Integrated culture of Litopenaeus vannamei postlarvae with different densities of red sea weed (Gracilaria corticata)

Abstract

Integrated culture of Litopenaeus vannamei postlarvae with different densities of Gracilaria corticata was examined during a 30-day period from July 17 to August 16, 2018. Four treatments of nursing the whiteleg shrimp L. vannamei post larvae (PL15) at a density of 2000 Pl/m2 integrated with different densities of red sea weed (0, 400 , 800 and 1200 g algae/m2) (T1,T2, T3 and T4) plus a control treatment, culturing of red algae Gracilaria corticata at a density of 400 g without shrimp (T5) were compared. Based on the results, the survival rate, the specific growth rate(SGR) and the final weight of L. vannamei (95.33±3.05, 12.26±0.02 and 543.7±47.88) in treatment T4 were significantly higher than the treatments T1 and T2 (p<0.05). The maximum SGR of G. corticata (2.37±0.88) and the highest percentage of weight gain (WG) (103.5 ± 5.02%) was observed in treatment T2. The minimun SGR (0.23±0.10) and the minimum WG (7.08±3.15%) was observed in treatment T5. This research clearly showed that culturing of red algae G.corticata in the nursery tanks of L. vannamei post larvae could lead to increase the growth parameters and survival rate of post larvae and the increasing in these parameters were significantly related to the density of algae in tanks.