How to start Indoor Shrimp Farming using Biofloc Technology

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We have been doing indoor shrimp farming as well as outdoor shrimp farming using the Biofloc Technology more than 5 years. And lots of hidden things we have learnt in a very hard way. The shrimp farming is a very highly profit making business but at the same time it need proper management.

If you want to learn this Indoor Shrimp Farming using Biofloc Technology, you can reach out us today, we will not only share the knowledge but also help you during your culture period. Here is our WhatsApp Number +91-977-7876-057. Here are the topics to be cover during the shrimp farming training session Shrimp Farming in Biofloc System

You can also check it out YouTube Channel called “Road to Biofloc” where we share lots of valuable information about the shrimp farming.

Whether its indoor shrimp farming or outdoor shrimp farming, its a very challenging culture. The duration of the culture about 90-120 days and each day is a critical day in shrimp farming. Currently there are two different methods shrimp farming’s are done all across the glove i.e. traditional and technical way. Till today shrimp farming are done in technical way is very less compared to traditional way. To start any of these farming methods one must know insights of the shrimp farming otherwise its too risky to start this shrimp farming business.

Before proceed further lets understand how the traditional shrimp farming’s are done all across the glove.

Traditional Shrimp Farming Process

More than 90% of the traditional shrimp farming’s are done in costal areas because of free saline water availability. Mostly white leg shrimp (P. Vannamei Shrimp) and Monodon ( Black Tiger) shrimps are cultured in a massive scale due to high demand all over the world. The major producer of these commercial shrimps are China, Thailand, India, Vietnam and Indonesia. These farmers do the culture in earthen ponds following the old traditional process. The major problems with the traditional shrimp farming is the diseases, due to some reason if it outbreaks in those areas where the shrimp farming are done, it destroys the culture and so far there is no proper solution is available. The only solution is to harvest the culture, otherwise all the shrimps will die.

Now lets understand how the traditional shrimp farming’s are done, as I told previously, most of the traditional shrimp farming’s are done in costal areas to get the saline water as the White Leg Shrimp and Black Tiger Shrimps are marine animals.

Normally all the traditional shrimp pond are very close to each other, so that they can easily get the saline water from a shared canal which basically connects to each pond. And they start and harvest the culture at a time, so that all the pond water can be treated at time before stocking the next culture.

Step1: If one culture is completed and planning to start a new one, then pond water must be vacated to the shared canal and dry the pond. So that all the sludges will dry and they can easily take them out of the pond. Farmers always ensures before start a culture, there should not any sludge left in the pond base.
Step2: Agricultural lime (CaO) is applied through out the pond, which helps to maintain soil pH and when water get added into the pond, the agriculture lime react with water and produces huge heat, which helps to kill all sort of harmful things which are present in the soil.
Step3: Water level of 3-4 feet is maintained in traditional shrimp farming. After fill the water from the shared canal or bore well (in case saline is available from the ground), chlorine is applied to ensure all sort of harmful bacteria get killed as shrimps are very prone to dieses. This process normally takes 4-5 days time.
Step4: Various types of nutrition and minerals are added into the water to raise the phytoplankton’s and zooplanktons in water before stocking the shrimp seeds.
Step5: Depending upon the stocking density paddle wheel aerators are used in traditional shrimp farming, it helps to create dissolved oxygen in water and rotates water in a directional way to force the sludges to come to the center of the pond for easier sludge management.
Step6: One or two number of check tray or feed tray are installed in a pond to manage the feeding and monitor shrimp health.
Step7: Before stocking shrimp seeds, shrimp seed packets are well sanitized with KMNO4 (Potassium Permanganate) solution to ensure any bad bacteria or virus should not get into their pond.
Step8: Shrimp seed packets are travelled in air condition vehicle with temperature maintained at 22-24 degree centigrade, so to adjust the packet water temperature with the pond one, they keep it on the pond water surface for 1hr time, then release the shrimp seeds into the pond. In traditional farming 5-50 pieces per cubic meter (in 1000 liter) is stocked depending upon the aeration management.
Step9: Shrimps always remains at bottom of the pond that’s why shrinking feeds are given to them. There are many companies who make the shrimp feeds, they have feeding guidelines, how to feed to the shrimps. Based on the feeding guidelines, farmers give the feed to the shrimps but the feed demand and supply are being monitored using the check tray. The shrimps in a month at least they undergo 2 times molting, during these period the feed intake is very low. So these information will only come from check tray. Once you have good knowledge about the culture then these information will be known to you.
Steo10: On weekly basis along with the feed, farmers also provide various type of nutrition’s to the shrimps for better growth and survival.
Step11: Normally shrimp farming is a 120 days culture, where farmers get the shrimp body weight of 25 grams – 35 grams, which is a marketable size. The FCR (Feed Conversion Ratio) is varies between 1.5-2 depending upon the farming practice.
Step12: Once shrimps are harvested again all the water from pond vacated and pond cleaning is done, this cleaning process takes about 1-2 months time. So in a year traditional farmer’s do 1-2 cultures i.e. summer and rainy crop.

In recent days a new technical farming concept called “Biofloc Technology” is getting more popular. Because using this technology very high-density shrimp farming can be done in a small area with ZERO Water Exchange. This is an awesome technology explored by Professor Yoram, who is an Israel scientist. He has also written a book called “Biofloc Technology: A Practical Guide Book”, its available in Amzon. I have written an article on this what is a biofloc system?

So here I have segregated the shrimp farming process using Biofloc Technology into two types i.e. indoor shrimp farming and outdoor shrimp farming. Lets understand each of these systems and how it works.

Indoor Shrimp Farming Process

It’s a part of the technical farming called “Biofloc System”, where a particular type of bacteria are grown to maintain water parameters and allows to grow high density shrimp farming. Shrimp farming which are done inside the house or a structured building, we call it indoor shrimp farming, where there will be no direct sun light hitting to the culture water. We also call this type of shrimp farming as Brown Water Biofloc Farming as the water looks brown in color due to commercial feed.

The good part of this Biofloc Technology is, farmer need not to setup their farms near to costal area to get the saline water, it can be done anywhere without the saline water. Yes you heard me right, the marine shrimps can be done in fresh water. I have been doing it successfully more than 5 years now. And in a year it can be done 4-5 times, unlike traditional farming i.e. 1-2 times.

Outdoor Shrimp Farming Process

Indoor Shrimp Farming and Outdoor Shrimp Farming processes are almost same but one need to consider few things for the Outdoor Shrimp Farming, here are the details

In outdoor shrimp farming, the culture water influential factors are more compared to indoor shrimp farming due to direct sun light. When the direct sunlight hit the pond or tank water, it creates lots of aquatic animals and algae’s. Which influences the water dissolved oxygen, pH, Alkalinity, Hydrogen Sulfite Gas Formation, Ammonia formation, etc.
Proper solutions need to established to fix or to manage all these unnecessary influential factors, otherwise its too difficult to do the shrimp culture
Dissolved Oxygen (DO) is badly impacted in outdoor projects, in day time DO remains as per the required level but night time its dropped to below recommendations.
Biosecurity sometimes compromised in outdoor shrimp farming due to different types of animals and birds try to get into the ponds or tanks to eat the shrimps, so proper biosecurity need to be done. The list will be very big if I put all the things are here. Overall these are the standard factors which can impact the culture.

Shrimp Farming Training

All over the world the demand for shrimps are very high and its one of the highly profit making business, whose ROI period is just 3-4 culture. This is a very highly sensitivity culture, so without having proper knowledge one must not start this business otherwise you will end up of with losses.

We have been doing Marine Shrimp Farming in Fresh Water using Biofloc Technology more than 5 years now and we have learnt and experienced lots of hidden factors of the shrimp farming which you will never going to find in any of the online sites or publications or books.

We conduct special trainings for the interested candidates all over the world in English Language. And after taking the shrimp farming training session, we also provide our technical expertise to the students during their culture period. Here are the topics we discuss during our training session with detailed practical demonstration. Check this link Shrimp Farming in Biofloc

If you have any queries, you can reach out to us at WhatsApp Number +91-977-7876-057

Please check this Shrimp Harvesting Process in Outdoor Project;