0086-138 3838 9622A specialized shrimp feed production line, capacity 1.5 t/h, has been ordered by an aquaculture feed operation on Ecuador’s coastal region — the contract was finalized following several weeks of formula and equipment discussions.
Shrimp feed is unforgiving in terms of equipment requirements. Pellets need to sink slowly and hold together in water for extended periods — shrimp are slow, deliberate feeders compared to fish, picking at pellets over hours rather than minutes. If the pellet disintegrates too fast, feed conversion ratios suffer and water quality degrades from dissolved organic matter.
This requires steam conditioning before pelletizing (longer conditioning time than typical fish feed) and a pellet press configuration with a higher compression ratio die to achieve the density needed for water stability. The line includes a fine grinder (shrimp feed ingredients need finer particle size than most livestock feeds — typically under 250 microns for key components), a conditioner with extended retention time, the pellet press, and a counter-flow cooler.
Formula base includes fish meal, soybean meal, wheat flour as a binder component, and a vitamin-mineral premix specific to shrimp nutritional requirements — squid meal is also part of the buyer’s formula, which adds an attractant quality but also affects how the mix flows through the conditioner (it’s slightly oilier than standard formulas).
Pellet diameter is small — 1.8mm, sized for juvenile to sub-adult shrimp depending on the farm’s stocking stage.
RICHI’s technical team flagged during the proposal stage that the squid meal content would need conditioner steam pressure adjustments beyond standard settings, and recommended the buyer budget for a slightly longer commissioning period — about 3-4 extra days — to fine-tune conditioning parameters against actual water-stability test results rather than relying on generic settings.
Fabrication is underway, with shipment targeted for approximately 8 weeks from contract signing.
