Nitrogenous Excretion of Penaeus monodon Postlarvae Fed with Different Diets

This study is designed to determine ammonia and nitrite excretion by Penaeus monodon 25–30 day old postlarvae fed with different diets (artificial and natural). Shrimps were fed with Chaetoceros calcitrans (phytoplankton), chironomid larvae (benthos), Brachionus sp. (rotifer) and artificial diet. In the control treatment, shrimps were not fed. The highest concentration of ammonia was excreted by shrimps fed with artificial diet and the lowest by that of control treatment. All treatments except where shrimps fed on C. calcitrans showed a sudden increase in ammonia-N excretion after 36 h. C. calcitrans contributed to high ammonia excretion only after 61 h. Shrimps fed with Brachionus sp. (rotifer) showed significantly higher nitrite excretion rate compared to other treatments. Shrimps fed on C. calcitrans depicted the lowest nitrite excretion. This experiment indicated that nitrogenous excretion was predominant in shrimps fed with artificial diets. Live food like algae and chironomids, despite a high protein content, contribute to low nitrogenous excretion and hence pose less adverse effects on water quality compared to artificial diets.