Effects of Different Temperatures on the Growth and Food Consumption of Pacific White Shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei in the Biofloc System
Author: Italo Jesus Marchetti (Currículo Lattes)
Advisor: Dr Geraldo Kipper Fóes
Abstract
With the growth and intensification of shrimp farming, there is increasing concern about rising feed prices in the market, which account for approximately 60% of total production costs. Consequently, there is a need to improve feed management, which is closely related to system balance, especially in the Biofloc Technology (BFT) system, which is more balanced, biosafe, and potentially more profitable due to its greater efficiency. Therefore, this study aimed to enhance knowledge about the influence of temperature on feed management (feed/diet quantity) to be offered to Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) cultivated in bioflocs. A 72-day study was conducted with five experimental treatments divided by temperatures: 20 °C, 23 °C, 26 °C, 29 °C, and 32 °C, each with three replicates. The shrimp used had an initial weight of 1.20 g with a density of 300 individuals per m³ in a BFT system. Feeding occurred twice daily at 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., with leftover feed collected, dried, and weighed before each new feeding. Simultaneously, tests were performed to identify feed leaching percentages based on cultivation temperatures by exposing 1.0 g of feed in triplicate to the cultivation water for two, four, and eight hours. Data analysis showed lower growth at 20 °C, with a gradual increase up to 29 °C, followed by a decrease at 32 °C. Based on the data obtained, formulas were developed to calculate the amount of feed to be offered at different temperatures.