Biofloc Technology Culture Systems (BFT) is characterized by zero water exchange and super-intensive culture of shrimp in enclosed raceway type. This type of system is considered environmentally friendly and avoids nutrient rich waste from polluting coastal waters. However, as a new strategy for shrimp production, there is much still to be learned about the benefits of producing shrimp BFT systems to enhance the commercial potential of the system. For that reason, several experiments have been carried out trying to find some of the keys for technical and economic feasibility of BFT shrimp superintensive culture systems.
Technological innovation permits increases in shrimp production capacity per unit area. The addition of new management tools such as air injectors (nozzles), nitrification and denitrification process, use of clarifiers and some new procedures may allow increases in the load capacity of these systems.
For example, the demand for dissolved oxygen (DO) by shrimp is one of the main concerns as culture systems intensify. In intensive or super-intensive culture of shrimp can be possible if the system’s aeration devices can meet the organism’s oxygen demand. The number of devices to be used will depend on the water’s salinity and temperature, stocking density, shrimp size, and the amount of suspended solids in the BFT systems. For this reason, studies and evaluations of the support capacity of each new aeration technology is important to maximize its effect.
Therefore, several researchers have evaluated the influence of the limitation of different parameters and procedures. These are important challenges to overcome the production when working in BFT with high densities, and different devices and other procedures (Table 1), that can have significant impacts on shrimp development in super-intensive system.
In the present study we will present evaluations of some of these important generated technologies for BFT systems, and we will discuss the influence of high stocking densities on water quality and on the growth performance of P. vannamei in a BFT system.