welcome to the 369 annual aquaculture boot camp

Welcome to the 369th annual

Aquaculture boot camp

In spite of yesterday’s gloomy

weather. There is sunshine in the

future

And yes we are on the hunt for #5

Famous Emma is everywhere

Aeration Choices

How Much O2 is necessary? Two Approaches

1) Based on feeding. Dr. Boyd says 1#/ feed requires 1#

o2/day. Keeping in mind that fish can consume of to 13x’s

as much 02 when stomachs are full.

2) Average Consumption method: .02 - .05 lbs/ o2/hr/100#’s of

fish.

Oxygen demand in typical fish ponds

50% plankton

30% sediment

20% fish

… Why Aeration??

Fish: poor growth, habitat, health, fish kills

Overproduction of algae

Organic sludge accumulation – 02 will reduce this

Nutrient processing

Clarity-plankton, turbidity

Debris/trash/surface film

Mosquito control – Zika, West Nile

Water quality & AerationWHAT AERATION CAN DO

Mixes water for uniform distribution of temperatures, pH, nutrients, planktonic food.

Fish have full access to the water column

When pond mud has oxygen, it buffers the release of phosphorus into the water system.

Aerated organic solids have better settlability.

Higher oxygen levels stimulate bacteria that consume organic sludge.

The quick answer to support

aeration is. You do not want to

plant your fish

Pond aeration two strategies

Feed the gain. Aerated to get fish to harvest faster. Shorten the risk.

Aerate to increase density and more pounds per acre

Oxygen transfer tests

0 -98% saturation

20 degrees C

Result is lbs/o2/hp/hr. Then….What

do you do with that?

Does not take into account salinity

or altitude. Or the closer you get

to saturation the more difficult it is

to add oxygen.

D.O. Tips Do not let it get below 3 pm at 6 AM - Les Torans

research

Diurnal fluctuation. Small fish stressed with wide

fluctuations

Feed conversion gets better as D.O. increases

Oxygen reduces the formation of unionized

ammonia

Pure Oxygen Threshold

Somewhere around ½# of fish per gallon of water.

Densities as high as 1.9 # of fish per gallon of h20

New strategies on some catfish

ponds

Split ponds with circulators @ various rpm

Up to 20,000 pound/acre

Best feed conversions 1.87:1

8 hp/acre

Adds .086 cents to production costs per pound – cost of

production .75. selling price $1.15. average farm size 450

acres

$2.2 million profit every 17 months

better cheaper

Can run in winter but do not shut

them off in the extreme north

Net pen aquaculture

Surface aerators Diffusers

Regenerative blower

High volume

Low pressure

Bank of blowers Airstones

Deeper ponds

Old Style – Carbon vanes

Noisier

Maintenance

10 psi limited

More power

Better volume

New air sources for ponds

Quieter

Better pressure (deeper and smaller diameter air tubing)

Not as much maintenance

Not quite the same volume

Less amps

Linear Compressors – Quiet, low

amp draw, pressure limited

Septic

Koi

Bait tanks

Bio-Assay

Labs

Lift stations

Aquariums

Medical

Aquaponics

Lifting mixing with diffusers

2.5 amps at 120 volts –

Handles 2 diffusers –

3400 gpm per diffusers @ 15’ of

depth = 9.7 million gallons a day

Winterkill prevention – 1-2% surface

open

Diffuser maintenance

Pond/lakes stratification – Fish kills

last summer when we destratified

Venturi type – causes directional

flow

De-Icing – prevent waterfowl but

attract water fowl – protect

equipment

Kasco De-Icers Saved the Day in the

Whale Rescue Effort that Inspired the

Movie

“Big Miracle” !

De-icing

Oyster/clam circulation/upweller

1-3 mm seed to field size

Reduces predation

Circulates more food past

them

Shaved a year off of

production cycle (cost

per unit gain was

positive)!

Solar aeration

FELL APART $6000

Solar line voltage

They now have sensors that if the

wind stops it will turn on to 120volt

air pump.

Negatives of windmill by itself. P

puffing

Remote valve set up to take the

place of solar or wind

Can run for long

distances with

rocking piston

compressors

What our aeration can do to fish

growth. UN of FL study

In an emergency, any type of

aeration is better than none

Bush Hogerator Outboarderator

Google Earth

Water moccasin – perils of the job

Black Widow- Monday in our

factory- they are not native to WI

Fire ant HQ in the control panel – Customer

could not figure out why his aerator was not

working

WI farmers do have the attention of

decision makers