Freshwater fish farming activities with intensive cultivation systems will cause the emergence of residual organic matter in fish rearing media. The presence of high organic matter will cause the need for water for replacement to be large. In line with that, to reduce the need for water and to streamline the need for feed, the application of biofloc system fish farming is very appropriate to do.
Biofloc technology continues to develop over the years. Among other things, there is the utilization of new bacteria and the use of the latest technology, as well as expanding its application to the cultivation of various types of fish. Unlike traditional fish farming, biofloc technology utilizes the waste medium to produce compounds that are useful for the development of the fish.
Biofloc fish farming is one of the new technologies in aquaculture. Fish farming with this system comes from the adaptation and modification of domestic activated sludge sewage treatment technology with the utilization of microorganisms. This biofloc system is adopted to be applied to fish farming activities because fish farming activities usually produce waste products in the form of organic matter.
Biofloc comes from the word "bios" meaning life and "floc" meaning clot. So the definition of biofloc is a collection of various living organisms such as bacteria, protozoa, algae, fungi and worms.
The principle of fish farming with the bioflock system is to grow, develop, and maintain a community of beneficial microorganisms or bacteria in the cultivation medium.
This bioflock system fish farming technology has been carried out on various types of fish and shrimp. For fish farming, this biofloc system technology was first applied to tilapia cultivation. Later in Indonesia, the biofloc system technology was developed in other types of fish farming, namely catfish farming in tarpaulin ponds.
In biofloc technology fish farming, these clumps become food for the fish being raised. Biofloc technology is an efficient alternative farming system because the feed can be continuously recycled and used. As this technology develops, more and more fish species can be bred with a more environmentally friendly approach.
This biofloc technology is more environmentally friendly. The mechanism is to utilize microorganisms to absorb ammonia and nitrite produced by food waste, feces, and fish. These compounds are naturally produced from metabolic processes in fishery products.
The life expectancy of fish is proven to increase with biofloc fish culture technology, due to the reduction of fish stress due to the improved water environment and the addition of essential amino acids, fatty acids, and nutritional compounds present in bioflocs.
Fish bred through biofloc technology are calmer and less stressed than those bred in traditional ponds. The fish will be healthier and less stressed, and have a low mortality rate.