A Comparison of Rearing Pacific White Shrimp (Liptopenaeus vannamei Boone, 1931) in Earthen Ponds and in Ponds Lined with Polyethylene

Abstract

Pacific white shrimp (Liptopenaeus vannamei) were reared in three earthen ponds and three ponds lined with polyethylene of the same size. The larvae at post larval stage 15 were stocked at a density of 75 shrimp/m2. Shrimp were fed with commercial pellet feed only. The water salinity level
during culturing period was 3-5 ppt. Culturing period was 112 days. The average yield in the earthen ponds was 1,470.8±61.7 kg/rai, while in the polyethylene-lined ponds was 1,737.5±208.6 kg/rai. The levels of total suspended solids and total ammonia nitrogen of earthen ponds were significantly greater than those of the polyethylene-lined ponds (P<0.05). While temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity, electrical conductivity, alkalinity, hardness and chlorophyll a were not significantly different. The amount of plankton, especially blue-green algae Merismopedia, Chroococcus and Phormidium, were higher in the polyethylene-lined ponds than in the earthen ponds throughout the culturing period. It could be
concluded that using polyethylene to line shrimp ponds would solve certain problems associated with low yields in certain areas where seepage in sandy soil, high acidity due to acid sulphate soil, and high suspended solids levels were found.