TEMPERATURE AND SHRIMP CULTURE

From: Jean-Marc Libioulle
To: Aqua-culture@egroups.com; recirc@upei.ca;
waterforum@egroups.com; shrimp@egroups.com; AQUA-L@killick.ifmt.nf.ca
Sent: April 28, 2000

QUESTION:

For a shrimp hatchery project in New Caledonia, we are looking for
providers or manufacturers of heating systems which may provide technical services.
The sea water is 19ºC and we need to increase the water temperature to
28ºC. We will need to heat 6 nursery ponds of 150 m3 each (with liner) covered with greenhouses. The hatchery group need to determine and to size the best and more economical heating system (electric, fuel oil...).

Jean-Marc Libioulle
Noé Aquaculture Consultants
P.O. Box 09-01-11492
Guayaquil Ecuador
libioulle@ipse.net

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COMMENTS 1:

Try farming P. japonicus.

Laurence Evans

laurence@amatikulu.co.za

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COMMENTS 2 :

Why P. japonicus? Can you provide more information on the conditions required for hatchery and growout?

Bill Pollard

platpub@hotmail.com

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COMMENTS 3:

There is a good book: "The Culture of Cold-Tolerant Shrimp. Proceedings of an Asian-U.S. workshop on shrimp culture". Edited by Kevan Main and Wendy Fulks. Published by the Oceanic Institute, April 1990. Here, three species are identified as "cold-tolerant". Penaeus chinensis and P. japonicus are reported to grow at temperatures as low as 14 and 10° Celsius respectively. The third, P. penicillatus, grows at 20° Celsius.
I thought that if your pond temperatures are consistently around 19° Celsius, and other factors permit, it may be better to look at these cold tolerant species. I do not farm any of these species. My experience is with P. indicus, that needs a minimum temperature of above 23° Celsius for good growth (about 4° Celsius below P. monodon).

P. japonicus is farmed in Australia quite successfully. It used to be
farmed in Taiwan and Spain, but I am not sure of its current status there.
I did some larval rearing and trial growout with P. japonicus a few years ago. Its larval rearing is quite easy and similar to other species.
However, I battled with the broodstock. I did well with gravid, wild broodstock, but could not easily mature pond reared broodstock. These creatures require a very high protein diet and bury themselves in the sand during the day, coming out to feed at night.

For more info on P. japonicus in Australia see:
http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/dpinotes/animals/aquaculture/f99012.html

Laurence Evans

laurence@amatikulu.co.za

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COMMENTS 4 :

You did not state average air temperature. With low-evaporation conditions (due to the greenhouse covering) and low water exchange, the tankwater would approach average air temperature. Add to that the greenhouse effect proper and you might come fairly close to your desired temperature. Perhaps you could rig up a trial on a small tank or pond and find out how short you really are from 28° C.

You'd probably also need to state your local costs for electricity,
heating oil, and prevailing interest rates. For large heating needs oil (or gas) burners are nearly always more economical, but for smaller requirements the low capital costs of electric heaters make them attractive.

Finally, do you have diesel-driven electric power generators on site? It
is possible to bypass the diesel engine's radiators to a heat exchanger, and you'll then get essentially free heat for your ponds. Check that out with engine suppliers.

Julio Estrada

julioe@speed.net.ec

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