Effect of feeding frequency on growth and enzymatic activity ofLitopenaeus vannameiduring nursery phase in biofloc system

Abstract

This study evaluated the zootechnical performance and enzymatic activity of Litopenaeus vannamei reared at different feeding frequencies during the nursery phase in biofloc system. The experiment consisted of four treatments, corresponding to the feeding frequencies of one, two, three and four times a day. Twelve-day postlarvae (PL12) were stocked in 12 circular tanks at a density of 3,000/m2 for 35 days. These tanks were connected to a recirculation system supplied by a matrix tank where biofloc management was carried out. Water quality remained within acceptable limits for the species over the experiment. Food frequencies had no influence on survival (88.5–92.7%) and feed conversion ratio (1.5–1.7), but the final mean weight (0.43–0.56 g) was significantly higher in shrimp fed three times a day. This fact is probably associated with amylase (14.58 U/mg) and trypsin (23.84 U/mg) activities, as well as the significant increase of chymotrypsin (11.74 U/mg) and lipase (1.27 U/mg) in shrimp of this treatment at the end of culture period. Feeding three times a day provided the highest enzymatic activity and the best zootechnical performance of L. vannamei during the nursery phase in biofloc system.