Plankton

The plankton community is made up of phytoplankton and zooplankton. Phytoplankton are highly beneficial and primary production is important even in an intensive growout production pond. Phytoplankton stabilize water conditions, adds 02, takes up C02 and nitrogenous waste products, shades the bottom (reduce benthic algal growth and provide protection from predators), potentially inhibits the number of bacterial pathogens, and with judicious management, lower energy use and reduce costs for water quality maintenance.

A proper plankton community is important to the maintenance of healthy conditions in shrimp ponds. Increased nutrients in the water stimulate phytoplankton growth and, if left unchecked, can lead to an unstable phytoplankton community with a low diversity index. At peak densities, large fluctuations in dissolved oxygen, carbon dioxide and pH are common over a 24-hour period. These communities are unstable and a plankton crash can lead to rapid depletion of dissolved oxygen, increased ammonia and a lowering of the pH.

Plankton communities should be managed to keep them in a healthy condition. Daily monitoring of the pond color and secchi disc readings are generally suggested. Secchi readings should be in the range of 20 to 40 cm.  Periodic microscopic assessment of the general plankton species composition and zooplankton abundance should be noted.  When the water changes color, microscopic examination may help to understand the changes in the plankton community an algae to zooplankton ratio of 106: 1 is associated  with a productive shrimp pond.

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