Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
BIOLOGY BULLETIN, cilt.52, sa.331, ss.1-12, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Abstract—The research investigated how probiotics affect Pangasianodon hypophthalmus (striped catfish) growth rates, feed intake, and survival rates throughout its crucial developmental phases, from larvae to fingerlings. The experiment studied whether particular probiotics could enhance fish production quality while improving their health during their sensitive early developmental period because these practices have gained popularity in sustainable aquaculture. The research included three probiotic interventions made of Lactobacillus rhamnosus (T1) and Bacillus subtilis (T2) and their mixture in a 1 : 1 ratio (T3) treated against a control group. Fish from the T3 treatment group demonstrated superior performance compared to all other treatments, regarding weight increase, specific growth rate (SGR), feed conversion ratio (FCR), protein efficiency ratio (PER), and survival rate over the 90 days. The combination treatment T3 produced fish that exceeded other groups with a maximum final weight (450.43 g) and the best efficiency in FCR (1.37) and survival rate (89.85%) and demonstrated statistically significant differences (p < 0.001). The enlarged measures of fish health can be attributed to an interactive effect between L. rhamnosus and B. subtilis that positively affected gut health alongside enzyme activity nutrient absorption, and immune responses of the fish. The research establishes that a probiotic combination given to fish during early development continues to enhance their performance patterns improving their health during their sensitive early developmental period. Sustainable aquaculture practices and consumer expectations for residue-free aquatic commodities make such biological feed additives a favorable choice for the industry. It is recommended that further investigations should focus on exploring molecular mechanisms underlying probiotics effect, and their effectiveness under varied environmental conditions.
Keywords: Pangasius hypophthalmus, feed supplementation, probiotic combination, L. rhamnosus, B. subtilis, growth performance