Probiotics are being explored as an eco-friendly alternative to antibiotics in response to the growing demand for sustainable farming. A feeding trial was conducted to assess the impact of the probiotic, Bacillus cereus on the growth performance of hybrid groupers in a RAS system. The study involved isolating Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) from the gut of hybrid groupers, screening and identifying LAB isolates, and performing DNA extraction and sequence analyses to develop suitable probiotics for RAS. The potential candidates underwent gram staining and catalase tests, followed by antagonistic and enzymatic activity tests.
Subsequently, 5000 pcs of hybrid grouper ( Initial BW 5.0 g) nursery feeding trial with using Bacillus cereus with a concentration of 4x109 was supplemented in the diet during a 50-day feeding trial for juvenile hybrid groupers at CENTS-RAS facilities. Final body weight (BW) 49.39 g±7.36 (probiotics) vs 39.10 g±10.56 (BW) (control) were recorded effected by used probiotics. Survival was 85% for probiotics and 73% from control. The results indicated a 19% increase in biomass, rising from 27.29 kg/ton to 33.7 kg/ton (Fig 1). Proximate analysis of fish body composition revealed a significant increment in protein and lipid content with the probiotic’s treatment compared to the control (Table 1).