It was evaluated different inclusion levels of carbohydrates (20, 25, 30 and 35%) on the performance of Pacific white shrimp fed isoprotein diets (33% crude protein) and isoenergy (4,700 kcal kg-1) diets in a complete randomized design with four treatments (n = 3). The experiment was performed in a pond with 1,200 m² and 1.5 m depth, where food intake, daily weight gain, feed conversion, protein efficiency ratio, and retention rates of crude protein and gross energy and survival rate of shrimp were evaluated. For the different inclusion levels of soluble carbohydrates, there were no differences for feed conversion, and retention rates of crude protein and gross energy and survival rate, resulting in means of 1.22:1, 1.2%, 0.74 and 95.0%, respectively. Inclusion levels of soluble carbohydrate significantly influenced the other variables. It was observed that increasing levels of soluble carbohydrate quadraticaly influenced (p <0.05) the average weight gain, average feed intake and protein efficiency ratio. Based on weight gain, it is recommended soluble carbohydrate inclusion at the level of 25.61% in diets for Litopenaeus vannamei weighing more than 9 g.
levels of carbohydrates; nutrition; performance; shrimp farming