There are several practical and easy ways to grow plankton in shrimp ponds. Plankton is an important component during vannamei shrimp cultivation because of its many benefits for shrimp survival.
Naturally, vannamei shrimp ponds contain a lot of plankton. These organisms play an essential role in pond ecology and affect water quality. However, under certain conditions, plankton can also bring problems in cultivation.
Plankton is very diverse, some of which can grow in almost any type of water. However, some are only able to grow in certain environmental conditions. Here’s how to grow plankton in shrimp ponds practically and efficiently.
Also Read: Partial Harvest of Vannamei Shrimp and Its Benefits to Increase Profits
How to Grow Plankton in Shrimp Ponds
1. Add Dolomitic Limestone
The first way to grow plankton in shrimp ponds is to add dolomite lime (CaCO3). Dolomite lime increases the alkalinity of pond water, which is used by nitrifying bacteria to convert ammonia (NH3) to nitrate (NO3), which plankton can use to grow.
2. Add Fermentation
Adding fermentation, such as molasses, can also be another way to grow plankton in shrimp ponds. The existence of this fermented material helps accelerate the growth of plankton in your vannamei shrimp pond.
3. Creating the Right Environmental Conditions for Plankton Growth
Plankton requires special conditions to grow in pond waters. Phytoplankton needs sunlight, nutrients, and carbon dioxide to grow. Meanwhile, zooplankton requires an adequate food source, oxygen, and appropriate water temperature.
To encourage the growth of phytoplankton and zooplankton in ponds, it is crucial to maintain a balance of ecosystems that provide the right amounts of these essential elements.
4. Controlling Nutrition Levels
Nutrient levels in shrimp ponds can have a significant impact on plankton growth. High levels of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus can lead to high algae growth, while low levels of nutrients can result in poor phytoplankton growth rates.
Also Read: This is the Ideal Vannamei Shrimp Pond Design and Construction
Potential Adverse Effects of Plankton on Shrimp Ponds
Although plankton has many benefits, excess amounts of plankton can have negative impacts. For example, at night, in ponds with dense phytoplankton, the respiration of phytoplankton and other organisms can lead to low dissolved oxygen concentrations, suppressing or killing cultured species.
In addition, in ponds with low aeration or even no aeration at all, the presence of high plankton can reduce the depth of visibility under the pond water, which can cause dissolved oxygen concentrations at night to be too low.
Meanwhile, during the day, vannamei shrimp ponds with too many phytoplankton concentrations can cause the water pH to be too high. This is because phytoplankton carries out photosynthesis during the day and can drain water from existing free carbon dioxide.
Also Read: Benefits of Molasses and Tips on Using It for Shrimp Ponds
Choose DELOS for your Shrimp Farm Management!
How to grow plankton in vannamei shrimp ponds is relatively easy. What’s more, plankton has many benefits for cultivation. However, remember that excessive plankton concentrations can also harm cultivation.
Therefore, it is essential for farmers to always maintain the stability of plankton in the pond. For that, you can entrust the management of your shrimp ponds to DELOS!
DELOS is the best science, technology, and operational management-based aquatech startup that can help you manage your shrimp ponds based on aquaculture best practices for the best productivity results.
DELOS farm management is also directly integrated with AquaHero to make monitoring pond conditions easier anywhere and anytime.
Immediately contact DELOS at contact@delosaqua.com or submit via our website contact column at www.delosaqua.com to partner with us. Choose DELOS for your vannamei shrimp farming!