Water quality characteristics in controlled production of ornamental fishesas influenced by feeding a probiotic bacterium, Lactobacillus sp.bioencapsulated in Artemia sp.

Abstract

The water quality characteristics in the controlled production of ornamental fishes such as Carassius auratusand Xiphophorus helleri and the effect of feeding a probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus sp. bioencapsulated in livefood organism Artemia sp. on fish production were assessed. The addition of Lactobacillus sp. into the ornamentalfish culture systems did not affect the water quality characteristics except for the eventual significant changes indissolved organic matter, chemical oxygen demand and phosphate-phosphorus of the rearing water. The differencesin bacteriological parameters of rearing waters of probiotic fed and control groups were insignificant. Thebioencapsulated probiont fed C. auratus and X. helleri fry showed significant improvement in wet weight gain,food conversion ratio and specific growth rate compared to the respective control groups.