Nursery pond is a shrimp farming system that uses a transition pond between the hatchery and the grow-out pond. In this system, the shrimp fry are temporarily raised in the nursery pond before being transferred to the grow-out pond.
The care period in the nursery pond ranges from 15 to 40 days. This period depends on the system utilized, such as biofloc, chemifloc, copefloc, or Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS).
4 Advantages of the Nursery Pond System
The nursery pond system, or also known as the two-step cultivation system, has four primary advantages. These advantages include
Preventing AHPND
One of the primary advantages of the nursery system is its capacity to prevent Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease (AHPND). This disease frequently infects shrimp in the early phases of cultivation (0-30 days).
Controlling dissolved oxygen in nursery ponds is easier because the pond is smaller, lowering the risk of Vibrio attacks that cause AHPND. Shrimp grown in nursery ponds have better resistance when moved to rearing ponds.
Improving Shrimp Quality and Productivity
The nursery system also increases shrimp farming yields by producing larger, healthier shrimp fry. Shrimp raised in nursery ponds have a more uniform size and better digestive quality.
These factors will have an impact on improving survival rate (SR), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and daily growth (ADG). According to Arfindee Abru’s observations, as reported in Trobos Aqua, the implementation of the nursery system in Thailand has been proven to improve SR by up to 93%, outperforming the non-nursery method, which only achieves 65%.
Making Production Costs More Efficient
The implementation of the nursery system has also been proven to reduce production costs. As reported in Trobos Aqua, shrimp fry expenses can be lowered by up to 28%, feed costs by 14%, and electricity costs by up to 25%. With greater yields and lower expenses, the nursery system is a more efficient and profitable option for farmers.
Higher Chances of Success
The utilization of nursery ponds enables a higher level of success in shrimp farming than the direct method to the rearing pond. The reason for this is that the nursery pond's conditions are more controlled, allowing the shrimp to grow better. The risk of failure during the rearing phase can also be minimized.
The Implementation of the Nursery Pond System
The nursery pond system has been utilized in several Southeast Asian countries, including Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Although Indonesia is regarded as the pioneer in the utilization of the nursery system, the technology and equipment used lag behind that of neighboring countries.
However, Indonesian shrimp farmers are used to traditional nursery systems, such as impung or deder. Both have been proven to improve shrimp fry quality as well as disease resistance.
Conclusion
The nursery pond system can be an effective solution to support shrimp production. This cultivation strategy has four primary advantages:
- Preventing AHPND
- Improving shrimp quality and productivity
- Making production costs more efficient
- Higher chance of success
If you are interested in starting or switching to shrimp farming with the nursery system, make sure to regularly record and monitor its progress over time. You can use JALA App, the shrimp farm management application from JALA, to help you.
Besides accommodating cultivation recording and monitoring, JALA App also allows you to
- View estimated biomass, SR, and shrimp selling value
- View shrimp price trends in different regions in Indonesia
- Get in-depth understanding of cultivation conditions in visual charts
- And many more
Enjoy the benefits of JALA App firsthand! Access through app.jala.tech today and download the mobile application from the Google Play Store or App Store.
References
Nursery Upaya Alternatif Meningkatkan Performa Udang | Trobos Aqua
