Performance of Litopenaeus vannamei in a biofloc shrimp culture system

Abstract:

Biofloc technology (BFT) offers a practical way to reduce water exchange, improve feed use, and lower disease risk in shrimp farming. We tested this system for Litopenaeus vannamei over a 90-day grow-out cycle in Andhra Pradesh, India. Three 100 m³ circular tanks were stocked with 250 postlarvae per m² (initial weight 0.022 g). Molasses was added daily to maintain a C:N=15:1. Shrimp reached 18.6 g final weight (ADG 0.206 g day⁻¹, SGR 7.3 % day⁻¹) with 87.2 % survival and 5.1 kg m⁻³ biomass. Water quality stayed within safe limits—TAN averaged 0.33 mg L⁻¹, nitrite 0.12 mg L⁻¹, and TSS 290 mg L⁻¹—without any water exchange. Feed conversion ratio was 1.26, significantly lower than the 1.8 reported for conventional ponds (p = 0.004). Benefit-cost ratio ranged from 2.96 to 4.77 depending on cost assumptions. The system proved environmentally cleaner, technically sound, and economically attractive for small-scale Indian farmers.