Growth, red blood cells, and gill alterations of red pacu<i>(</i><scp><i>Piaractus brachypomus</i></scp><i>)</i>fingerlings by chronic exposure to different total suspended solids in biofloc

Chronic exposure to high biofloc total suspended solids (TSS) could affect growth, red blood cells, and generate gill alterations in fish. Red pacu, Piaractus brachypomus, fry (2.7 ± 0.5 g weight) were exposed different TSS concentrations with low (T1: 200–300), medium (T2: 400–600 mg/L) levels compared a treatment control (TC) without during 45-day period 50 L experimental units (in quadruplicate). Water quality, productive parameters, cell values, histopathological alteration index (HAI) assessed. pacu reached higher final biomass (11.34 0.73 kg/m3), better growth (DWG = 0.30 0.03 g/day) food conversion rate (1.05 0.02) TC than treatments (p < .05). T2 had RBC count, lower hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration .05) T1 TC. The histological sections of gills showed monogenean parasites quantity; thus, the HAI value was similar among corresponded damage. Growth, morphology fingerlings affected by moderate (400–600 chronic biofloc.