cultivation began with clear water and the formation of biofloc and control of ammonia were performed by the daily addition of dextrose.
In the control treatment, the larvae were cultured in clear water from a recirculation system.
In all treatments, the larvae were fed with Artemia nauplii.
The increase in TSS concentrations was not associated with the best growth of R. quelen, but the performance of the larvae was better in T200 and T-HET, compared to T400–600 and T800–1000.
In T200 and T-HET, the biofloc presented a higher content of volatile suspended solids, which could be a nutritious source of food to the larvae.
The lowest survival was recorded in the control treatment (10.2%) where larvae suffered from an Ichthyophthirius multifiliis infestation on the 15th day of the experiment. No infestation by I.
multifiliis was observed in the biofloc treatments, where the mean survival was four times (46.9%) greater than the control.
The results showed that R. quelen larvae can be grown in a biofloc system with TSS concentrations up to 1000 mg L−1, but the best growth was registered in tanks with a higher percentage of volatile suspended solids (T200 and T-HET).