Practical considerations for

formulating shrimp feeds

Dean M Akiyama
akiyamadm@gmail.com
q Global aquafeed production was estimated at
52.9 MMT
q Asia produced 38 MMT which is 72% of total
global production.
q China produced 21 MMT of which 65% was for
carps.
q Aquafeed production be species
q Carps 15 MMT
q Tilapia 12 MMT
q Shrimp 9 MMT
q Catfish 9 MMT
q Salmon 4 MMT
VCA assesses the amount of variation in a
parameter (pond production) that is affected by
other variables (farm management, water quality
and, feed). The analysis estimates the amount of
variation contributed by each variable.
¨ Harvested pond from 2011–2014; 32,000
ponds.
¨ 0.25 ha plastic lined ponds with 30 Hp/ha
aeration.
¨ Season component was combination of month
stocked (weather) and feed formula. Exact
date of new formula into ponds is unknown but
feeds were generally reformulated monthly.
 Variance
Biomass MBW SR FCR
Component

Month/Feed 15 22 16 10

PL Quality 19 23 24 15

Pond
66 55 60 75
Management

Full integration system with QA checks on Feed and PL

before release. Thus, quality of feed and PL are more stable
than open market.
¨ Dedicated Farm Management: 50-70%

¨ Consistent Quality Feeds: 15-25%

¨ Consistent Quality PLs: 15-25%

Open Market farming system estimate

 Motivation and dedication of farm staff.

It is critical that all staff are implementing

& completing assignments correctly and
immediately when required.
 Because of the high
variation in outdoor shrimp
pond production, it is
difficult to measure the
true value of feed quality,
seed quality and/or pond
additives benefits.

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Shrimp Feed & Consistency

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q Shrimp feed formulations are least cost given:
¡ Area raw material availability and cost
¡ Market required feed specifications and
nutrient restrictions
¡ Feed processing constraints
¡ Formulation cost is critical given a specified
feed quality standard
q Feed quality comparison between top
companies are similar; 10-15% difference.
 Vannamei Monodon
Protein min 30-35% 36-40%
Fat min 5-7% 6-8%
Fiber Max 4% 3%
Ash Max 15% 20%
Moisture Max 12% 12%
 Vannamei/Monodon
Lysine 5.3-5.8% (% of protein)
Methionine 2.2-2.4% (% of protein)
Arginine 5.3-5.8% (% of protein)
Threonine 3.5-3.8% (% of protein)
DHA 0.4%
EPA 0.4%
Phospholipids 1.5%
Phosphorous avail 0.5-0.6%
Potassium avail 0.75%
q Current shrimp feed quality standards exceed
the production facilities (outdoor ponds) and
farmer capability (farm management).
q No major innovations for shrimp feed, nutritional
standards fairly consistent.
q Industry focused on disease issues and genetic
improvements.
There are many biological and
farm technology constraints
that greatly affect nutrient
requirements in shrimp feeds.
q Shrimp metabolism (growth) is regulated by external
water temperature.
q Morning and afternoon temperatures will vary due to
regional differences and weather: wind, rain, clouds.
q The level of aeration/mixing affects the water
temperature between the top layer and bottom layer.
q Every 1 C is 8-10% difference in growth; 30 C will have
15% faster growth than 28 C. Shrimp growing 15%
faster requires higher daily nutrient intake.
q Shrimp are osmotic balanced at 25 ppt.
q Shrimp are cultured at salinity levels of 2-35 ppt.
q Salinity levels are difficult to control at farm level.
q The water salinity level will affect nutrient availability
and feed consumption. Above or below 25 ppt,
digestibility of nutrients will be reduced. The lower
digestibility will require higher daily nutrient intake.
q Shrimp are currently bred for maximum growth
performance. Growth is animal STRESS!
q Water quality parameters should be stabile requiring
less energy for animal maintenance (DO, pH, salinity,
transparency).
q Most critical is DO. Low DO levels reduce activity
and metabolism. Shrimp may not die but are not
growing at maximum levels. DO levels should be
maintained above 6.0 ppm.
q Higher water DO levels require higher daily nutrient
intake.
q The fastest growth and lowest FCR have different daily
nutrient intake. Quantity consumed, not quantity fed.
q The daily nutrient intake for lowest FCR is about 85% of
the daily nutrient intake for fastest growth.
q Which has greater economic value?
¡ Pond utilization rate, faster growth
¡ 15% more time for same harvest size, slower growth
¡ Northern Asia vs Southern Asia
q The FCR will be greatly affected with proper feed
management and feed consumption levels and partly
due to feed quality.
There is no fixed daily
nutrient requirement for
shrimp given the current
outdoor pond culture
conditions. Shrimp need
more, shrimp eat more.

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q Protein and fat are not required nutrients
in animal feeds. All animals require Amino
acids: LYS, MET, ARG, etc…, Fatty acids:
DHA, EPA, etc…, energy, as well as other
required essential nutrients.
q Maximum palatability and feed
consumption are essential regardless of
the environmental conditions and animal
health status.
q Proper feed processing is critical. Shrimp
require water stable feeds of the proper
size.
q Feed mix homogeneity is critical. A 20g
shrimp will eat only 0.35g of feed per day.
This feed quantity should have all of the
daily required essential nutrients.
q As we cannot control daily nutrient intake
by shrimp from feeds, the feeds should be
nutrient balanced, highly palatable and
digestible, and with lower total nitrogen
and phosphorous to better maintain the
pond water quality.
q Theoretically, lower nutrient dense feeds
will have higher FCR if properly managed.
q It is more difficult and more expensive to
make a lower protein feed with the same
amount of available EAA and available
phosphorous as compared to a higher
protein feed with higher total
phosphorous.
Nutrition DDGS HiPro
Protein min 27 50-52
Fat min 7 4-8
Fiber Max 6 5-8
Ash Max 5 2-4

Mycotoxin Max 15 ppb 10 ppb

Aflatoxin, DOM (Vomitoxin) and Fumonisin
 DDGS SBM FiM
¨ LYS 3.4 6.4 7.7
¨ ARG 3.6 7.6 5.8
¨ MET 2.1 1.4 3.0
¨ THR 3.8 3.9 4.2
¨ P 1.3 0.6 2.5
¨ K 1.7 2.1 0.7
¨ Mg 0.6 0.3 0.3

NRC Warmwater fish 1983

 Apparent Digestibility of Nutrients

ADC, % DDGS 1 DDGS 2 Soybean Meal Wheat Flour

Crude Protein 89 89 85 88

Arginine 87 89 89 88
Lysine 91 91 93 85
Threonine 82 82 87 82

APOTEC, USGC Final report, 2022

 It is very critical to base
decisions from “reliable”
data and not just talking
and/or rumors. Wrong
directional decisions can be
extremely costly.
 We must always strive to
improve technical
efficiencies and the reduce
the cost of production. This
is a never ending process.

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Thank You

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