Abstract
This internship project focused on the culture of pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei, specifically shrimp performance within two types of production systems: clear water RAS (CW) and biofloc technology (BFT). These two approaches were examined due to their congruent characteristics enabling the production of high densities of shrimp within biologically secure and minimal-exchange systems. The clear water RAS system is defined as a method in which water is cycled through multiple filter types, and then is returned and reused in the system. In contrast, the biofloc system employs the use of a dense microbial community within the system to maintain water quality. The biofloc particles contain an array of nitrogen assimilating organisms that may inhibit or subdue the production of pathogens, supplement shrimp nutrition, and control water quality by cycling nutrients. The study used six 360-gallon fiberglass tanks within a climate controlled greenhouse There were three replicate tanks of each of the two different system types. Shrimp performance was interpreted by calculating growth and FCR. Water quality parameters were measured weekly to help compare the performance of the two system types. The study also analyzed stable isotope levels from the shrimp, biofloc, and prepared feeds. These samples allowed us to compare the unique nutritional contributions from the feeds and the biofloc particles. Currently, the study has found that the growth values were higher in the clear water systems. The isotope samples are currently being analyzed, but will provide great insight towards the nutritional value of biofloc in comparison to the prepared feeds.