Improving whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) performance and water quality in low-salinity BioRAS: role of hydraulic retention time and dietary minerals
摘要
Biofloc-based recirculating aquaculture systems (BioRAS) are increasingly adopted for low-salinity shrimp farming to minimize water exchange and environmental impacts. This study evaluated the effects of hydraulic retention time (HRT; 5 h vs. 20 h) and dietary supplementation of sodium (Na), potassium (K), and magnesium (Mg) on biofloc dynamics, water quality, and growth performance of Litopenaeus vannamei. Prolonged HRT (20 h) supported sustained biofloc accumulation (3.90 ± 0.20 mL L⁻1 at day 85), whereas short HRT (5 h) showed early peaks followed by decline. Ammonia and nitrite concentrations remained within safe limits across treatments, with no direct effect of HRT on shrimp growth. In contrast, mineral supplementation significantly enhanced performance, with Treatment 2 yielding the highest final weight (12.43 ± 0.31 g) and survival (72.3 ± 2.5%) compared with the control (11.30 ± 0.62 g; 60.7 ± 4.0%). Although biofloc volumes did not differ among mineral treatments, higher microbial and Vibrio counts were recorded in Treatment 2 without negative health effects, suggesting enhanced microbial balance. These findings suggest that combining prolonged HRT with targeted mineral supplementation improves BioRAS efficiency, supporting sustainable shrimp aquaculture with reduced environmental impact.