Tiger Shrimp Farming Techniques: What Feed Is Best for Tiger Shrimp

AbstractPond: The pond bottom should be flat, and the bottom substrate is best as loam, with an abundant and pollution-free water source. Before stocking: 20-30 days before stocking, clear and disinfect the pond, apply sufficient base fertilizer, plant aquatic plants well, set up netting, or place bamboo tubes, plastic tubes, etc., to provide tiger shrimp with places to rest, molt, and hide. Releasing fry: The stocking time is in mid-to-late July, the juvenile shrimp size is above 0.8 cm, and 30,000-40,000 tails are stocked per mu. Feed: Various small benthic invertebrates, corpses of aquatic animals, etc.

Shrimp are very common in our daily lives, and because of their unique characteristics they are deeply loved by the public, often appearing on people's dining tables. We all know that there are many kinds of shrimp, and common ones include lobster, prawn, and tiger shrimp, among others. Among them, tiger shrimp are also called the “fighter jet” of shrimp. Below, the editor will introduce its farming methods.

Tiger Shrimp Farming Techniques

1. Farming Facilities

The pond area is preferably 4-10 mu, with a depth of 1-1.5 m and a slope ratio of 1:2.5. The pond bottom should be flat, and the bottom substrate is best as loam. The pond slope soil should be relatively hard, the pond should have good water retention, and the water level should be easy to regulate. The water source should be abundant and the water quality pollution-free. Following a layout of high irrigation and low drainage, build the inlet and drainage channels well, so that water can be let in and drained out.

2. Preparation Before Stocking

1. Thoroughly clear the pond and disinfect it. 20-30 days before stocking shrimp fry and shrimp seed, drain the pond water, remove excess silt, repair the pond embankments, and use 75 kg of quicklime per mu or bleaching powder, bleaching powder concentrate, and other drugs to thoroughly clear the pond and disinfect it.

2. Apply sufficient base fertilizer. Apply 500-600 kg of decomposed livestock and poultry manure per mu to cultivate rotifers and cladoceran and copepod plankton, providing suitable food for the shrimp fry and shrimp seed.

3. Plant aquatic plants well. Plant aquatic plants such as Hydrilla verticillata, Potamogeton malaianus, and Elodea in the pond, covering 2/3 of the shrimp pond area. At the same time, set up netting, or place bamboo tubes, plastic tubes, etc., to provide Procambarus clarkii with places to rest, molt, and hide.

3. Stocking of Shrimp Fry and Shrimp Seed

Mainly stock the first batch of juvenile shrimp hatched in the current year. The stocking time is in mid-to-late July, and the juvenile shrimp size is above 0.8 cm. Stock 30,000-40,000 tails per mu. The sizes should be uniform. The juvenile shrimp size should be above 0.8 cm, and the shrimp seed size should be about 3 cm. The shrimp fry and shrimp seed stocked in the same pond should be of consistent size and stocked all at once.

How to Use Quicklime in Tiger Shrimp Farming

1. Application of Quicklime in Pond Clearing

When quicklime meets water, it releases a large amount of heat and generates calcium hydroxide, which has strong alkalinity, causing the pond water pH to rise sharply, quickly killing bacteria, parasite eggs, aquatic insects, harmful fish, frog eggs, moss, and some aquatic plants, achieving the purpose of eliminating diseases and pests.

2. Dry Pond Clearing

Generally, dry pond clearing can be used for ponds with abundant water sources and relatively convenient irrigation and drainage. First drain the pond water or keep a water depth of 5-10 cm, use 50-75 kg of quicklime per mu (if there is more silt, the amount of quicklime used can be appropriately increased). When clearing the pond, dig pits around the pond bottom or use containers such as wooden barrels, put quicklime in and add water to dissolve it, and before it cools, immediately and evenly splash it over the entire pond, and using a rake to move the pond mud gives a better effect.

3. Clearing the Pond with Water

This is generally more suitable for ponds with insufficient water sources and less convenient irrigation and drainage. For clearing the pond with water, according to the amount of pond water, generally use 0.2 kg of quicklime per cubic meter of water. Usually, put quicklime into a wooden barrel or water vat, dissolve it, and immediately splash it over the entire pond, while also splashing the pond edges. After 7-8 days, when the effect of the drug has disappeared, fry can be stocked.

What Feed to Give Tiger Shrimp

Tiger shrimp are omnivorous animals. During the juvenile shrimp stage, they feed on plankton. In natural waters, adult shrimp mainly feed on various small benthic invertebrates, corpses of aquatic animals, attached algae, various filamentous algae, organic debris, plant fragments, etc. Artificially farmed tiger shrimp can consume various commercial feeds, such as distillers' grains, tofu residue, soybean cake, silkworm pupae, mussel meat, wheat flour, fish meal, cooked rice, and river snails, and especially like to eat maggots. When feed is insufficient, they will also eat each other. They have negative phototaxis to light, mostly lurking in dark places during the day, and coming out at night to feed and move. Therefore, feed is mostly put in after dark.

Disinfection Methods for Tiger Shrimp Farming Ponds

1. Quicklime Disinfection

Before using quicklime for disinfection, leave only 5-10 cm of accumulated water in the pond. Break up the quicklime and evenly sprinkle it into the pond water to dissolve. The amount of quicklime used is generally 20-40 kg per mu. On the second day after using quicklime, use an iron rake to stir the pond bottom so that the lime slurry and silt are fully mixed.

2. Bleaching Powder Disinfection

Using bleaching powder to disinfect tiger shrimp farming ponds requires draining the pond water. Use 0.5-1 kg of bleaching powder with an effective rate of more than 30% per mu. For ponds that have not been drained, use 1.5-2.5 kg of bleaching powder with more than 30% per mu for every 1 m of water depth. When using it, first put the bleaching powder into a wooden basin or iron bucket, add water to dilute it, and splash it into the pond. Do not release the disinfected water; keep it in the pond. Start letting in water the next day, and once the water level meets the rearing requirements, it is fine.

That is all for the sharing of tiger shrimp farming experience. I hope it is helpful to everyone. The farming methods for tiger shrimp are not very difficult, and they have many farming advantages. If everyone farms them well, it can become a good agricultural farming project.