Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics in High Intensity Minimal Exchange Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) Raceways

Three separate shrimp (litopenaeus vannamei) growouts were examined at The University of Southern Mississippi's Thad Cochran Marine Aquaculture Center. The objectives of this project were to (1) determine if there was a significant difference in any water quality parameters between the 2 density treatments, (2) construct carbon and nitrogen budgets to see where the carbon and nitrogen went in the system for all growouts, (3) determine if plastic media had any effects on water quality parameters and shrimp production, (4) determine if plastic media allowed for a nitrifying bacteria population to establish more rapidly, (5) determine if the two solids treatments had any effects on water quality parameters and shrimp production, and (6) run a stable isotope mixing model. Once a week, one liter of water was collected from each tank of each growout. From this liter the following analysis were performed, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total dissolved nitrogen (TDN), ammonium (NH4) , nitrite (NO2) , nitrate (NO3) , soluble reactive phosphorous (SRP), particulate organic carbon (POC), particulate organic nitrogen (PON) and bacterial abundance (BA). The first growout had a complete die-off. The carbon and nitrogen budgets for the second and third growouts showed overall that the major input was feed and the major output was shrimp at harvest. The plastic media did not show any statistically significant effect on water quality or shrimp production; it also did not allow for a nitrifying bacteria population to establish more rapidly. The two solids treatments did not have any statistically significant effect on overall water quality or shrimp production. The shrimp isotopic signatures were constant, but the biofloc isotopic signatures varied.