Research on periphyton-based aquaculture in India.

AbstractThis review presents the results of periphyton-based aquaculture studies in India, and is divided into 8 sections. Following a brief introduction, the second section summarizes the results of the studies on plankton and periphyton productivity in terms of density and biomass. The third section discusses the results of fish production obtained in grow-out studies which aimed to evaluate the substrates, to compare fed and non-fed systems, and to standardize fish stocking density and the use of substrates in nursery rearing. The results of the studies on the utility of bacterial biofilm in fish health are summarized in the fourth section, and the effect of substrates on water quality parameters are presented in the fifth section. The information available on the digestibility of periphyton and the economics of periphyton-based fish culture using sugarcane bagasse as a substrate are presented on the sixth and seventh sections. The conclusion forms the last part of the review.