Experiments with whiteleg shrimps Panaeus vannamei and algae are now finished

Shrimp breeding in RAS systems continued from July to November 2021. at the University of Gdansk under the supervision of dr Aleksandra Zgrundo. Three undergraduate students were engaged in the experiments, and activities related to the topic (AquaVIP summer schools and study visits). Soon the results will be provided.

The shrimp breeding experiment tested, among others, the effects of different size feeds and water turbidity on shrimp abundance and condition. Additionally, the introduction of native Baltic micro- and macro-algae was tested in RAS systems with shrimps. Through the experiments we examined not only the effectiveness of Baltic microalgae (mainly diatoms and cyanobacteria) and macroalgae (green algae of the genus Chaetomorpha) in purifying shrimp culture waters from excess nutrients, but also their effect on the animals condition. In addition, the possibility of microalgal biofilm formation on canvas and its functioning was tested.

At the end of the experiments, the animals were measured, weighted, documented in pictures and preserved for future analyses, i.e. sex determination, bacterial infections and parasites. The biomass of micro- and macroalgae was frozen to determine the biochemical composition. In addition, microalgae were transplanted into suitable media to isolate strains that can be used for future aquaculture experiments.

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