INTRODUCTION are required to retain the wastewater in sedimentation
Shrimp aquaculture is an important industry as to protect the surrounding environment. However, studies
capture shrimp is not able to meet the growing global indicate that sedimentation ponds were effective in
demand of shrimp products and it brings high economic reducing discharges of suspended particulates but less
returns [1]. Shrimp aquaculture is mostly concentrated in effective in reducing nutrient concentrations [6].
Asia and among the concerns is water pollution from Treating wastewater using aquatic macrophytes not
intensive shrimp aquaculture [2]. Intensive shrimp farm only protects the receiving water from eutrophication and
wastewater was reported to be high in total suspended the negative impacts on aquatic organisms but also allows
solids and high in nutrients such as nitrogen and nutrients to be recycled. Recycling of nutrients is urgent
phosphorus [3, 4] due to the low assimilation of nitrogen because nutrients such as phosphorus are a nonand
phosphorus by the shrimp. Nutrient budget studies renewable resource derived from phosphate rock and
showed that shrimp could only assimilate 23-31% nitrogen current global reserve may be depleted in 50-100 years [7].
and 10-13% phosphorus of the total input [5]. Thus, the Different aquatic plants systems for treatment of shrimp
remaining nitrogen and phosphorus are discharged during farm wastewater have been reported. Submerged aquatic
regular water exchange or incorporated in the pond plants, Elodea densa, were reported to reduce the peak
sediment which is washed out after shrimp harvesting. An ammonia and nitrite concentrations of recirculating
economical way to treat the wastewater is to discharge it Macrobrachium rosenbergii culture systems [8].
into sedimentation ponds. In Malaysia, similar Experimental scale model constructed wetland with
management practice is in place whereby shrimp operators Acrostchum aureum, a mangrove fern, in gravel was