Assessment of the oxygen consumption rate of the Penaeus vannamei with respect to salinity, temperature and body weight

Abstract

Dissolved oxygen (DO) is the most important parameter in aquaculture. In shrimp farming, low
oxygen solubility affects growth and health of organisms. The availability of DO depends on pond bottom respiration, phytoplankton and culture. The objective of the study was to determine the oxygen consumption of shrimp in the salinity of 4, 12, 22 and 32 UPS, temperatures of 28 and 31°C, and in the weights of 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14 g. The concentration of OD was recorded at 10, 20, 30 and 40 minutes to obtain the relative consumption (Cr) of OD, absolute consumption (AC) according to exposure time and percentage consumption (PC). A 6 x 4 x 6 x 2 factorial design and the Tukey test of means were used. The highest oxygen consumption was observed at salinities of 32 UPS (P<0.0001) and at 31°C (P<0.0002). Organisms weighing 14 and 12 g were those that consumed the most OD (P<0.0001); within the first 10 minutes, the shrimps reached a CP greater than 40 % of available OD. Temperature and salinity influence the breathing rate; also, larger organisms have more energy and Cr demands of OD.