Trainer of Trainer (TOT) workshop outline

Day 1: (Registration: 0830; Presentations: 0900-1700; Break 1200-1330)

Training program & topics to be covered
- Objective of the workshop & introduction of participants
- Main factors affecting feed performance & importance of feed management
- Knowing your feed costs & importance of good record keeping
- Feed types, feed labels & importance of national feed legislation
- Feed transportation & on-farm feed storage
- Feed additives, top dressing feeds & potential feed biosecurity risks
- Feeding habits, nutrient leaching & importance of natural foods
- Feeding methods, feeding tables & choice of appropriate on-farm feeding method
- Importance of good pond & water management, including nutrient recycling

• Day 2: (Farm visits: 0800-1300; Group discussion: 1500-1700; Closing)

- Shrimp farm visits (2-3)
- Group discussion on observed on-farm shrimp feed management practices
- Closing & presentation of TOT training certificates
 Some practical facts about shrimp feeds & feeding

In contrast to terrestrial farm animals & farmed fish, where

feeds can be fed on a visual basis according to appetite or to a
preset feeding level, pond-raised shrimp are not directly visible
to the farmer during feeding, and as such animals usually have
to be fed `in the dark’.

Consequently shrimp feeds are usually fed at a fixed daily rate

based on shrimp body weight & an estimate of the total shrimp
biomass present within the pond or tank, with the feed usually
being applied by hand or mechanically several times daily over
a 8-12 h working day
 Some practical facts about shrimp feeds & feeding

Moreover, in view of the practical difficulty of accurately

determining the total shrimp biomass within commercial grow-
out ponds (ponds typically varying <0.1 – 20 ha) and estimating
dietary feeding levels for a particular diet and dietary nutrient
density, farmers are usually forced to feed their animals on a
targeted/expected weekly growth response (or to attain a
certain final shrimp target weight over a preset culture period),
with a consequent risk of over or under feeding, environmental
pollution (due to over feeding), and sub-optimal FCR & growth.
 Cannot under-stress the critical
importance of shrimp sampling & total
pond population & survival estimates
 Shrimp pond biomass sampling
• Determines overall population of shrimp in ponds
• uses cast nets
• cast net size: 8-10 ft diameter (3 m)
• mesh size: 1/8 in. (0-5 g), 1/4 in. (5+g)
• pond matrix developed, sampled as an “X”
• sampled at night (even distribution), new moon
• at least 20 casts (can be determined by CV)
• population = (count/cast net area/spread
coefficient) x total pond area

Adapted from Joe Fox, Texas A & M

• Average weight estimates Tom James – pers. com.
• Weekly estimates

• Determine the uniformity of the shrimp

population.

• Opportunity to screen shrimp for health

and development.
-Ecto parasites
-Intestinal parasites
-Black spot
-Natural foods
-Evidence of underfeeding
-Size disparity
-Abnormal coloration
 Shrimp feeding behaviour

• Shrimp feeding behavior is usually associated

with feed quality
• A nutritionally-balanced feed is of little value if
it is not consumed by the shrimp
• Usually, the shrimp have to be attracted to the
shrimp feed
• Thus commercial shrimp feeds are usually
supplemented with feeding attractants
• In general leached attractants are detected
through chemoreceptors on the shrimp body

Adapted from Joe Fox, Texas A & M

 Feed palatability & attractability

• Unlike fish, shrimp feed by olfaction not by sight

• Attractants: fish meal, fish oil, krill meal
• Attractants bring animal fast to the feed
• Without binders, attractants leach out within 2 h
• If feed is not consumed within 2h not much left
• Common misconception: farmer smells the feed
Adapted from Joe Fox, Texas A & M
 Feed water stability

• In the past, farmers thought the longer the

pellet water stability, the better the feed

• Now realize that if a pellet has lost its

attractability & nutrition, it will not likely be
eaten

• The key is to provide the right combination of

feed attraction and water stability

Adapted from Joe Fox, Texas A & M

 To summarise: facts about shrimp feeding habits & behavior

• Farmed shrimp are scavenging opportunistic feeders and in their natural

habitat feed 24-h per day (in the absence of predators)
• Farmed shrimp are able to harness food particles suspended in the water
column (includes phytoplankton, zooplankton, microbial flocs, organic
detritus etc) and food organisms living on the pond bottom (includes
plant & animal biota), in addition to pelleted feeds
• In contrast to fish, shrimp have poorly developed eyes and vision, and
consequently reply primarily on chemical attraction and stimulation to
locate and consume their food, including pelleted feeds
• As a result of this, pelleted feeds for shrimp generally have to remain in
water for prolonged periods of time (typically for several hours) prior to
being externally masticated and then consumed – one pellet at a time
Slow feeding habits of shrimp, and the necessity of shrimp
to masticate their feed externally prior to ingestion, and
consequent risk of nutrient loss through leaching
 Issues: feed manufacture & storage I/1

• Absence of capability within SICA/MSV feed plants for fine

grinding below 250 microns

• Absence of capability within SICA/MSV feed plants for

extended pre and/or post conditioning

• Absence of capability within SICA/MSV feed plants for top

coating shrimp pellets with lipids

• Poor water stability of SICA/MSV feeds as evident by rapid

loss of pellet integrity and structure on prolonged water
immersion

• Presence of large feed ingredient particle sizes within

Dietshrimp
SICA/MSV water feedsstability test

AquaSol, Inc.
AquaSol, Inc.
 Shrimp feed stability test: after 25 min.

25 % CP pellet – 2012 25% CP pellet – 2011

 Shrimp feed stability test: after 25 min.

25 % CP pellet – 2012 25% CP pellet – 2011

 Leaching of nutrients from
shrimp feed pellets

Eric De Muylder, Dieter De Vlaeminck & Benoit Hillion

VDS Crustocean Feeds
www.vds-afs.be
Exp.3 – selective leaching of the main feed components
Exp.4 – selective leaching of some amino acids
Exp.5 – selective leaching of some minerals
 Exp.6 – leaching of some raw materials (after 1 hour)

Ingredient leaching

Danish fish meal 8.93 %

Tuna meal 14.43 % Ingredient leaching
Shrimp 18.73 %
Wheat flour 14.06 %
head&shells
Flashdried 36.27 % High protein flour 21.10 %
shrimp meal Precooked flour 16.45 %
Squid liver 29.53 %
Wheat gluten 5.67 %
powder
Lack of data has been due to numerous factors, including:
slow feeding habits of shrimp, and the necessity of shrimp
to masticate their feed externally prior to ingestion, and
consequent risk of dietary nutrient loss through leaching
Leaching will be more rapid the smaller the
feed particle size and the higher the water
temperature - Llke using an expensive fertilizer

AquaSol, Inc.
Effect of processing on pellet stability &
leaching: conventional steam pelleting
João Manoel Cordeiro Alves - pers comm (Brazil)

Peletização
Temperatura: 70 a 85°C
Gelatinização do amido: 7 a 55%
Effect of processing on pellet stability &
leaching: extrusion steam pelleting
João Manoel Cordeiro Alves - pers comm (Brazil)

Extrusão
Temperatura: 110 a 180°C
Gelatinização do amido: alta (80% a 95%)
João Manoel Cordeiro Alves - pers comm (Brazil)

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12
Rações peletizadas após 30 minutos
de imersão em água salgada

Dra. Elizabeth Cruz, UANL. 13

João Manoel Cordeiro Alves - pers comm (Brazil)
 Extruded shrimp pellet

João Manoel
Cordeiro Alves
- pers comm
(Brazil)
João Manoel Cordeiro Alves - pers comm (Brazil)
 João Manoel Cordeiro Alves - pers comm (Brazil)

Extruded shrimp pellet

 João Manoel Cordeiro Alves - pers comm (Brazil)

Extruded shrimp pellet

Pelleted shrimp pellet Pelleted shrimp pellet

João Manoel Cordeiro Alves - pers comm (Brazil)

Pelleted shrimp pellet

João Manoel Cordeiro Alves - pers comm (Brazil)

Extruded shrimp pellet

João Manoel Cordeiro Alves - pers comm (Brazil)

Pelleted shrimp pellet

 Inclusion of extra nutrients in
shrimp feed

Eric De Muylder and Benoit Hillion

VDS Crustocean Feeds
www.vds-afs.be
VDS-Crustocean
Paanderstraat 40
B-8540 DEERLIJK
SHRIMP 2001 CHENNAI
Belgium

+32 56 719 168

www.crustocean.com
crustocean@vds-afs.be
 Introduction (1)

• Studies on the nutritional requirement of Penaeus

monodon show that addition of some nutrients above the
minimum requirement for growth can increase the
resistance of the shrimp to stress factors and diseases.
One typical example is vitamin C, but also HUFA,
Phospholipids, and astaxanthin.
• Stress can be caused by environmental factors such as
temperature and salinity variation, and by the presence of
pathogens
• These nutrients also interact with each other.
VDS-Crustocean
Paanderstraat 40
B-8540 DEERLIJK
Belgium

+32 56 719 168

www.crustocean.com
crustocean@vds-afs.be
 Introduction (2)

• It can be interesting to increase the content of such

nutrients in the feed
• It has become common practice to try to increase those
nutrients by coating them on the pellets
• This practice increases the cost of feeds, is labour
intensive, and the results are not always clear
• The coating of oil (up to 4%) to prevent leaching out of
nutrients can also affect the nutritional balance of the
feeds

VDS-Crustocean
Paanderstraat 40
B-8540 DEERLIJK
Belgium

+32 56 719 168

www.crustocean.com
crustocean@vds-afs.be
 Results (1) – effect on water stability &
leaching

nr Water sprayed on pellet Tuna oil added loss after 1 hour

1&2 No No 10.0 %
3 No 2% 1.5 %
4&6 Yes No 9.8 %
5&7 Yes 2% 2.0 %
8 Yes 4% 0.2 %

% leaching after 1 h
12

10 standard
8 sprayed with AA and water
6

2
VDS-Crustocean
Paanderstraat 40
B-8540 DEERLIJK
Belgium
0
+32 56 719 168
www.crustocean.com
0% 2% 4 % Tuna oil
crustocean@vds-afs.be
 Conclusions (1)

• Coating pellets with fish oil dramatically decreases the

leaching of material from the pellet.
• The fish oil coated on the outside does not leach into the
water (up to 2 %)
• The fish oil coated on the outside does not affect the
attractability to Prawns, not negatively neither positively

VDS-Crustocean
Paanderstraat 40
B-8540 DEERLIJK
Belgium

+32 56 719 168

www.crustocean.com
crustocean@vds-afs.be
 Conclusions (2)

• Ascorbic acid mixed with the other ingredients during the

processing in the feedmill is retained by 70 % after
submersion of the pellet in water, independently from its
incorporation level
• Ascorbic acid sprayed on the outside of the pellets is
retained by only 25-35 % after submersion of the pellet in
water, independently from its incorporation level
• Coating of fish oil does not seem to improve the
retention of ascorbic acid in the pellet.

VDS-Crustocean
Paanderstraat 40
B-8540 DEERLIJK
Belgium

+32 56 719 168

www.crustocean.com
crustocean@vds-afs.be
 Conclusions (3)

• Adding Ascorbic acid by spraying

is costly, not only in labor, but by its
inefficiency to supply the AA to the
prawns.
• It is better to work with a trusted
partner to produce shrimp feeds in
cooperation and/or according to
your requirements, rather than to
try to improve the feeds on the
farm.
VDS-Crustocean
Paanderstraat 40
B-8540 DEERLIJK
Belgium

+32 56 719 168

www.crustocean.com
crustocean@vds-afs.be
Philippines National Standard – Aquaculture Feeds
Questions, observations & discussion
 Trainer of Trainer (TOT) workshop outline

Day 1: (Registration: 0830; Presentations: 0900-1700; Break 1200-1330)

Training program & topics to be covered
- Objective of the workshop & introduction of participants
- Main factors affecting feed performance & importance of feed management
- Knowing your feed costs & importance of good record keeping
- Feed types, feed labels & importance of national feed legislation
- Feed transportation & on-farm feed storage
- Feed additives, top dressing feeds & potential feed biosecurity risks
- Feeding habits, nutrient leaching & importance of natural foods
- Feeding methods, feeding tables & choice of appropriate on-farm feeding method
- Importance of good pond & water management, including nutrient recycling

• Day 2: (Farm visits: 0800-1300; Group discussion: 1500-1700; Closing)

- Shrimp farm visits (2-3)
- Group discussion on observed on-farm shrimp feed management practices
- Closing & presentation of TOT training certificates
 Feed types & importance of natural foods in shrimp
nutrition & feeding

Wide range of different shrimp feed types used by shrimp farmers:

• Natural food organisms (wild/in-situ): the natural diet of the animal
• Natural food organisms (wild caught): Artemia, fish, shrimp, squid, clams, polychaetes
• Cultured natural food organisms: algae, rotifers, Artemia, polychaetes, microbial floc
• Farm-made shrimp feeds & supplementary feeds & additives, incl. C:N control,
• Commercial nutritionally complete pelleted shrimp feeds

Extensive Extensive

Semi-intensive Semi-intensive

Intensive Intensive
Importance of natural foods in shrimp nutrition & growth
(adapted from Nunes, 2009)
FEED TESTING LAB
 Shrimp have the unique ability to harness food and nutrient particles
suspended in the water column and through benthic foraging, in
addition to that provided through compound aquafeeds. In this respect
it is essential that we recognize the key nutritional role played by micro-
organisms in the nutrition and health of shrimp reared under natural,
green-water and zero-water-exchange culture conditions
In shrimp ponds, there is much more than shrimp &
feeds…

FEEDS FERTILIZERS

DPN
Water P
G
F Water IN
L Copepods Diatoms
DN
Amphipods
H M, E, D L
F F DN
DPN
Water OUT Bacteria H
F
Shrimp
Crab Bacteria
M, E, D F
PN
Polychaetes
PN U U S

Detritus Bacteria Detritus

Sediment S
A A
In ponds, natural food is one of the determinant
factors to shrimp performance (Nunes, 2009)
% Natural Food
Stocking
Species Density Growth Stage Stomach 13C Author(s)
P. monodon 4 pcs./m2 0.8 g – 15-35 g 100% --- Bombeo-Tuburan et al. (1993)
P. monodon 7 pcs./m2 0.35 g – 17.6 g 63.7% --- Focken et al. (1998)
P. monodon 8 pcs/m2 PL – 22 g 79% --- Moorthy and Altaff (2002)
P. subtilis 10 pcs./m2 1.6 – 14.6 g 75.1% 84.4% Nunes et al. (1997)
P. japonicus 10 pcs./m2 PL22 – 22 g 37-43% --- Reymond and Lagardere (1990)
P. vannamei 20 pcs./m2 1.5 g – 12 g --- 53-77% Anderson et al. (1987)

Triño and Sarroza (1995) and Moss et

1. Spares requirements for al. (2006): feed vitamins and minerals
minerals and vitamins were reduced with no cost to
performance of P. monodon and P.
2. Improves biological vannamei
performance
3. Promotes better growth Martinez-Cordova et al. (2002)
increased shrimp yield and reduced
FCR in fertilized ponds with P.
Martinez-Cordova et al. (2003) boosted stylirostris
P. vannamei growth by reducing protein
and lipid levels in diets
 Influential factors to the growth contribution of natural foods
STAGE
CULTURE SYSTEM  Post-larvae
Herbivorous  Juvenile
 Shrimp stocking density  Adult
 Soil characteristics Carnivorous
 Fertilization strategies Omnivorous

SPECIES
 Predominant feeding
behaviour and diet
Penaeus monodon

Litopenaeus vannamei

Source: Nunes (2009)

Pond natural food items
Detritus
 Much made up from dead vascular plant
material
 Faecal pellets bound together with
diatom particles and microbes (fungi,
bacteria and protozoans Bioflocs (microbial detritus) from an
 Nutritional value depends on the stage of experimental heterotrophic zero-water
exchange system at LABOMAR, Brazil
decomposition
 High levels of structural plant materials
(cellulose and lignin) results in poor
assimilation by shrimp
 Reported to be found in shrimp
proventriculus throughout all growth
stages (can make up 1/4 of all food
ingested)
 Ingested food by penaeids is difficult to
identify; often and erroneously classified
as detritus
Highly organic soil of a shrimp pond, possibly
containing high levels of detritus from
(after Nunes, 2009) vascular plants
Presence of organic matter, bacterial detritus and epiphytes will
favor meiofaunal abundance if oxygen is not depleted

(after Nunes, 2009)

Pond Natural Food: Plant
 Algae basis of the food web
 Typically identified as plant remains in
shrimp stomachs
 Potential sources include:
- Emergents: terrestrial plants, mangrove
- Submerged macrophytes (seagrass), seeds
- Algae: living forms and epiphytes
Soil sample from a shrimp pond colonized by algae
 Epiphytes: diatoms and blue-green
(cyanobacteria) are the major groups
 More often found in juvenile rather than
in adult penaids
 Important food source to many
meiofaunal organisms
 Appear to be a minor nutritional source to
some shrimp species

(after Nunes, 2009) Phytoplankton bloom in a shrimp pond

Shrimp usually move away from plant and
detritus as they grow

Day 40 - 41 Plant 3.90%

Day 10 - 11 Plant 8.60%
Prey 20.26%
Prey 14.40%

Minerals 4.92% Minerals 2.29%

Feed 4.79%
Feed 7.18%
Detritus 5.06%
Vacuity 45,80% Detritus 19.10%
Vacuity 63.70%

Day 20 - 21 Day 50 - 51 Plant 3.60%

Plant 3.42%
Prey 13.07%
Prey 13.67%
Minerals 2.27%
Minerals 3.09%
Feed 7.05%
Feed 5.36%
Detritus 4.44%
Detritus 15.55%
Vacuity 69.57%
Vacuity 58.91%
Source: Nunes et al. (1997)
 Pond soil is the major site for shrimp prey
 Meiobenthos = meiofauna
 Prey  Meiofauna = microscopically small, motile aquatic animals,
• Foraminiferans living mostly in and on soft substrates in all depths, in the
• Rotifers marine and freshwater environments
 Pass through the coarse sieve size of 500 µm, but retained
• Nematodes at 44 µm
• Polychaetes  Smaller than macrofauna, but large than microfauna
• Mollusks
• Amphipods
• Branchipods
• Cladocerans
• Copepods
• Insect larvae
• Fish remains

(after Nunes, 2009)

Polychaete Collection
 Rotifers Amphiods Nematodes

Ostracods Polychaetes Protozoa

Copepods Polychaetes

Photos: S.C. Marcelino and W.M.C. Lima (2004)

Cladocerans
Nutritional value
Chemical profile of some prey organims of Penaeus esculentus. Values presented
as dry matter basis. Adapted from Dall et al. (1991).

Nutrients Gastropods Bivalves Amphipods Polychaetes

Water (%) 33.6 56.8 74.3 79.9

Ash (%) 86.4 79.0 30.1 13.2
Protein (%) 10.1 14.0 56.8 71.5
Lipids (%) 1.6 2.2 8.8 9.6
Carbohydrate (%) 1.9 4.8 4.3 5.7

(after Nunes, 2009)

Importance of polychaetes
 Ofern dominate the meiobenthic
fauna in shrimp ponds,
accounting for more than 50% of
all meiofauna
 Pond soils may harbor more than
50,000 polychaetes/m2
 The families capitellids, spionids
and nereids have all been
reported in the stomachs of
penaeid shrimp
 Opportunistic and r-strategistic
animals
 Under strong predation effect
may spawn within 5 to 10 weeks (after Nunes, 2009)
after shrimp stocking
Polychaetes have a high capacity to recolonize

12.09 g
200

180 Polychaetes/m2 (x 100)

160

140

120 3.95 g
Station 1 Station 2 Station 3 Station 4
100

80

60

40

20

0
10 20 30 40 50
Days of Culture
Source: Nunes, 1995
 COMPLEX
SEDIMENTARY grain size
porosity permeability water flow water supply
composition
CHEMICAL
OMPLEX
PHYSICO-

H2S O2 pH To S‰ H2O
content

MEIOFAUNA
structure and distribution
Source: Giere, 2009
BIOGENIC
COMPLEX

biogenic dissolved
organic bio-
structures turbation
matter
food predation
mucus disturbance
particulate
production
organic
matter,
biofilms detritus
COMPLEX
SBIOTIC

bacteria phytobenthos macro-zoobenthos

Availability of prey items decrease at higher
stocking densities
1,300 Penaeus monodon
Number/m2

5 shrimp/m2
1,250
15 shrimp/m2
400
25 shrimp/m2
350
40 shrimp/m2
300

250

200

150

100

50

0
Polychaetes Nematodes Bivalves Insect Remains Algae

Reduction in the presence of the natural food organisms in the stomachs of Penaeus monodon in
Australia as a function of shrimp stocking density (Allan and Maguire, 1992)
Availability of natural food
decreases at higher stocking
densities
14,000 WITH feed delivery
Polychaete Density (no./m2)

12,000 n = 109 Penaeus subtilis

a
10,000
n = 109
8,000 a n = 109
b
6,000

4,000
n = 108 b
2,000

0
5 10 15 20
Shrimp/m2
Effect of stocking density of Penaeus subtilis on the abundance of polychaetes in the pond
bottom in Brazil (Nunes and Parsons, 2000).
Natural foods is not Penaeus subtilis
sustainable when feeds are
not delivered
14,000
Polychaete Density (no./m2)

12,000 WITHOUT feed delivery

10,000

8,000

6,000 n = 109
n = 109 a n = 109 n = 109
a a
4,000 a
2,000

0
5 10 15 20
Shrimp/m2
Effect of stocking density of Penaeus subtilis on the abundance of polychaetes in the pond bottom
in Brazil (Nunes and Parsons, 2000).
 Delivery of feeds promotes polychaete growth
90 3.5
n = 72

Dry Polych. Biomass (g/m2)

80 a
3.0
n = 72 n = 72
70
Polych. Dens. (no./m2) x 102

2.5
60
a, b b
50 N = 72 n = 72 2.0
B
40 1.5
c
30 N = 71
N = 54 1.0
A
20 A N = 72
A 0.5
10
0 0.0
Feed+ No Feed+ No Feed+ Feed+
No Shrimp No shrimp Shrimp Shrimp
 Natural food can sustain good shrimp growth for the
first four weeks of culture
80
WGT (g) SUR (%) YIE (kg/ha)
0 h/day 14.66 a 43.21 a 1,243 a
6 h/day 15.87 b 53.64 ab 1,652 ab
Number of macrobenthos/m2

60
12 h/day 13.94 a 60.60 b 1,687 b
24 h/day 14.76 a 61.61 b 1,813 b
40

20

0
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17

Weeks of grow-out

Abudance of macrobenthos in the soil of 200 m2 ponds stocked with P.

vannamei at 30 PL/m2 (Source: Martinez-Cordova et al., 1998). Aeration
was supplied by 25-mm perforated PVC tubes.
 Recommendations – natural foods

 More reliable in the first weeks of grow-out

 Allow ponds to mature as much as possible between
crops
 Avoid soil to deteriorate over production cycles
 Keep good water transparencies between 30-40 cm
 Fine-tune shrimp feed requirements to the farm’s
pond natural food availability (protein, vitamins,
minerals)

(after Nunes, 2009)

Contribution of natural foods - Ojai shrimp farm - Mexico
 Ojai shrimp farm - Mexico
Monitoring gut contents and other indicators over the daily feeding cycle: Ojai/Mexico (2012)
MONITOREO DE TRACTOS INTESTINALES POR HORA
o
Fecha: 1-Jun Fase Luna Llena Temp AM 24.5 Temp PM 27.3

ESTANQUE 4 Peso Prom: 7.2

HORA 7:00 8:00 9:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00 24:00:00 1:00 2:00
AL. NATURAL 3% 1% 1% 3% 1% 1% 1% 4% 3% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 3% 1% 1%
FONDO 12% 18% 22% 22% 39% 18% 4% 8% 7% 10% 12% 2% 6% 25% 85% 90% 93%
AL. BALANCEADO 80% 90% 80% 75% 60% 80% 92% 86% 90% 88% 85% 96% 92% 75% 11% 8% 3%
% DE LLENOS 90% 80% 90% 100% 90% 100% 100% 90% 100% 100% 100% 100% 90% 100% 90% 100% 95%
Lipidos 4.0 3.9 3.9 4.0 3.9 3.9 4.0 4.0 3.9 4.0 3.8 4.0 3.9 3.9 3.9 4.0 3.9

100%

80%
AL. NATURAL
FONDO
60%

AL. BALANCEADO 40%

% DE LLENOS
20%

0%

100%
80%

AL. NATURAL 60%

FONDO 40%
AL. BALANCEADO
20%
% DE LLENOS
0%
 Possibly little effect if vertical surface
area per m2 is not large enough

(after Nunes, 2009)

Vertical substrates will promote the growth of algal communities
50% increase in bottom surface area
 R/6

minimal water exchange – floc-based culture

systems – we wil discuss these laterZero/

AquaSol, Inc.
Ingested Diatoms
diatom

ciliate

Enteromorpha
food pellet
Unidentified free-swimming protozoa

25 

25 

WAS2001-1
Hypotrichidae : Omnivorous crawling protozoa

25 

WAS2001-1
Vaginicola sp. : Omnivorous protozoa, attached to floc

25 

WAS2001-1
Acineta sp. : Predator protozoa, attached to floc

25 

WAS2001-1
Nematodes were not observed in
tanks stocked at 100 shrimp/m2

50 

WAS2001-1
Microbial Floc - % or mg/kg DM

Suspended matter (mg/l) 87.3-200.8 156.5

(87-200g/m3 or 870-2000 kg/ha)

Moisture: 5.9-7.3% (mean 6.6%)

Crude protein: 29.2-34.3% (mean 31.2%)
Crude lipid: 0.5-0.7 % (mean 0.6%)
Ash: 25.5-31.8 % (mean 28.2%)
Gross energy: 10.3-12.8 MJ/kg (mean 12.0 MJ/kg)
Cholesterol: 468-493 mg/kg (mean 480 mg/kg)
Historically one of the most important factors for shrimp
production.

 Essential for large, extensive and semi-intensive farms. Extensive

farms are productive and prosper due to fertilization regimens,
water exchange programs and low cost management strategies
 Tom James – pers. com.

 Healthy shrimp are always feeding:

 Shrimp intestines from recently fed pond dissimilar to

shrimp intestine from same pond few hours after
feeding.

 Rich, nutrient loaded detritus, allows for underfeeding

with no growth loss.

 Higher degree of precision required in sterile, inert,

sandy or lined bottoms. Symptoms of under feeding
include:
 Low growth rate
 Cannibalism
 Size disparity
 High FCR
 Tom James – pers. com.

• Natural Productivity Is Increasingly Important

In Intensive Systems
BIO FLOC
 Detritus
 Zooplankton
 Algae
Questions, observations & discussion