7.0

Aeration

7.1

Aquaculture

Using Leeaky Hose as an air carrier in fish ponds increases profits through faster growing fish, less food waste, and shortened harvest intervals.

7.1.1

Why Aerate For Aquaculture?

1. Grow more fish in a given area of water.
2. Grow fish faster through increased food supply.
3. Reduce loses of fish through stratification.
4. Lower food costs per kilo of fish harvested.

7.1.2

Leeaky Hose Aeration

1. Increases oxygen levels in any given area of water.
2. Provides greater levels of oxygen to phyloplankton (food)
3. Equalising water temperature through continual convection
4. More food through faster, more efficient breakdown of pond waste.

Before the development of Leeaky Hose, fish, eel and lobster growers faced two alternatives:
1. To let the fish grow naturally (and very slowly with marginal profits), or
2. Install paddle wheels, aerators and carry power to each site.
The second course of action was available only to major growers able to make the capital investment and pay the continuous energy costs without any return on their investment for three or four years.

Leeaky Hose aeration is not only 70% - 80% cheaper to establish, but is 500% more efficient in adding dissolved oxygen to the water. Leeaky Hose installations typically require 50% less in annual energy costs.

Those farms which introduce some form of aeration will increase pond yields because of:
1. The low cost of Leeaky Hose (compared with paddle wheels),
2. Not having to run expensive electricity lines to each dam, and
3. The higher dissolved oxygen yield for a given volume of air.

7.1.3

Why Is Oxygen So Important in Water?

When we put fish into a pond, we put them there to grow, not to practice their survival skills. But in still water the oxygen that is used is only replaced slowly, through oxygen brought in during rain falls, or wave action on the surface on windy days.

In the meantime the fish are competing for the oxygen with the phyloplankton and the bacteria that break down the pond waste into food.

If the fish use the oxygen they will not grow bigger because their food supply is low. If there is not sufficient oxygen for the aerobic bacteria to grow, this makes it possible for anaerobic bacteria to flourish.