Rearing of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) juveniles in a biofloc system employing periods of feed deprivation

The study aimed to evaluate if different periods of feed deprivation could affect the productive and economic performance of Nile tilapia juvenile reared in biofloc technology (BFT) during nursery phase. During 56 days, the productive performance of Nile tilapia (4.78 ± 0.13 g) was evaluated in four treatments (three replicates each) as follow: (7F) feed provided every day of the week without deprivation (control); (6F/1D) feed provided 6 days a week and 1 day deprivation; (5F/2D) feed provided 5 days a week and 2 days deprivation; and (4F/3D) feed provided every other day. The present study demonstrated that it is possible to apply feed deprivation in tilapia juveniles raised in BFT. The choice of feeding programs needs to be carefully evaluated.