Influence of salinity on nursery-phase whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) reared in a biofloc system

This study aimed to determine the effect of salinity on the survival rate and growth of whiteleg shrimp postlarvae reared using biofloc technology. The experiment included four treatments at different salinities: 10 parts per thousand, 15 parts per thousand, 20 parts per thousand, and 25 parts per thousand. Each treatment consisted of three replicates. Shrimps were reared using biofloc technology with a C/N ratio of 15:1 and additional sugar treatment. Shrimps were cultured in 500 L-tanks with a stocking density of 2,000 inds/m(3). The initial weight of shrimp was 0.006 g. After 30 days of rearing, the growth rates of shrimp differed significantly among treatments (P < 0.05). The results showed that the length (4.54 +/- 0.06 cm), weight (0.79 +/- 0.04 g), and survival rate (91.5 +/- 1.0%) were significantly greater (P < 0.05) for the shrimp reared in the treatment salinity of 15 parts per thousand compared to the other treatments. Therefore, rearing whiteleg shrimp at a salinity of 15 parts per thousand using biofloc technology is appropriate.