AquaGrow Solutions · Farm (Grow-out) & Hatchery

Shrimp Problem Library

Free, practical guides for shrimp farmers and hatchery operators. Understand warning signs, check the cause and take safer next steps.

Emergency quick guide

Sudden deaths or breathing difficulty?

AquaGrow Solutions

Find a problem

Observe the signs. Confirm with appropriate testing.

22 guides · Farm (Grow-out)

Emergency
Water quality

Low dissolved oxygen in shrimp ponds

How to spot itShrimp crowd the edges or surface, especially before sunrise.

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Emergency
Water quality

Power failure and stopped aerators

How to spot itAerators stop and the backup supply does not start.

Read the guide
Emergency
Pond bottom

Hydrogen sulphide and black pond bottom

How to spot itBlack sludge and stressed shrimp raise concern, but smell cannot confirm safety.

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Emergency
Algae

Algal bloom crash

How to spot itPond colour changes quickly and oxygen may fall, especially at night.

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Emergency
Water quality

Sudden pH change

How to spot itpH changes sharply after rain, a bloom change or an input.

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Emergency
Water quality

Sudden salinity change

How to spot itSalinity changes after heavy rain, pumping or an abrupt water exchange.

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Emergency
Disease

White spot disease (WSSV)

How to spot itSudden loss of appetite and deaths; shell spots may be present or absent.

Read the guide
High
Disease

IHHNV & runt-deformity syndrome

How to spot itUneven growth or a bent body; appearance alone cannot confirm infection.

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High
Disease

Infectious myonecrosis (IMNV)

How to spot itOpaque white muscle, often in the tail, with persistent losses.

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High
Disease

Taura syndrome (TSV)

How to spot itRed tail, weak shrimp or losses around moulting; laboratory testing is needed.

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Emergency
Disease

Yellow head disease (YHV1)

How to spot itSudden feeding changes and deaths; a yellow head is not always seen.

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High
Disease

Vibriosis in shrimp ponds

How to spot itWeak or red shrimp, digestive problems or unusual glow; test the cause.

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Emergency
Disease

AHPND & early mortality

How to spot itEarly crop losses and a pale digestive organ; confirm with the right lab tests.

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High
Disease

Necrotising hepatopancreatitis (NHP)

How to spot itPoor feeding, an empty gut or a damaged digestive organ.

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Medium
Disease

Shell disease & black spots

How to spot itBrown or black shell patches, pits or injuries.

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Medium
Disease

EHP: slow growth and uneven sizes

How to spot itGrowth slows and sampled shrimp become very different in size.

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High
Disease

Gill fouling and external ciliates

How to spot itDirty-looking gills or body surfaces, sometimes with breathing stress.

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High
Disease

Fusarium infection and damaged gills

How to spot itDark gill or body lesions; several other problems look similar.

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High
Disease

White faeces syndrome (WFS)

How to spot itWhite faecal strings on the water, often with poor feeding.

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High
Disease

Running mortality syndrome (RMS)

How to spot itShrimp keep dying in small numbers over several days.

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Medium
Moulting

Loose shell syndrome & persistent soft shell

How to spot itA persistently loose or soft shell, not just normal moulting.

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High
Disease

Muscle cramp & white muscle

How to spot itA stiff, bent body or white muscle after stress or handling.

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UrgencyEmergencyHighMediumLow

Urgency is editorial guidance, not a diagnosis. Any new deaths or breathing distress needs urgent assessment, whatever the label.

AquaGrow Solutions

Notice. Record. Test. Then decide.

22 farm and 25 hatchery guides. A selected learning library, not every possible problem or live outbreak surveillance. Use stage-specific hatchery plans; do not copy pond targets to larvae.

  1. 01

    Notice the change

    Watch feed trays, behaviour, growth and daily mortality.

  2. 02

    Keep a pond record

    Note water readings, weather, seed batch and recent inputs.

  3. 03

    Ask the right expert

    Use a qualified professional and lab to choose the next step.

AI-assisted educational content and translations, source-checked 17 October 2026. Not an individual diagnosis or prescription. Independent aquaculture-health and native-language specialist approvals have not been supplied. Sources do not endorse AquaGrow.

Sources & further reading: MPEDA · ICAR-CIBA

This guide is for general information. Conditions vary by pond and region; consult a qualified aquaculture technician before treatment.

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