Abstract
Zooplankton is a secondary consumer in the food chain of aquatic ecosystems. They are closely related to the nutrient content and play a vital role in the nursing of many aquatic species, particularly in the larval stage including black tiger shrimp. Therefore, an expedition study has been conducted to investigate the seasonal changes in the zooplankton community at several ecological black tiger shrimp ponds in Ca Mau mangroves, considering the potential for use as an additional natural food source in shrimp pond. Samples were collected in 8 shrimp ponds in two times of the year (July and November). The results were recorded 24 species belonging to 20 genera, 12 families, 3 phylla and 3 kinds of larval zooplankton. The results were recorded 6 groups of zooplankton in ponds in July, but in November the Rotatoria group did not appear in any ponds. Zooplankton densities varied from 16592 to 53330 individuals / m3. In particular, the Copepoda order occupied more than 50% of the total species and density. There is a negative correlation between individual density and NO2 concentration or salinity. The zooplankton community associated with the ponds can be used as the livefood for suitanable aquaculture. Utilization of these resources is very economical for aquaculture due to the low cost to compare with that of the artifical food. However, the diversity of the zooplankton community in ponds is not high. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the number of species in the water bodies by creating a suitable environment for some groups such as Rotatoria, Cladocera to grow out in these ponds.