01 · AquaGrow
What it is
Live feed is one possible contamination pathway, not the automatic cause of every tank loss. The feed lot, receiving tanks and other shared inputs need tracing. A good hatch or healthy appearance does not by itself establish pathogen freedom.
Signs to watch for
- Quality checks find unexpected organisms or abnormal culture condition.
- Several tanks change after receiving the same lot.
- Feed preparation or release records are incomplete.
Common causes
- Water, equipment or handling contaminates the culture.
- Clean starter and production areas are not separated.
- A different shared source is incorrectly blamed on feed.
How to confirm the cause
- Trace feed lot, preparation, release and delivery records to individual tanks.
- Ask the laboratory which feed, water and animal tests are suitable; interpret detections alongside the investigation.
What to do immediately
- 1
Hold the suspect feed lot and keep it identified for assessment.
- 2
Arrange a verified suitable replacement feeding plan for the larval stage.
- 3
Check receiving tanks and contact the health professional if feeding, activity or survival changes.
- 4
Use dedicated equipment and controlled disposal. Do not transfer suspect cultures into clean starter stocks.
Prevention: your practical checklist
- Separate live-feed areas and their equipment.
- Document water treatment, cleaning and release checks.
- Keep feed-lot-to-tank links and train staff in clean handling.
When to call an expert
- Seek urgent help if larvae decline or no safe feed alternative is available.
- Investigate recurring contamination or a positive target-pathogen result before further use.
Farmer questions
Does a positive feed test prove it caused deaths?
Not by itself. The target, method, sampling and animal findings matter. A laboratory detection must be interpreted with the timing and shared-source investigation.
Is live feed the only contamination route?
No. Animals, water, tools, people and other inputs need consideration. Do not stop tracing other sources after finding a suspect feed lot.
Should I disinfect feed inside the larval tank?
Do not transfer a live-feed preparation procedure into occupied larval tanks. Get application-specific advice; this guide does not provide a universal chemical treatment.
Sources & further reading
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.
- SHAPHARI hatchery operating guidelines — production, biosecurity and records ↗MPEDA; linked guideline, not AquaGrow certification or a legal-compliance audit
- Luminescent bacteria in shrimp hatcheries — better management advisory ↗ICAR-CIBA Technical Advisory 1; historical 2009/2010 publication, not current outbreak surveillance
- WSSV diagnostic sampling and interpretation ↗WOAH Aquatic Manual, linked chapter labelled 2023; target-specific guidance, not whole-batch freedom