Nutrients biofiltration capacity and growth of macroalgae cultivated in effluents generated in the production of the yellowtail amberjack seriola lalandi (Perciformes: Carangidae)

Abstract

-The removal capacity of dissolved nutrients and growth of the red macroalgae Agarophyton chilense and Mazzaella canaliculata and the green Ulva lactuca were evaluated using the effluents from the Seriola lalandi culture. The three macroalgae species reached high nitrite and phosphate removal values between 84 and 87.5%, respectively. On the other hand, in the removal of ammonia the best results were achieved by U. lactuca and A. chilense, both with 46.4%. In nitrate removal, A. chilense and M. canaliculata achieve efficiencies of 40 and 50%, respectively. In relation to the growth achieved by algae, they show that the daily growth rate of M. canaliculata registered a loss of biomass quantified at 0.29%, while U. lactuca showed an increase of 0.78% and A. chilense reached the best performance with 2.8%. Based on the results obtained, it is possible to conclude on the feasibility of using macroalgae in the removal of nutrients, especially A. chilense, which, also, from the perspective of increasing biomass, the cultivation of A. chilense opens expectations to obtain secondary productions from Seriola lalandi fish farming in an integrated production system.