THE APPLICATION OF PROBIOTICS IN FEED AND TANK WATER TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND SURVIVABILITY OF Litopenaeus vannamei POST LARVAE IN HATCHERY PRODUCTION

The shrimp industry  has historically depended on hatcheries for quality post larvae (PL) that are disease free to achieve successful production.  As stocking densities increase and growing conditions become more challenging, there is a growing need for PL that are  also faster growing  with  increased resistance to unpredictable  environmental stressors such as; temperature, salinity, and pH changes .  Further, since shrimp do not grow in a sterile environment, problematic pathogens are always present in pond systems representing continual disease potential.  This leads to concern that some of the disease challenges faced during production may also be  the result of PL being more susceptible to disease due to weakened immune systems caused by these stressors .  

Several proprietary probiotics are showing benefits improving the health and vigor of  both PL and shrimp during production,  increasing their survivability  and resistance to  environmental stressors.  Commercial hatchery testing in Vietnam and China has been completed using strains of lactobacilli and bacilli  as feed and water treatment additives that  show PL with improved health/vigor and survivability (Table 1) .  These PL also score significantly higher (p<0.05) on the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations)  criteria  for 1) Hepatopancreas (HP) Lipid count, 2) Intestinal content, 3) HP color, 4) Muscle to gut ratio, 5) HP condition, and 6) Size variation.