tured shrimp, thus reducing the need for pellet feed (Nunes and
Parsons, 2000).
In biofloc technology systems (BFT),the use of carbon as a source
of organic matter is essential to the development of the microbial
community, which is high in protein and certain micronutrients
that will contribute to shrimp nutrition and the recycling
of nutrients into shrimp biomass (Avnimelech, 1999). The use of
both organic and inorganic fertilizers is a common practice during
tank preparation in intensive culture systems. During the last
decade, high investment costs and increasing sophistication of the
technology induced the industry to increase the use of primary
communities, whichserve asnaturalfoodsources for species reared
in aquaculture ponds