Pond Bottom Management for Shrimp Farming

Pond bottom management is essential because most of the shrimp activities happen at the pond bottom. Maintaining the pond bottom will indirectly protect water quality and shrimp health.

How Pond Bottom Gets Polluted?

• Overfeeding causes, unutilized feeds to get converted into organic sludge.
• Dead Plankton, Fecal waste, and Carbonaceous matter are also converted into organic sludge.
• Accumulation of organic sludge leads to the formation of Ammonia, Nitrite, H2S, Vibrio Load, and Gill Chokes.

How to Identify the Polluted Pond Bottom?

• Water color changes and gets turbid
• Reduced the feeding rate of the animal
• Ammonia, Nitrite, Hydrogen Sulfide, and Vibrio load levels get an increase, affecting the shrimp's health.
• Reduced DO( Dissolved oxygen) levels of the pond.
• Shrimp attains a Gill Choke Problem which causes breathing issues and shrimp get accumulated near dykes.
• Improper molting happens and shell formation occurs.
• Severe pond bottom pollution leads to Mortality.

How to Control Pond Bottom Pollution?

• Control overfeeding
• Remove sludges using sludge pumps periodically
• If possible water exchange should be done
• Reduce the level of Ammonia, Nitrite, and H2S using Probiotics and Zeolite.
• Control Bacterial load and Gill Chokes using Sanitizers, BKC, and Iodine.
• Apply Dissolved Oxygen (DO) Medicines periodically ( Hydrogen peroxide preferable).

Points to Remember:

• Probiotics, Zeolite, Sanitizers, BKC, and Iodine Applications in the daytime are preferable.
• Hydrogen Peroxide application in the evening and night times is preferable.
• By proper feeding, regular Sludge Removal, Maintaining proper bloom levels, and Regular Soil and Water Probiotics application weekly once, maintaining optimum DO level helps to maintain the pond bottom until the end of the culture.