<![CDATA[The present study investigated the dose-dependent effects of rumen-derived microbial supplementation, applied as a local natural probiotic in commercial feed, on digestive physiology, feed utilization, growth, survival, and water quality of whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) postlarvae. A completely randomized design was used to evaluate three probiotic doses, namely 3, 4, and 5 mL per 100 g feed, during a 45-day feeding trial. The measured parameters included gastric emptying rate, total feed consumption, feed utilization efficiency (FUE), feed conversion ratio (FCR), muscle glycogen content, RNA/DNA ratio, specific growth rate (SGR), absolute growth (AG), survival rate (SR), and water quality. Rumen-derived probiotic supplementation significantly affected digestive, physiological, and growth-related parameters (p < 0.05). The 3 mL/100 g feed treatment produced the best overall response, with the highest gastric emptying score (4.2 ± 0.3; p < 0.001), highest FUE (88.83%), lowest FCR (1.99 ± 0.00), highest RNA/DNA ratio (1.45 ± 0.05), highest SGR (1.17 ± 0.00% day⁻¹), and highest SR (87%). In contrast, higher doses of 4–5 mL/100 g feed reduced postlarval performance, indicating a non-linear dose response. Water quality parameters remained within suitable ranges throughout the study. These findings indicate that 3 mL/100 g feed was the most effective dose among those tested for improving nutrient utilization and postlarval performance.]]>
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