This study demonstrates some of the effects that simple management and engineering considerations can have on chemical dynamics and shrimp production in intensive minimal-exchange shrimp culture systems. Raceways with a 20 L/min flow rate to 1700-L, external setting chambers had significantly lower TSS, VSS, turbidity, nitrite and nitrate values than raceways with a setting chamber flow rate of 10 L/min and chamber volume of 760-L. The raceways with smaller setting chambers and lower flow rate had significantly lower ammonia and phosphate concentrations.