General Guideline for Pond Preparation for Shrimp Farming

For friends who want to start cultivating shrimp, here are some commonly used steps for preparing shrimp ponds:

1. Farm Construction

The first step in cultivating shrimp is to condition the entire pond construction so that it is ready to operate. Pond construction includes the construction of embankments, sluice gates and sluice gate guidance boards. Compared to other parts, the embankment is the most vulnerable pond construction because it is related to its main task as a water reservoir as well as fencing off shrimp so that they do not escape outside the pond. Therefore, all leaks and damage to embankments must be immediately repaired and covered.

There are generally two causes of leaks, namely the soil structure of the embankment which is not strong enough and the activity of aquatic animals, such as crabs or tonang fish. Embankment leaks due to soil structural conditions generally occur in ponds dominated by sand which is fragile and easily permeable to water, while leaks caused by water animals are generally caused by the behavior of animals that like to make holes until they penetrate the bottom of the pond.

This leak can be circumvented in various ways, including filling it with soil or digging up the leak and then putting new soil into it.

The sluice gate is no less crucial than the embankment. To avoid the entry of pests (predators and competitors), each sluice gate should be equipped with a filter made of fine gauze so that it can filter out pests such as fish, wild shrimp and fish eggs.

2. Pond Bottom Soil

The first thing to prepare the pond bottom soil is complete drying and then drying the bottom soil under the hot sun until the soil cracks. Drying time ranges from 1-2 weeks, depending on weather conditions.

Especially for ponds that have been used to raise shrimp, the top layer of the bottom soil of the pond needs to be removed because it contains a lot of rotting food waste. Removal of the top layer of subgrade soil is carried out with a hoe. If the condition of the bottom soil of the pond is not too bad, it is not necessary to remove the top layer, but simply turn over the bottom soil with a hoe or plow.

However, with modern cultivation techniques that have developed, many shrimp farmers have switched to using a type of plastic tarpaulin as the base of their ponds. This method is considered more effective and faster but requires more initial costs.

3. Pond Liming

If the process of drying and turning over the base soil has been completed, then liming with agricultural lime is carried out. Liming is not only carried out on the bottom soil of the pond, but also on the inner embankment walls leading to the pond. The method for liming is by spreading lime evenly throughout the subgrade and embankment walls.

The need for lime per hectare of pond depends on the degree of acidity of the pond soil (pH). In general, ponds that have been used for cultivation will have a low pH because there has been a process of decomposition of organic material in the form of leftover feed and shrimp waste, thus producing acid from the oxidation process. The lower the soil pH, the greater the amount of lime needed to neutralize the soil.

4. Pest Eradication

Pests that attack ponds are grouped into 2, namely predatory pests and competitor pests. Several types of predatory pests, namely Payus Fish, Lunar Fish, Kerong-kerong Fish, Snapper Fish, Grouper Fish, Kuro Fish, Frogs, Snakes, Black Storks, Grouse. And several types of competing pests, such as worms, insects, white shrimp (wild), snails and tilapia fish.

Pest populations can be suppressed by administering poisons (pesticides), both organic and inorganic (synthetic). However, as much as possible the use of inorganic poisons is reduced because they can last quite a long time in the pond. The types of organic poisons commonly used are tuba root (rotenone), tea seeds (saponin) and tobacco powder (nicotine). The advantage of using organic poison is that the pond does not need to be washed, especially if the number of dead biota (pests) is not too large.

5. Water Preparation and Natural Feed Growing

The final preparation of the pond is to fill the water and grow natural food. Natural food is really needed by newly stocked fry, even though the fry can actually be given artificial food. The types of natural food that must be grown are diatoms and zoo plankton. The growth of diatoms is indicated by the water changing color to brown. Natural feed can be grown by providing organic fertilizer or chemical fertilizer (NPK, TSP, Urea). The growth period for natural food lasts for 1 (one) week.

After the construction of the pond has been completed to the stage of filling water and growing natural food, the next step is to sow the shrimp seeds or fry into the pond. Previously, you must know the characteristics of healthy shrimp fry and choose fry from a trusted hatchery.

Source: Amri, Khairul. (2003). "Budi Daya Udang Windu Secara Intensif". Jakarta: AgroMedia Pustaka.