Understanding Common Challenges in Shrimp Farms

For shrimp farmers, maintaining healthy ponds is a daily challenge. Even with regular water quality monitoring, harvest results often fall short of expectations. Do you frequently face these issues?
 

• Unusual water discoloration: Despite using certain chemicals to stabilize water conditions, discoloration persists without a clear cause.

• Suboptimal shrimp performance: Weak harvest results even when environmental parameters are within the standard range.

• Inconsistent pond results: Why does one pond perform better than another despite identical treatment?

• Ineffective probiotics: Probiotics often fail to deliver the promised performance by manufacturers.

These problems are often caused by an invisible factor: the microbial diversity in the pond. Microbes are microscopic organisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, archaea, and protists. The collection of microbes living in a shared ecosystem, such as pond water and shrimp, along with all their genetic material, is called the microbiome.
 

Why Is Microbial Diversity Important in Shrimp Farming?

In pond ecosystems, microbes in the water and within the shrimp play a significant role in influencing growth and survival. Some microbes, such as Vibrio sp., are known for their detrimental effects on shrimp. This bacterium can cause diseases like Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease (AHPND), which has a mortality rate of up to 100%. Vibrio sp. is also commonly found in large quantities in shrimp farms and can trigger other diseases, such as White Feces Disease (WFD) and vibriosis.

Read Also: Understand the PirA and PirB Genes in Vibrio Bacteria in Shrimp Farms

However, these problems can be mitigated by introducing beneficial microbes into the pond environment, known as probiotics. Some probiotic microbes play critical roles in:
 

• Nitrogen Cycle: Microbes like Nitrosomonas sp. and Nitrobacter sp. help reduce ammonia concentrations in the pond.

• Organic Decomposition: Microbes like Bacillus sp. and Rhodobacter sp. break down organic matter to maintain good water quality.

• Improved Shrimp Immunity: Probiotics like Lactobacillus sp. and Bacillus sp. not only suppress pathogen populations but also enhance shrimp metabolism, digestion, and immune systems, making them more resistant to various diseases.

Understanding the microbial diversity in ponds is crucial for supporting ecosystem health and farming success. One of the latest methods for comprehensive microbial analysis is Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS), which provides detailed data on the composition and functions of microbes in the pond. This technology is a critical step in understanding and optimizing your pond conditions.

Introducing Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) Technology

Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) is an advanced technology designed to identify microbes present in shrimp ponds. With NGS, farmers can detect both beneficial and pathogenic microbes in pond water or the probiotics used. This technology works by reading the microbes' "genetic code" to identify them accurately.

Why Is NGS Superior? NGS offers modern solutions that reveal more than just the types of microbes in ponds. Unlike PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction), which detects only specific microbes, NGS maps the entire microbial community comprehensively without limitations. With NGS, farmers gain richer insights, from microbial identification to understanding their functions in the pond ecosystem. The results enable smarter decisions to maintain pond health, boost productivity, and prevent potential losses.

Read Also: Next-Generation Sequencing Technology: Discover Microbial Diversity in Your Shrimp Pond

AquaCheck and ProCheck Services from CeKolam

As a pioneer in aquaculture, CeKolam introduces two innovative NGS-based services: AquaCheck and ProCheck. These services are specifically designed to help farmers make data-driven decisions to improve farming efficiency.
 

• AquaCheck: This service is designed to comprehensively map the diversity and abundance of microbes in pond water. Farmers can detect the presence of all microbes in the pond, both beneficial and pathogenic, along with their functions in the ecosystem.

• ProCheck: ProCheck helps farmers verify the microbial content in the probiotics they use, ensuring their application and activation methods are effectively tailored to the pond's needs.

Advantages of AquaCheck and ProCheck Services

Why should you try these services? Here are their main benefits:

• Understanding your pond profile: Unlike conventional methods, NGS provides a thorough analysis of the microbial community. You will not only know the types of microbes but also get insights into overall microbial composition, probiotic bacteria composition, pathogenic microbes, and the beneficial and harmful metabolism of these microbes.

• Data-driven pond management: The data obtained can serve as a basis for better decision-making, such as determining the most effective probiotics or adjusting pond water treatment.

• Cost efficiency: For this cutting-edge service, CeKolam offers discounts of up to IDR 600,000 for AquaCheck and ProCheck services. This promotion provides an opportunity for farmers to try the latest technology without incurring high costs.

With AquaCheck and ProCheck, there is no need to guess what is happening in your pond. These services not only help boost productivity but also provide peace of mind because decisions are based on scientific data.
 

Take Action Now

So, what are you waiting for? Take advantage of CeKolam’s attractive promotions and become a smarter farmer by leveraging modern technology. Contact the CeKolam team via WhatsApp at 0812-3456-7890 or email at info@cekolam.com!

 

1. Fadillah, H., Junaidi, M., & Azhar, F. (2022). Efektivitas Penggunaan Nitrosomonas dan Nitrobacter untuk Perbaikan Kualitas Air Media Budidaya Ikan Nila (Oreochromis niloticus). Jurnal Perikanan, 12(1), 54-65. https://jperairan.unram.ac.id/index.php/JP/index.

2. National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease (AHPND): Virulence, Pathogenesis and Mitigation Strategies in Shrimp Aquaculture. Diakses dari https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8402356/?utm_source.

3. National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). Cytotoxicity of Vibrio parahaemolyticus AHPND toxin on shrimp hemocytes, a newly identified target tissue, involves binding of toxin to aminopeptidase N1 receptor. Diakses dari https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8041169/?utm_source.