biofloc techonlogy

for indoor shrimp farming

second edition

WITH NEW SCHEMATICS AND EQUIPMENT LIST

 HEY tHERE!
Thank you for downloading this top 10
�ps for Biofloc Tehnology for Indoor
Shrimp Farming.

While there are many other great �ps

out there on Biofloc Technology, it does
help to know how you can op�mize your
process for maximum profits!

TRUST US...

This isn’t another crappy checklist that you see all the �me on the inter-
net. These �ps are the real deal and have helped us increase our yield
in our biofloc process.

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tIP 01 : tANK DESIGN & CIRCULATION
Tank design should be your number one concern when it comes to run-
ning a successful indoor biofloc system. This is because sufficient velocity
is required to keep the biofloc par�cles in suspension. Typical design for
indoor shrimp farming units includes the raceways systems in which rect-
angular are par��oned in the middle. This creates a flow path that circles
constantly circles around the par��ons. Typical raceway can be construct-
ed with HDPE liners, supported with a metal or zinc frame.

Flow

Raceway Tanks

Centre Par��on

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tIP 02 : aeration requirements
Adequate oxygen levels are crucial to both cultured shrimps and the bio-
floc process. Aera�on is commonly applied in the biofloc system as a
means to deliver oxygen into the biofloc. Furthermore, aera�ons are also
used to help to keep the biofloc in suspension to avoid dead zones. The
common method to aera�on using commercially available air blowers,
compressors or pump with venturi systems. Deciding between the differ-
ent delivery systems include factors like water depth, fouling poten�al,
and energy cost. For indoor biofloc systems, aera�on and airli� systems
are usually bundled together to achieve both aera�ng and circula�on.

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tIP 03 : floc generation & maintanence
The biofloc culture system is characterized by its brown and turbid cul-
ture water. More than o�en, the ini�al culture water is o�en clear in
nature and would require the innolocula�on of beneficial bacteria. The
ini�al stage of the biofloc forma�on is known as the floc genera�on stage,
whereby high carbon to nitrogen ra�o is maintained. This is to quickly
boost up the heterotrophic community responsible for turning the cul-
ture brown in nature. Once achieving the required biomass, the biofloc
can be maintained with a lower carbon to nitrogen ra�o to avoid exces-
sive forma�on of bacterial mass.

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tIP 04 : SOLID CONTROL & REMOVAL
The total solids over the culture period are likely to increase over �me
due to the accumula�on of bacterial biomass. Without solid control tech-
niques, this bacterial biomass will compete against the cultured species
for oxygen. Therefore, operators must perform tests to es�mate the total
amount of solids in the systems. Typically, this is done with an Imhoff
cone that measures the number of se�led solids over 30 minutes. For
pond operated biofloc, solids are controlled by discharging into the river
or ocean. Indoor farms that rely on ar�ficial seawater might opt for the
se�ling tanks or foam frac�onator to reduce the number of solids in the
biofloc culture.

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tIP 05 : pROCESS CONTROL
The success of the aquaculture is dependent on the process control of the
biofloc. Biofloc is renowned for its inherent stability resul�ng in frequent
ammonia spikes, insufficient oxygen, or poor se�ling proper�es. Process
control includes the addi�on of alkalinity that is consumed by the biofloc
over �me. Stable alkalinity and pH is crucial for both cultured species and
the microbial community in the biofloc system. Photo periods are also an
important considera�on for the biofloc systems to avoid the excessive for-
ma�on of phototrophs that could result in low dissolved oxygen during the
night. Good process control also includes governing ensuring the right
food to microorganism ra�o is maintained to ensure the forma�on of the
desired species.

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tIP 06 : aLKALINITY & ph Control
pH and alkalinity is o�en a confusing concept for the aquaculture industry.
pH measures the acidity or basic a water-based solu�on, while alkalinity
measures the buffering capacity of the solu�on. In layman terms, when
alkalinity runs out, pH will drop very quickly. For biofloc systems, alkalinity
is consumed over �me due to the nitrifying and assimila�on process. As a
result, alkalinity would drop over �me and require the addi�on of chemi-
cals to maintain. Without the addi�on of the chemicals, the pH would drop
once the biofloc runs out of alkalinity and nose-dive into the acidic region.
It is also noteworthy to men�on that the pH runs on a log scale instead of
a linear scale, which means a pH of 7 is 10 �mes more acidic than a solu-
�on with pH of 8.

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tIP 07:Feed management
Tip 1-6 is all about maintaining a stable and produc�ve biofloc, but �p 7
focuses on the requirements of the shrimp. Once entering the grow-out
stage, the priority for biofloc operators is feed management. An adequate
amount of feed is ini�ally es�mated based on the popula�on, size and feed
characteris�c. The popula�on of the shrimps is hard to es�mate due to
inaccuracy in mortali�es. In general, a linear mortality profile is assumed
throughout the culture cycle. Monitoring the biofloc for excess feed is also
important to ensure that overfeeding is avoided. For Litopenaeus vannam-
ei daily monitoring of gut fullness also will provide warning signs of under-
feeding or subpar water quali�es.

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tIP 08 : denitrification
While it is important to ensure that ammonia and nitrite are within accept-
able limits, nitrates are also another point of concern for indoor biofloc
farms. Biofloc rich in nitrifying bacteria will accumulate nitrates at the end
of the conversion process. Although the toxicity of nitrates is much lower
than ammonia and nitrite, excessive levels beyond 400 ppm would result
in slower growth. Conven�on methods to deal with nitrates include dis-
charging or denitrifica�on. Typical methods include the anaerobic process
where nitrates are converted to nitrogen gas. Other methods include
plan�ng seaweeds directly in the indoor biofloc system.

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tIP 09 : recycling water
For indoor biofloc systems, the opera�ng cost associated with maintaining
salinity is rela�vely high. Most biofloc operators would prefer to recycle
the culture water used to save on salt usage. While they are commercial
reasons to do this, recycling the water will depend on the se�ling capacity
of the biofloc and the nitrates levels. Furthermore, heavy metals are likely
to accumulate in the biofloc over �me resul�ng in the growth retarda�on
of the culture species. Recycling culture water remains one of the challeng-
ing aspects of the indoor shrimp farming process.

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tIP 10 : Marketing the product
Marke�ng �ps for shrimp produced with indoor biofloc systems is un-
doubtedly a crucial part of the business. Unlike tradi�onal pond culture,
the produc�on cost is much lower than indoor shrimp farming systems.
This is partly due to the economy of scale and accessibility to seawater.
Nevertheless, the core benefit of se�ng up an indoor shrimp farming
system lies in the aspect of logis�cs. The farm can produce shrimp right
next to the consumers that are free of an�bio�c usage. Also, not to men-
�on that the farm can cater to the live market, minimizing the costly logis�-
cal cost involved in the business. Traceability is also an advantage for
indoor shrimp, as consumers can iden�fy the source of the produce. Com-
bining advantages in responsibility farming, reduced logis�cs and trace-
ability indoor farmed shrimp are likely to command much higher pricing.

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gETTING STARTED: SMALL SCALE PILOT
A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Step. Although it may
sound daun�ng to start an indoor shrimp farm with biofloc technology,
achieving the goal successfully is extremely rewarding. Due to the poor un-
derstanding of the filtra�on equipment, many investors misunderstand the
capital cost involved in star�ng an indoor shrimp farming unit. As a result,
many were reluctant to start due to the barrier involved.

In this final sec�on, we will be highligh�ng the equipment needed to start

the smallest viable pilot. By no means you should underes�mate the pro-
duc�on capacity of this pilot unit. The pilot occupies an area of 11.2 square
meters (3.2meters x 3.5meters) and can produce up to 17-25kg of shrimps
every 3-4 months genera�ng USD 850- USD 1,250 of sales in a year. The
pilot can also help you gain the necessary skills needed when you have de-
cided to scale in the future.

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2d
drawing
indoor
shrimp
farming
SYSTEMS

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List of Equipment Needed for Pilot Systems
4000 Liters Culture Tank
300 Liters Se�ling Tank with slope bo�om
Protein Skimmers
100 Liter Water Reten�on Tank
Submersible Pump at 2800L/hr
Air Blower and Systems

Addi�onal Consumables & Equipment Needed

Ammonia Test Kits
Refratometer for Salinity Measurements
Imhoff Cone
Dissolve Oxygen Test Kit
Nitrite Test Kits
Alkalinity Test Kits
Shrimp Post Larvae
Shrimp Feed
Good Quality SeaSalt
Sodium Bicarbonate
Disinfectant

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