Abstract

Techniques were developed for holding and conditioning of Pacific oysters, Crassostrea gigas, in a closed recirculating system. Experimental adults were used 500 oysters ( x two system, total 1,000 oysters) which were collected in $20^{th}$ March 2016 from long-line aquaculture farm at the south coast of Korea. During conditioning periods concentrated live microalgae as Isochrysis sp. $15{\times}10^7cells/mL$, Tetraselmis sp. $2{\times}10^7cells/mL$ and Pheaodactylum sp. $18{\times}10^7cells/mL$ were added 5 L every day, respectively which micro algae were functioned as diets and biological filter. Over all experimental periods total water exchange rate was 21.3% (daily 0.5%). Over 42 days conditioning, female and male oysters were maturated 90.9% and 94.4%, respectively. Survival rate was 98.7%. Mean shell hight (8.3 mm), total wet weight (19.2 g), meat wet weight (5.0 g) and shell wet weight (13.6 g) were significantly increased (P < 0.05). Water quality parameters including the water temperature ($22.1{\pm}0.4^{\circ}C$), salinity ($24.9{\pm}04$), dissolved oxygen (5.1-7.9 mg/L) and pH ($7.93{\pm}0.15$) were kept stable. Concentration of dissolved inorganic nutrient as ammonia (1.96-0.35 mg/L), nitrite (0.03-0.16 mg/L), nitrate (1.34-0.47 mg/L), DIP (0.42-0.03 mg/L) and silicate (3.83-0.00 mg/L) were significantly decreased throughout experiment except nitrite which was increased (P < 0.05), but nitrogenous components stayed below toxic levels (ammonia 0.0-5.5 mg/L, nitrite 0.0-460.0 mg/L) which indicated that closed recirculation system with microalgae based bio-filter could supply sufficiently environment condition to holding and conditioning of oyster.