PLANKTON DENSITY IN Litopenaeus vannamei AND Oreochromis niloticus POLYCULTURE

Abstract An experiment was conducted during 95 days to evaluate plankton densities in polyculture of Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei and Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus. The experiment design was randomized with three treatments and four replicates each. The treatments were as follows: monoculture with 10 shrimps m2 (10S:0F); polyculture with 10 shrimps and 0.5 fish m2 (10S:0.5F); polyculture with 10 shrimps and 1 fish m2 (10S:1F); monoculture with 2 fishes m2 (2F:0S); polyculture with 2 fishes and 2.5 shrimps m2 (2F:2.5S); and polyculture with 2 fishes and 5 shrimps m2 (2F:5S). Neither water exchange nor aeration was provided during the experimental period, only water was used to complete the volume lost by evaporation. The phytoplankton ranged from 78,981 to 303,260 cells.mL-1 and the zooplankton ranged from 470 to 1,421 org.L-1. The most frequent groups were Bacillariophyta (phytoplankton) and Rotifera (zooplankton). In conclusion, in the polyculture system of Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei and Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus there are no significant changes in the densities of phytoplankton and zooplankton due to the alteration in the culture stocking density.