Monoculture and polyculture of shrimp Litopenaeus schmitti and mullet Mugil curema in bioflocos system and clear water

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the monoculture and polyculture of white shrimp Litopenaeus schmitti and mullet Mugil curema in bioflocs system and clear water. The experimental design was completely randomized in a factorial arrangement (4x2) with four cultures systems (shrimps and fish) and two culture medium (clear water and bioflocs), with four replications: (M50/0) - monoculture L. schmitti density 50 m- 2; (P50/5) í  polyculture L. schmitti and M. curema density 50 m-2 and 5 m2, respectively; (P50/10) í  polyculture L. schmitti and M. curema density 50 m-2 and 10 m-2 respectively; (M0/10) - monoculture M. curema density 10 m-2. The polyculture of L. schmitti with mullet affected zootechnical performance of shrimp, however, L. schmitti juveniles showed better performance, for all analyzed indexes, when cultured in the bioflocs. The mullet in monoculture and polyculture with lower stocking density (5m-2) showed better final weight , weight gain and specific growth rate than mullet in polyculture with higher density (10m-2) and better performance when cultured in clear water. The bioflocs contributed significantly to shrimp juvenile growth, however fish did not present the same performance in bioflocs system.