Why Aeration Solutions
Increasing Dissolved Oxygen In Ponds Used In Fish Farming And Aquaculture
High dissolved oxygen is not just necessary for the survival of the shrimp and fish, but a high level of DO has many advantages as well:
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Increased immunity of prawns and fish
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Higher survival rate
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Lower mortality rate
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Higher Food Conversion Ratio
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Faster growth
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High-density stocking
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Better growth
There are many ways to increase dissolved oxygen in the pond. The most common is to splash water using paddle aerator or spiral aerator or any other form of the surface aerator.
But these machines are made for moving water and not for increasing aeration or Dissolved Oxygen. So most of the power is spent on moving the water, and not increasing DO through aeration.
Aeration tube and Diffuser Grids are much more efficient at increasing DO levels, because:
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The air is pumped at a depth of 1 mtr below the surface so it gets that much time to rise and dissolve oxygen in the water.
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The aeration tube ensures very fine micro bubbles , increasing the surface area of the bubble , hence allowing for high transfer of oxygen from air to water.
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It is almost noise free and does not disturb aquatic life so it can also be used during feeding time.
The SOTR – Standard Oxygen Transfer Rate – using aeration tube and blower is almost 3 times that of a paddle aerator. So if using 1 HP paddle aerator, DO can be increased from say 4 to 5 mg /L in 1 hour, the same result one can achieve in 20 minutes using aeration tube. -
The SAE – Standard Aeration Efficiency – is almost 3 times that of paddle aerator. So for instance if you need 3 HP of power using paddle aerator to increase DO from 4 to 5 mg/L, you can achieve the same with aeration tube but with 1 HP or less power.
These benefits are slowly being accepted by aqua-culturists, however they hesitate to use the tube for fear of algae and pond waste sticking to the tube, hence clogging them.
These fears have a reason behind them – because if not used properly and without precautions, tube can be clogged. Also regardless of how well one takes care of the tube there will be algae in the pond which will adhere to the tube, just like it will adhere to everything else in the pond.