Stringed bed suspended bioreactors (SBSBR) for in situ nitrification in penaeid and non-penaeid hatchery systems

• Published in: Aquaculture international Vol. 17; no. 5; pp. 479 - 489
• Main Authors: Rejish Kumar, V. J, Achuthan, Cini, Manju, N. J, Philip, Rosamma, Bright Singh, I. S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Dordrecht : Springer Netherlands 01.10.2009; Springer Netherlands; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Ammonia; Aquaculture; Bacteria; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Bioreactors; Freshwater; Freshwater & Marine Ecology; Larvae; Life Sciences; Macrobrachium rosenbergii; Nitrification; Penaeus monodon; Reactors; Salinity; Zoology; Immobilization; Nitrifying bioreactors; Closed system shrimp hatchery; Nitrification; Nitrifying consortia; Shrimp/prawn larval production
• ISSN: 0967-6120; 1573-143X
• DOI: 10.1007/s10499-008-9218-2

For establishing nitrification in prawn (non-penaeid, salinity 10-15 ppt) and shrimp (penaeid, salinity 30-35 ppt) larval production systems, a stringed bed suspended bioreactor (SBSBR) was designed, fabricated, and validated. It was fabricated with 5 mm polystyrene and low density polyethylene beads as the substrata for ammonia and nitrite oxidizing bacterial consortia, respectively, with an overall surface area of 684 cm². The reactors were activated in a prototype activator and were transported in polythene bags to the site of testing. Performance of the reactors activated with the nitrifying bacterial consortia AMONPCU-1 (ammonia oxidizers for non-penaeid culture) and NIONPCU-1 (nitrite oxidizers for non-penaeid culture) was evaluated in a Macrobrachium rosenbergii larval rearing system and those activated with AMOPCU-1 (ammonia oxidizers for penaeid culture) and NIOPCU-1 (nitrite oxidizers for penaeid culture) in a Penaeus monodon seed production system. Rapid setting up of nitrification could be observed in both the static systems which resulted in a higher relative per cent survival of larvae.