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The growth of aquaculture demands intense consumption of formulated foods, scarce natural resources such as water and land. The increase in aquaculture production needs to be sustainable in several aspects of the activity, including the use of more sustainable farming systems that provide reduced water demand, less space dependence for increased production, and availability of complementary natural food. In this perspective, the biofloc system (BFT), presents itself as a more friendly cultivation technology as a way to mitigate some impacts of aquaculture production. Much research has been carried out, addressing different aspects important to the production of fish in BFT. In this review, we address how stocking density, carbon sources and carbon nitrogen ration (C/N) affect animal performance and the nutritional value of bioflocs; the use of microbial aggregates as "in situ" and "ex situ" food and the benefits in feed conversion, and their influence on the immune system and disease resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]