TIGER SHRIMP Penaeus monodon PRODUCTION AT DIFFERENT APPLICATION OF THE RICA PROBIOTICS IN EXTENSIVE BRACKISHWATER PONDS OF BULUKUMBA

To find out the best application of the RICA probiotics for preventing the cultured tiger shrimp from pathogenic Vibrio harveyi and White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) three different applications of RICA probiotics were tested in Bulukumba brackishwater ponds. The three applications tested here are A: Alternate use of RICA1, RICA2, and RICA3; B: Alternate use of RICA1, RICA4, and RICA5; C: RICA1 applied weekly until harvest. This study was conducted in nine extensive brackishwater ponds of 0.2-0.6 ha/pond in size located in Babana of Dannuang Village of Ujung Loe District of Bulukumba Regency, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Each pond was stocked with 4 pieces of tiger shrimp juveniles/m² and fed with commercial feed after 20 days of culture. The results after 16 weeks of culture showed that tiger shrimp production and its survival rate in B application were significantly (P<0.05) higher  than those of in treatment A and C (Table 1). There were no clinical sign of vibriosis and WSSV in the whole treated ponds since all the ponds using probiotic of RICA1 which is best against these pathogens. It is concluded that alternate use of RICA1, RICA4, and RICA5 is the best application in this study.

RICA probiotics are the bacteria probiotics produced by the Research Institute for Coastal Aquaculture, Maros, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. They were isolated from brackishwater pond and sea sediments, mangrove leaf, and macroalgae of South Sulawesi waters. Using 16s-rRNA analysis, RICA1 is Brevibacillus laterosporus, RICA2 is Serratia marcescens, RICA3 is Pseudoalteromonas sp Edeep-1, RICA4 is Bacillus subtilis, and RICA5 is Bacillus licheniformis. All probiotics were applied weekly after 3-d fermentation culture using rice bran, fish meal, molasses, and yeast (Atmomarsono et al. 2013). In A and B treatments, the first probiotic was applied at the first and the fourth month, the second probiotic was applied at the second month, and the third probiotic was applied at the third month of culture. In treatment C, RICA1 was applied weekly from the first month until the fourth month of culture. It seems that pond water pH in the whole treated ponds were daily fluctuation (7.21-9.40) since their pond water total alkalinity were mostly below 100 mg/L CaCO₃ equivalent that is not good for the growth of phytoplankton. Total alkalinity of the pond water ranged from 60.2-209.6 mg/L CaCO₃ equivalent. However, total organic matter in the treated ponds were relatively safe for normal life of tiger shrimp in extensive ponds (24.65-54.83 mg/L).