Farming of Peneaus vannamei in Biofloc System: A Participatory Farmer Experiment

Farming of Vannamei in Biofloc System

Abstract

Marketing is one of the major issues faced by finfish farmers, involved in farming in artificial tanks, whereas there is a well established market for shrimps. In this context, an on-farm experiment of rearing high-value white-leg shrimp (Peneaus vannamei) was conducted. However, the study identified that P. vannamei farming using reconstituted saline water in biofloc systems faces many issues and high mortality rates. The production of shrimp was 5.1 kg/m³ with sizes ranging from 10 gm to 24 gm. It was noticed that molting of the animals leaves behind moult shells that lead to the blockage of drains and thereby affect functioning of filters. Mass mortality observed in most demonstrations was mainly due to the accumulation of hydrogen sulfide, oxygen depletion, and incidence of black spot disease. The study concludes that rearing of P. vannamei in artificial tanks by biofloc system farming requires close monitoring, technical skill, adequate water availability, well-maintained drainage facilities, uninterrupted power supply and quality feed.