PERANAN PENTING MEIOBENTHOS SEBAGAI MAKANAN ALAMI LARVA UDANG WINDU (Penaeus monodon Fabricius)

The Potential Role of Meiobenthos as Natural Food for The Black TigerShrimp (Penaeus monodon Fabricius)Postlarvae

Abstract

The objectives of the study were to determine the potential role of meiobenthos  asa natural food for the black tiger shrimp iPenaeus monodon Fabricius)  post larvae, and to investigate the meiobenthos community  and environmental  factors under feed and non feed conditions  of shrimp  culture. The research was conducted in laboratory   research. The method used was Randomized   Complete Block  Design  in three treatments  and three replica• tions.  The first treatment ( C) served as a control  and contained  only Mangrove  sediment  and sea water. The second, treatment I  (TI).  contained  mangrove sediment. sea water, shrimp  postlarvae and feed pellet, and rhe last, treatment  2 (T2), with mangrove sediment,  sea water. shrimp postlarvae without feed pellet.  The data were collected weekly  for S weeks. During the experiment period, environmental  factors and organic contents were found within   a suit• able  range for shrimp culture.  There were no significant   differences in the values  of salinity, water temperature,  pH, dissolved  oxygen, turbidity,  ammonia  (NH3),  nitrate (N03),  and nitrite  (N02) among the treatments. This  research found that meiobenthos  in the stomach  content  of shrimp prostlarvae,  in treatment without feed pellet, was one week longer than  that  in the treatment with feed pellet. This  implied that, in the condition  without feed pellet, the shrimp postlarvae could survive and grow with a natural food in the sediment. The study tended recommend that the meiobentos   could serve as natural  food for post larvae of penaeid shrimp at least for five weeks