Marcos de Souza de Almeida (2012) Effect of total suspended solids on water quality and zootechnical performance of Litopenaeus vannamei shrimp in BFT system

Effect of total suspended solids on water quality and zootechnical performance of Litopenaeus vannamei shrimp in BFT system

Author: Marcos de Souza de Almeida (Currículo Lattes)
Supervisor: Dr Wilson Francisco Britto Wasielesky Junior
Co-supervisor: Dr Luis Henrique da Silva Poersch

Abstract

Conventional shrimp farming is characterized by the need for constant renewal of large volumes of water and the discharge of effluent, rich in nutrients, into the environment in order to maintain production systems with acceptable water quality. The discharge of effluent from shrimp farming in adjacent ecosystems can contribute to the degradation of the natural environment and the spread of diseases, being an obstacle to the sustainable development of the activity. In this context, in the last decades new technologies have been developed and improved aiming at increasing productivity, reducing costs and, mainly, improving the use of water and reducing the discharge of effluent in the environment. Cultivation in heterotrophic medium, also known as BFT - Biofloc Technology - has shown excellent results in terms of biosafety, productivity and management of water resources. The control of the levels of total suspended solids in the production system can contribute to maintaining water quality and improving the management of water resources, which is an important advance in favor of an environmentally friendly and sustainable shrimp culture. Thus, the main objective of this study was to identify the contribution of different concentrations of total suspended solids in improving the quality of water in the cultivation of white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei in systems with bioflocs. From the results obtained in the present study,it can be suggested to maintain average levels of total suspended solids (TSS) between 300 and 450 mg L-1 in order to obtain better parameters of water quality and zootechnical indexes.

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