Elsevier

Aquaculture

Volume 207, Issues 1–2, 30 April 2002, Pages 125-136
Aquaculture

The effect of feeding frequency on water quality and growth of the black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon)

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0044-8486(01)00757-8Get rights and content

Abstract

The feeding strategy used in the commercial culture of shrimp can have a significant impact on pond water quality and hence growth, health and survival of the shrimp, as well as the efficiency of feed utilization. These factors contribute to the profitability of production and to the environmental impact of shrimp farming. The effect of four different feeding frequencies (3, 4, 5 and 6 feedings day−1) on the growth and survival of the black tiger shrimp, Penaeus monodon, and water quality was studied in an 8-week growth trial. The shrimp were held in 20×2500-l outdoor tanks containing water and sediment from a shrimp pond. The water management and aeration strategies were designed to simulate a shrimp pond system. The shrimp (initial weight of 5.6 g) were stocked at a density of 25 animals m−2 and fed a widely used, commercial pelleted feed, with all the feed being placed on feeding trays. The uneaten feed on the feeding trays was removed at specific time intervals so that in all treatments, the shrimp had access to the feed for 12 h day−1. There were no significant (P>0.05) differences due to feeding frequency on growth rate (1.4±0.08 g week−1), feed conversion ratio (FCR) (2.0±0.27) or survival (84±7.6%) of shrimp. Similarly, the water quality parameters (total N, ammonium, nitrate/nitrite, dissolved organic nitrogen, total phosphorus, phosphate, chlorophyll a, oxygen, pH, temperature, salinity, turbidity) were not different among treatments. The results suggest that there is no benefit from feeding P. monodon more frequently than 3 times day−1 when using a feed that is nutritionally adequate and has high water stability. Therefore, it may be possible to reduce feeding frequency in commercial shrimp ponds without adversely affecting water quality, shrimp growth rate and survival, thereby improving farm profitability.

Introduction

The costs of formulated feed and labor associated with feeding are a major component of the cost of cultured shrimp production (Lawrence and Lee, 1997). Optimizing the feeding strategy is a prime consideration in intensive shrimp pond management, and involves nutrition, processing and feed management. It is well established that the nutrient content of the feed will influence growth, survival and the amount of metabolic and excreted waste products entering the system. However, processing also plays a critical role as it influences stability of the feed and hence availability of the feed over time. These factors have a substantial effect on the amount of waste produced through pellet fragmentation, leaching loss, residual feed and undigested material. Feeding strategies have also been found to influence water quality and shrimp health Jory, 1995, Burford and Williams, 2001. Cuzon et al. (1982) found that the time of feeding was very important to ensure rapid consumption of the feed by shrimp, thereby minimizing the loss of nutrients and resulting in an improvement in growth rate. In addition, Tacon (1996) recommended that feeding studies be carried out under conditions that are close to, or simulate commercial production conditions to ensure the relevance of the results to the shrimp farming industry.

The shrimp farming industry is facing increasing pressure to lower its environmental impact (Naylor et al., 1998). A major concern is the discharge of nutrients from shrimp farms into coastal waters, with the potential to contribute to increased algal blooms, oxygen depletion of bottom waters and reduced biodiversity. Most of the nutrients discharged from intensive shrimp farms originate from the formulated feed (Funge-Smith and Briggs, 1998). Therefore, efforts to improve feeding strategies must focus on both optimizing production and minimizing waste.

Penaeus monodon is the most widely cultured species in southeast Asia where, during the grow-out phase, it is typically fed 5 or 6 times day-1 (Jory, 1995). However, there have been very few studies reported in the scientific literature on the effects of different feeding frequencies with this species Jory, 1995, Josekutty and Jose, 1996. Robertson et al. (1993) reported that the growth rate of P. vannamei [=Litopenaeus vannamei], held in pens in an earthen pond, increased progressively as the feeding frequency increased from 1 to 4 times day−1. However, Velasco et al. (1999), using an indoor culture system, found that feeding L. vannamei more often than once per day did not significantly increase the growth rate of the shrimp. They also found that the inorganic nitrogen (N) concentration in the culture water was similar across treatments. We found limited information on the impact of feeding frequency on water quality and growth of P. monodon juveniles.

Our hypothesis was that more frequent feeding would result in higher nutrient intake and hence higher growth rates of the shrimp. The objective of this study was to quantify the effect of feeding frequencies between 3 and 6 times day−1 on both shrimp growth and survival, as well as water and substrate quality, in tanks designed to simulate pond conditions.

Section snippets

Experimental design and maintenance

The experiment comprised an 8-week growth assay with four treatments: feeding frequencies of 3, 4, 5 and 6 feedings evenly spaced over a 24-h period. A balanced block design was used with five blocks each containing four randomly allocated treatment tanks. The blocked design was used to statistically determine the effect of tank position, and temporal effects resulting from a staggered start of the experiment (see below).

The experiment was conducted in 20 circular outdoor tanks (2500 l) that

Results

The feed pellets retained their cohesion after 4 h of immersion in water and shrimp were regularly observed feeding on them at this stage. There was a 12% loss of DM after 4 h of immersion. Total N loss from the feed into the water was initially rapid with about 15% of the N in the diet being lost over the first 2 h (Fig. 1). Thereafter, the leaching rate was much slower with only 2% of the N in the feed being lost over the following 4 h.

The mean water temperatures for all tanks were 25.1±0.5

Discussion

These results are contrary to our hypothesis that shrimp would grow faster if they were offered a commercial shrimp diet more frequently. We found that shrimp on all treatments grew at the same rate. Furthermore, none of the other parameters associated with growth and production showed any difference among treatments. The initial and final mean weight of shrimp, survival, final biomass, apparent feed intake and FCR were the same for all treatments. The growth rate of the shrimp was slightly

Acknowledgments

We wish to thank Noel Herbst from Gold Coast Marine Prawn Farm, Doug Pearson from ProAqua for their input into the planning of this study and constructive criticism of the manuscript. Ian Williams, Kevin Williams and Peter Rothlisberg also provided constructive comments on the manuscript. We thank Gold Coast Marine Prawn Farm for providing the shrimp used in the experiment, Elwyn Truloff of Truloff Prawn Farm for assistance in the logistics of setting up the experiment, Margaret Barclay and

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