Intensive culture system of Litopenaeus vannamei in commercial ponds with zero water exchange and addition of molasses and probiotics

A 16-week trial was carried out to evaluate an intensive culture system of Litopenaeus vannamei in commercial ponds with zero water exchange. Two management strategies were used: one with the addition of molasses (ML) and the second with commercial probiotic and molasses (PML), each with four replicates. Shrimp L. vannamei (2.09 +/- 0.3 g) were stocked in 2.6 ha ponds without liners at a density of 98 shrimp m(-2). The commercial probiotics used with molasses was a mixture of Bacillus spp. and Lactobacillus sp. After 16 weeks, no significant differences were found in mean dissolved oxygen, temperature, salinity, pH, total heterotrophic bacteria and zootechnical parameters (yield, FCR, survival and final weight) between the two management strategies. Total ammonia nitrogen concentration (53 to 69%) was the highest inorganic nitrogen compound. There were no significant differences between its concentrations in the two management strategies. The addition of molasses and probiotics are important management strategies for increased shrimp growth in an intensive system in ponds with zero water exchange, however, molasses is cheaper than the probiotics. Molasses inputs were based on a percentage of the daily feed allotments (by weight) and application rates of 30% of total daily feed in combination with commercial probiotics in intensive ponds without liners with zero water exchange was not sufficient to recycle all nitrogen waste with 10 HP ha(-1).