Water disinfection by ozonation has advantages over UV irradiation in a brackish water recirculation aquaculture system for Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei)

By keeping tropical shrimp, like Litopenaeus vannamei, in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), valuable food for human consumption can be produced sustainable. L. vannamei tolerates low salinities, and therefore, the systems can operate under brackish water conditions. The stabilization of the microbial community in RAS might be difficult under high organic loads, and therefore, water treatment measures like UV irradiation or ozone application are commonly used for bacterial reduction. To investigate the impact of these measures, the effects of UV irradiation and ozone application were studied in small-scale brackish water RAS with a salinity of 15‰ stocked with L. vannamei. UV reactors with 7 and 9 W were used, and by ozonizers with a power of 5–50 mg/hr, the redox potential in the water was adjusted to 350 mV. Ozone had a stabilizing effect on the microbial composition in the water and on biofilms of tank surfaces and shrimp carapaces, prevented an increase of nitrite and accelerated the degradation of nitrate in the water. UV irradiation led to changes in the microbial composition and was less effective in optimizing the chemical water quality. Thus, the use of ozone could be recommended for water treatment in brackish water RAS for shrimp.