Carbon and nitrogen dynamics in zero-water exchange shrimp culture as indicated by stable isotope tracers

The uptake and assimilation of nitrogen and carbon by shrimp were measured in 1200 L mesocosms using stable isotope enrichments. Labels were added via ¹⁵N‐, ¹³C‐glycine and amino acid mixtures in feeds or as ¹⁵NH₄⁺ to pond water. Label was incorporated into shrimp via algal growth indicating that up to 31% of nitrogen requirements were derived from pond ecosystem dynamics. This value is low in comparison with other shrimp aquaculture isotopic tracer studies but is probably due to differences in shrimp‐rearing conditions. Direct incorporation of the enriched feed label was low in shrimp muscle tissue (3.3% for ¹³C‐glycine, 5.9% for ¹⁵N‐glycine and 7.8% for ¹⁵N‐amino acid mixture). Mass balance calculations indicate the remaining shrimp biomass was derived from feed, but loss of label into solution during feeding led to underestimation based on tracers. Incorporation of isotopic labels into feed as large molecular weight proteinaceous or microencapsulated/fat‐coated compounds is recommended to prevent dissolution and loss.