With annual production ranging around 3 to 3.5 million tons a year, farmed shrimp is a major aquaculture product. Shrimps are crustaceans which means that their physiology and behavior are different from those of other aquatic species. These features must be considered in the composition of their feed intended. How can the feed formulation process take shrimp’s behavioral patterns into account?
Farmed shrimps mainly belong to two species: the omnivorous white shrimp (Vannamei Peaneus) and the black tiger (Peaneus monodon).
Whatever their feeding habits shrimps are benthic; that is to say they feed on the bottom of the pond. Hence they need to be supplied with a sinkable feed that will stay at the bottom. Such feed is often pressed (or pelleted) into compact shapes, allowing the pellets to sink in water.
In addition, shrimps need to find their feed appetizing so they want to ingest it. Since they are naturally attracted to some feed components, chemotaxis (chemical attraction) is the means by which they manage to find their feed. Many compounds and materials are said to be attractants to shrimps.
Shrimps feed themselves by "nibbling" on pellets.This "nibbling" action has two purposes:
In aqua farming the time gap between the distribution of feed pellets and their consumption by shrimps usually lasts up to a few hours.This length varies depending on the water temperature, the physiological state of the population and frequency of meal distribution.
Two other aspects in feed formulation need therefore be the object of careful attention:
Thanks to their thorough knowledge of shrimp nutritional requirements, the TECHNA Group experts offer customized solutions in order to assist you with your feed formulation needs. To learn more, please contact us!
TECHBIND is an efficient aquafeed binder. It makes pellets harder, thereby decreasing dust and nutrient leaching.
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