This study evaluated the zootechnical performance and enzymatic activity of Litopenaeus vannamei reared at different feeding frequencies during the nursery phase in biofloc system. The experiment consisted of four treatments, corresponding to the feeding frequencies of one, two, three and four times a day. Twelve-day postlarvae (PL12) were stocked in 12 circular tanks at a density of 3,000/m 2 for 35 days. These tanks were connected to a recirculation system supplied by a matrix tank where biofloc management was carried out. Water quality remained within acceptable limits for the species over the experiment. Food frequencies had no influence on survival (88.5-92.7%) and feed conversion ratio (1.5-1.7), but the final mean weight (0.43-0.56 g) was significantly higher in shrimp fed three times a day. This fact is probably associated with amylase (14.58 U/mg) and trypsin (23.84 U/mg) activities, as well as the significant increase of chymotrypsin (11.74 U/mg) and lipase (1.27 U/mg) in shrimp of this treatment at the end of culture period. Feeding three times a day provided the highest enzymatic activity and the best zootechnical performance of L. vannamei during the nursery phase in biofloc system. K E Y W O R D Sbiofloc, enzyme, feeding, growth, shrimp

The present study evaluated the effects of feeding frequency during the grow‐out phase of Litopenaeus vannameiin biofloc system. The experiment comprised of four treatments with three replicates each, corresponding to the following feeding frequencies: one (8:00 a.m.), two (8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.), three (8:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.) and four times a day (8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.). Zootechnical performance and digestive enzyme activity were monitored for 63 days. At the end of the experiment, the highest survival rates were found for the individuals fed three and four times a day. Wet weight gain (6.63 g) and specific growth rate (3.46% per day) of the individuals fed three times a day were significantly higher compared to animals fed one and four times a day, but did not differ significantly to the group fed twice a day (6.15 g and 3.46% per day, respectively). The digestive enzyme activities were not affected by the feeding frequency, but negative correlations were found between these activities and shrimp weight. It is recommended that L. vannamei should be fed three times a day during the grow‐out phase in a biofloc system under the conditions used in this study.