Commercial fish farming has always been a profitable business venture. There is a lot of demand for fish and fish related products and, the demand has been increasing rapidly due to the rapid population growth. At the same time, a good number of farmers are worried about the impact of high density fish farming on the fish’s mortality rate and they are always looking for a convincing solution to this problem.
Problems That Cause Great Concern
One of the most common problems associated with high density fish farming is the spread of disease. Small enclosures and unnatural diets often breed diseases and they spread across other wild populations in a fast manner. Quite naturally, fish mortality rate increases significantly. Many aquaculture productions depend on prophylactic antibiotics for preventing infections and the excess use of antibiotics leads to the emergence of drug resistant bacteria that spreads across the wild populations. Many farmers find the oxygen management as a difficult process and undermining the importance of feed quality creates a lot of negative effects. The feed conversion ratio has also become a serious problem as far as high density fish farming is concerned and all these issues increase the fish mortality rate significantly.
Proper Oxygen Management Is Very Critical To Reduce Fish Mortality Rates
The availability of oxygen and the concentration of dissolved oxygen are two vital factors that influence the fish mortality rate in a high density fish farming system. Water quality, particularly low dissolved oxygen syndrome (LODOS) is the most critical aspect in high density fish management and it can also be described as the most tricky thingto comprehend, forecast and manage. LODOS is the major reason behind high fish mortality rates, disease outbreaks, penurious growth and inadequate feed efficiency and, these issues can be solved with the help of highly dynamic aeration solution for fish farmers. Conventional aeration methods get engaged in the process of splashing up water in the air with the help of paddles or similar devices and as water drops come down, they dissolve oxygen in them. When a fish farmer uses a highly advanced aeration to support high density fish farming, the dissolving process takes place through small bubbles when they come up slowly and the quantity of dissolved oxygen increases tremendously.
Feed Conversion Ratio Is An Important Aspect
Feed conversion ratio also known as FCR is a measure of nutrient efficiency of creating fish from feed and several factors such as the quality of the feed, quantity of the feed, the size of the fish and fish species make an impact on the feed conversion rate. High quality aeration methods (like our AirOxi aeration solutions) improve the FCR to a great extent because the bubbles maintain some food particles floating instead of allowing them to settling at the bottom side of the farming system. High feed conversion ratio reduces the fish mortality rate with admirable efficiency.
High Yield Per Hectare Is Very Significant In Increasing The Profits
Generating optimal profits is an important aspect of high density fish farming. Most sophisticated aeration methods not only allow equal distribution of dissolved oxygen and improved feed conversion ratio; but also help farmers generate high yield per hectare. They increase the yield up to 30% to 40% per hectare compared to places where traditional methods were used for aeration. The most important reason behind this improved yield is the higher survival rate and most advanced aeration methods ensure better congenial setting for the fish to thrive without disturbing the aquatic life.
Low Operational And Maintenance Costs Are Vital To High Density Fish Farming
When the investments and operational costs remain lower, the farmer can enjoy better profits. Since the conventional aeration methods comprise of a lot of moving parts and motors, the maintenance expenses and maintenance time will become very higher. Modern aeration methods do not contain a lot of motors, breakable parts and metal or couplings that are prone to rust and this situation leads to reduced maintenance time and expenses.
The bottom line is that highly advanced aeration to support high density fish farming maintains oxygen levels with utmost efficiency and they increase the food conversion rate by not allowing the food to settle. The farmer can expect high yield per hectare and, the low operational and maintenance costs make the farming highly profitable.