production

Plankton Communities In Shrimp

Monoculture, Integrated Biofloc System
Dr. Alfredo Olivera Gálvez
Departamento de Pesca e Aquicultura
Universidade Federal Rural
de Pernambuco
Rua Dom Manoel de Medeiros,
s/n Dois Irmãos
CEP: 52171-900
Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
alfredo_oliv@yahoo.com
Clarissa Vilela Figueiredo
da Silva Campos
Ítala Gabriela Sobral dos Santos
Yllana Ferreira Marinho
Departamento de Pesca e Aquicultura
Universidade Federal Rural
de Pernambuco
Dr. Luis Vinatea
Departamento de Aquicultura
Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina
Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Luis Otavio Brito
Departamento de Assistência
Técnica e Extensão Rural
Instituto Agronômico de Pernambuco
Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil

Recife, Brazil, to assess the plankton com-

A variety of microalgae species were identified, including Bacillaria (A), Chaetoceros munity in an integrated biofloc system
(B), Nitzschia (C, Heterokontophyta), Aphanothece (D), Oscillatoria (E, Cyanobacteria) with Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus
and Gymnodinium (F, Dinophyta). vannamei, and red algae, Gracilaria birdiae.

Study Setup
Once a week over seven weeks, phy-
Summary: toplankton were sampled in three tanks
The authors performed a study to assess the plankton community in an inte- with monoculture of shrimp and nine
grated biofloc system with Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, and tanks with integrated biofloc systems
red algae, Gracilaria birdiae. Once a week over seven weeks, phytoplankton containing L. vannamei and Gracilaria
were sampled in three tanks with monoculture of shrimp and nine tanks with algae with wet weights of 2.5, 5.0 and 7.5
integrated biofloc systems containing shrimp and algae. Shrimp survival was units/m3.
above 89% during the experiment. Feed conversion and final shrimp weight Five days prior to stocking the shrimp
were better for the biofloc system than the monoculture system. and seaweed, water from a matrix tank
(total ammonia nitrogen level at 0.2
mg/L, nitrite nitrogen at 0.3 mg/L,
In intensive shrimp culture systems, been proposed to promote the reduction nitrate nitrogen at 2.2 mg/L, alkalinity
the microbial community of bacteria, of wastes as well as cyanobacteria and 133.9 mg calcium carbonate/L and total
algae, zooplankton and other microor- other harmful species due to competition suspended solids at 133.6 mg/L) was
ganisms plays important roles in nutrient for nutrients during the photosynthetic mixed and equally distributed to fill 12,
cycling, providing nutritional compounds processes of the seaweed. The authors per- 40-L black-plastic tanks to approximately
such as fatty acids that are essential to the formed a study at the Sustainable Maricul- 25% of the volume. The remaining 75%
survival and growth of shrimp. ture Laboratory of the Fisheries and of the tanks was filled with seawater.
Traditional systems that integrate the Aquaculture Department of the Rural No water exchange was carried out
production of shrimp and seaweeds have Federal University at Pernambuco in during the experimental period, except for
24 May/June 2015 global aquaculture advocate
 1.0
Exchange (mg oxygen/L/hour)

0.8

0.6
Figure 1. Photosyn-
0.4 thesis and respira-
0.2 tion levels in the
water column
0 of monoculture
Gross Photosynthesis Respiration and integrated
-0.2 biofloc systems
0.4 during a 42-day
experiment.
0.6 Net Photosynthesis

the addition of dechlorinated freshwater to a 40-fold more concentrated sample. The

compensate for evaporation losses. The phytoplankton was fixed with formalin,
light intensity was kept at about 1,000 lux buffered with borax and stored in 10-mL
using a fluorescent lamp with a natural plastic containers.
photoperiod. Molasses (40% organic car-
bon) was added once a day as a carbon Results
source to maintain the carbon:nitrogen The shrimp survival rates were all
ratio at 12:1. Hydrated lime was used to above 89% during the 42-day experimen-
maintain alkalinity and pH above 100 tal period. The 1.29 average feed-conver-
mg/L and 7.5, respectively. sion ratio (FCR) and 4.0-g final weight
of the shrimp in the integrated biofloc
Stocking, Sampling systems were significantly higher (P < 0.05)
The experimental units were stocked than the 1.74 FCR and 3.12-g weight in
with shrimp of 0.34 ± 0.01 g initial weight the control group.
at a density of 500 shrimp/m3. The shrimp The mean gross photosynthesis (0.362-
were fed daily at 8 a.m., noon and 4 p.m. 0.437 mg oxygen L/hour), net photosyn-
with a 40%-protein commercial shrimp thesis (-0.223-0.281 mg oxygen L/hour)
feed, adjusted in volume daily according to and respiration (0.416-0.544 mg oxygen L/
the estimated shrimp consumption, mor- hour) in monoculture and integrated bio-
tality rate and leftover feed. floc system are shown in Figure 1. The
Samples of G. birdiae biomass were col- gross photosynthesis and respiration posi-
lected at the Pau Amarelo beach in Per- tive values and the negative net photosyn-
nambuco, Brazil, and stored in plastic bags thesis observed were similar to the results in
for laboratory analysis. Water was drained biofloc systems predominantly associated
from all the samples, and weighed after the with heterotrophic microorganisms.
material was carefully inspected to eliminate About 61 genera of phytoplankton
encrusted organisms. Seaweed with repro- belonging to the Heterokontophyta phy-
ductive structures, signs of depigmentation lum were identified. Their densities were
and necrosis was discarded. about 30,000 cells/mL in both treatments.
The seaweed was cultivated in rectan- Cyanobacteria were the most abundant
gular (20.0 x 6.5 x 2.2 cm) polyvinyl chlo- organisms, followed by Chlorophyta,
ride modules placed horizontally in tanks. Heterokontophyta, Euglenophyta and
The rectangular modules also were used Dinophyta (Figure 2). However, cyano-
in control tanks without seaweed. bacteria predominance in integrated bio-
Water column respiration and photo- floc system was less than in the monocul-
synthesis were recorded on weekends ture system. This may be attributed to the
during the experiment. Gross and net increase of organic matter and phosphate
photosynthesis and water column respira- in the water, and the competitive advan-
tion were measured by the classic dark tages of these cyanobacteria over other
and light bottle method. Initial and final plankton groups. Therefore, control of the
oxygen concentrations were measured cyanobacteria had been evaluated in a bio-
with an oxygen meter. floc system with additional diatoms.
Once a week, vertical sampling was About 13 genera of zooplankton
performed using 600-mL plastic bottles belonging to the Rotifera phylum and the
for phytoplankton collection. The water Copepoda, Protozoa and Cladocera
was filtered through a cylindrical-conical groups were identified. Their densities
net with 15-μ mesh to 15 mL, providing were about 1,700/L in both treatments.
global aquaculture advocate May/June 2015 25
 Integrated adaptation of these organisms to higher
Monoculture Biofloc System levels of nutrients and solids. Similar
0.07% 0.03%
0.14% 0.02% results were reported for biofloc or zero-/
Cyanobacteria minimal-water-exchange systems.
1.45% 15.15%
20.01% Heterokontophyta
1.99%
Chlorophyta
Perspectives
83.36%
77.97% In the integrated biofloc system, it
Euglenophyta seems plankton communities shifted,
Dinophyta with decreased amounts of cyanobacteria
and increased Heterokontophyta and
Chlorophyta. On the other hand, there
Figure 2. Relative abundance of phytoplankton in monoculture and integrated biofloc
systems during a 42-day experiment. were fewer Protozoa and increased roti-
fers and Cladocera. This exchange proba-
Integrated bly improved the levels of protein and
Monoculture Biofloc System polyunsaturated fatty acids in the biofloc,
which contributed to better shrimp
13.52%
18.04% Protozoan growth in the integrated system.
39.94% 8.05% 43.10% 10.16% Cladocera These results suggested additional
33.98%
Copepoda research should be undertaken to evaluate
33.21%
Rotifera the biochemical and digestibility attri-
butes of the biofloc.
Figure 3. Relative abundance of zooplankton in monoculture and integrated biofloc systems
during a 42-day experiment. Rotifers were the most
abundant zooplankton in
Rotifers were the most abundant zoo- zooplankton community, probably due to the biofloc tanks, followed
plankton in the biofloc tanks, followed by
copepods, protozoans and cladocerans
increased availability of organic matter.
The Rotifera density of 700-790/L,
by copepods, protozoans
(Figure 3). The addition of organic carbon which was higher than in the other zoo- and cladocerans.
in shrimp tanks favored the growth of the plankton groups, probably related to the

26 May/June 2015 global aquaculture advocate