apakah udang kanibal
apakah udang kanibal

Are Cannibal Shrimp? Check the Answers Here!

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Nabilla Anggi
Nabilla Anggi

Magister Budidaya Perairan

The question of whether shrimp are cannibals is one of the most frequently asked questions. This is related to shrimp which is one of the commodities that is often cultivated because it has a fairly high selling price. 

Cannibalism is indeed a phenomenon that often occurs in shrimp, especially when cultivating shrimp. However, this cannibalism can be suppressed with the right handling steps. Before we discuss the handling steps, let's see what causes cannibalism in shrimp. Check out the explanation in the following article!

Are Cannibal Shrimp?

One of the factors that affect the survival rate of vannamei shrimp is the nature of the shrimp to prey on each other or cannibalism. Cannibal shrimp often occur when they are in the juvenile phase and when the shrimp are molting or changing their shells.

At the time of molting, the body of the shrimp becomes weak because it loses a lot of energy and is soft because the shell has been released. At the same time, the availability of feed in ponds is insufficient. This will trigger shrimp that are not molting to prey on each other who are molting.

Triggers of Cannibalism in Shrimp 

Cannibal shrimp are triggered by several things, such as the presence of molting shrimp, varying sizes of shrimp, and the factor of feed availability. 

Shrimp that are molting will be subjected to cannibalism by their non-molting counterparts. Apart from the fact that the shrimp's bodies are weak and become soft, vannamei shrimp that are molting have a more stimulating shrimp aroma than the aroma of artificial feed. This is what causes the emergence of cannibalism between shrimp.

Cannibalism is generally related to genetics and living habits. The drastic difference in shrimp size in the same pond can be the main cause of cannibalism. Smaller shrimp are vulnerable to being preyed upon by larger shrimp if the availability of feed in the pond is insufficient. 

Cannibalism is also inseparable from the availability of feed in ponds. Feed that is not sufficient will lure shrimp to prey on other shrimp that are molting or that are smaller in size.

How to Minimize Shrimp Cannibalism

Here's how to minimize cannibalism in shrimp:

  1. Provision of amino acids in feed, one of which is tryptophan.
  2. Administration of probiotics to optimize the molting process.
  3. Maintenance of pond water quality.
  4. Provision of sufficient nutrition for the growth of shrimp evenly.
  5. Application of feed management in accordance with the needs of shrimp.
  6. Adequate intake of calcium and phosphorus to help and strengthen the new skin when the shrimp molts.

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Cannibalism is one of the causes of high mortality rates in shrimp, so you need to maintain optimal pond environmental conditions to minimize the decrease in shrimp productivity due to cannibalism. 

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eFarm is an application specifically made for shrimp farmers, complete with various features that provide solutions to your shrimp farming problems. One of them is features Cultivation Consultation. Fitur ini bisa dimanfaatkan oleh Bapak/Ibu yang ingin mengkonsultasikan permasalahan di tambak. Kelebihan dari fitur ini adalah mudah diakses, pertanyaan dijawab langsung oleh ahli di bidang budidaya, dan tentunya tanpa biaya!

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Nabilla Anggi - Magister Budidaya Perairan
Nabilla Anggi - Magister Budidaya Perairan

Nabilla merupakan lulusan sarjana dan magister budidaya perairan serta memiliki pengalaman di dunia perikanan baik hatchery maupun pembesaran

Questions Regarding Shrimp Cannibalism

Cannibalism often occurs when the shrimp is in the juvenile phase and when the shrimp is molting or changing its shell. At the time of molting, the body of the shrimp becomes weak because it loses a lot of energy and is soft because the shell has been released. At the same time, the availability of feed in ponds is insufficient. This will trigger shrimp that are not molting to prey on each other who are molting.

The cannibalistic nature of shrimp is caused by several things, namely the presence of molting shrimp, varying sizes of shrimp, and the factor of insufficient feed availability for shrimp.

  • Rachmawati, D., J. Hutabarat, AI Fiat, T. Elfitasari, S. Windarto and ENC Dewi. 2021. The addition of tryptophan amino acid in feed on the level of cannibalism and growth of Litopenaeus vannamei. Tropical Marine Journal. 24(3): 343-352.
  • Safitrah, L., DN Setyowati, and BH Astriana. 2020.Eeffectiveness of kepok banana peel extract (Musa balbisiana colla) in commercial feed to reduce cannibalism in vannamei shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). Marine journal. 13(1): 36-44.