water quality in freshwater fishponds/tanks. While the expected benefits of probiotics are significant, the reviewed data indicate a range in the level of effects, with an average reduction in ammonia of 50.7%, SGR increase of 17.1%, and FCR decrease of 10.7%. Despite the variability in the reported benefits, probiotics appear to offer a practical solution for sustainable freshwater aquaculture. Disease prophylaxis with probiotics can reduce the need for antibiotics and maintain gut health and feed conversion. Considering that fish feed and waste are two significant parameters of the aquaculture ecological footprint, it can be argued that probiotics can contribute to reducing the environmental impact of aquaculture. In this direction, it would be beneficial if more researchers incorporated water quality parameters in future aquaculture research and protocols to minimize aquaculture’s environmental impact.
Highlights
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) definition, probiotics are ‘live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host’
We reviewed the effects of probiotics on freshwater finfish aquaculture, with a particular emphasis on growth, feed conversion, and water quality
Aquaculture methods and management are critical, for example, feeding must be adjusted to the needs of farmed fish, water quality is crucial, and the needs of growing fish may vary according to age, body size, temperature, initial gut, water microbiota, and health parameters of individual fish
Summary
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) definition, probiotics are ‘live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host’. The potential benefits of probiotic treatment can be observed on the growth and efficiency of feeding and on the environmental parameters and aquaculture pollution. A lower feed conversion rate (FCR), for example, can be achieved when probiotics improve digestion by producing digestive enzymes, such as protease, amylase, and cellulase [16], and because of more efficient digestion, the organic load of fish farms may be reduced.
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