Aquaculture FAQ Hub – Answers Backed by Science & Field Experience
Welcome to the VARS Aquaculture FAQ Center — your trusted resource for technical insights, feed innovations, and best practices in modern aquaculture. Whether you're managing a seabream hatchery, troubleshooting rotifer culture, or exploring sustainable feed alternatives, our goal is to support you with expert-verified answers.
We’ve compiled the most frequently asked questions from hatchery operators, farm managers, and aquaculture researchers — all in one place.
Sustainable Aquaculture Solutions and Feed Innovations
Potato Protein Concentrate (PPC) is a plant-based protein source that serves as an effective alternative to fish meal (FM). It contains a high level of essential amino acids and offers an 88.8% in vitro digestibility rate. Studies show PPC can replace up to 20% of fish meal in seabass and seabream diets without compromising growth performance or feed conversion ratio, making it an excellent option for sustainable and cost-efficient aquafeeds.
PPC reduces reliance on marine-sourced fish meal, helping to preserve wild fish populations. As a renewable, plant-based protein, it supports environmentally friendly aquaculture practices, aligns with circular economy principles, and reduces pressure on ocean resources.
Yes. Moist pellets offer several benefits:
- Improved palatability: Their soft texture and fishy aroma increase feed intake.
- Higher utilization rate: Fish can consume up to 90%, with minimal residual waste.
- Ease of production: No drying/heating required, reducing nutrient loss.
- Enhanced health: Liquid supplements or medications can be easily added to support fish immunity.
Absolutely. One of the key advantages of moist pellets is that liquid nutrition, immunostimulants, or disease-preventive compounds can be added directly, offering a practical route for therapeutic feeding protocols in hatchery management.
Biochemical elements are essential for life and include:
- Macronutrients like Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H), Oxygen (O), Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Sulfur (S).
- Essential minerals such as Calcium, Potassium, Magnesium, etc.
- Trace elements like Zinc, Iron, Selenium, and Iodine, which support enzymatic and hormonal functions.
In aquaculture, ensuring feeds are balanced with these nutrients is crucial for:
- Optimizing metabolism
- Promoting growth
- Enhancing immunity and reproduction
Cialit is a fast-replicating ciliate that contaminates rotifer cultures. Though harmless to fish directly, it:
- Competes with rotifers for feed (e.g., Chlorella)
- Reduces rotifer productivity
- Can introduce pathogens
- Grows rapidly and often goes undetected until it's too late
- Use UV-treated or filtered water
- Regularly disinfect all equipment
- Monitor under a microscope frequently
- Maintain stable salinity and temperature
- Avoid overfeeding to limit microbial overgrowth
Two main strategies are effective:
- Mechanical Filtration using 30–60 µm filters during 3-day batch cycles.
- Sterile Mass Culture Harvesting by starting from disinfected seed cultures under controlled lab conditions.
Both methods help restore and maintain high-purity rotifer production.
Focus on feed formulations that include:
- High-quality protein sources (e.g., PPC, fish meal alternatives)
- Balanced amino acid profiles
- Essential biochemical elements (macro, mineral, and trace)
- Functional additives (e.g., prebiotics, vitamins, immune boosters)
Consult feed experts or partner with VARS for customized feed solutions tailored to your hatchery's species and lifecycle stages.
At VARS, we specialize in:
- Sustainable feed ingredient sourcing
- Custom formulation for seabass, seabream, and other species
- Contaminant prevention in rotifer and live feed cultures
- On-site consultation and training
👉 Contact us to learn more or schedule a consultation.
Why This FAQ Matters
Aquaculture is evolving rapidly. Challenges like sustainable protein sourcing, feed efficiency, and biosecurity risks require actionable knowledge. That’s why we designed this page not just to inform, but to empower you with:
- Science-backed data and digestible explanations
- Practical guidance from hatchery operations
- Links to products, tools, and expert support
- Up-to-date strategies for feed formulation, contamination control, and nutrition planning
