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Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of alkalinity on food consumption and other performance parameters of juvenile Litopenaeus vannamei reared in water containing biofloc and clear water. For this purpose, shrimp of 4.06 ± 0.34 g were kept in containers of 3 L of biofloc and clear water during 3 days, with the concentrations of 50, 100 and 200 mg L-1 of alkalinity, plus a Control group, with 5 replicates each group. Food consumption was verified once a day and other performance parameters were evaluated at the end of the experiment. The food consumption and survival rates of the shrimp was not affected by the different levels of alkalinity and clear water and biofloc systems. The best results of weight gain and specific growth rate were observed in the highest concentrations of alkalinity in the biofloc system. Survival, as well as food consumption, was not affected between levels of alkalinity and in clear water and biofloc. The exposure to inappropriate alkalinity concentrations over long periods of time can adversely affect the animals, thus emphasizing the importance of maintaining adequate levels of alkalinity to the cultivated species.