EVALUATION OF PROBIOTICS USE FOR WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMNET IN INLAND, LOW-SALINITY SHRIMP PONDS IN GREENE COUNTY, ALABAMA  

Treatments to improve water quality are commonly used in aquaculture to increase quantity and efficiency of production −especially in an inland area where the limited water supply were not allow water exchange. As aquaculture shifts toward intensive management, the risk of loss in production from poor water quality and bacterial infection increase dramatically. Probiotics are commonly used in Asia as a water quality treatment. However, there has been little research into their potential beneficial effects of probiotics to improve water quality and aquatic animal health.

A 10-week study of total ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and total phosphorous concentration were conducted in 14 ponds on an inland, low-salinity shrimp farm in Alabama. Seven experimented ponds were treated with 2 kg probiotics per hectare for 2 weeks before stocking and continued with 1kg probiotics per hectare until harvest. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of probiotics to control water quality and remove excess nitrogenous waste in shrimp pond under normal culture conditions.

The experimented ponds did not differ from control ponds (P>0.05) with respect to water quality variables, production, survival rate and FCR. Although, it was noted that phytoplankton blooms often appeared denser in the treated pond. These finding suggest that probiotic treatment may not be effective in inland shrimp ponds. Thus, their use may not be economically beneficial. But, further research obviously is needed, because there are many type of probiotics and only one type was treated in this study.