Aeration systems For Fish Farms and Fisheries
Aeration systems is one of our specialities at Lana Springs Fish Farm, over the last 20 years or so we’ve tried and tested all types of lake aerators, we regularly receive calls from customers asking what type of aerator is best and where to buy them from, theres such a bewildering range of equipment available all claiming to be the best on the market, its no wonder customers struggle to decide which system is best for their lake.
Initially with 20 separate lakes here on site it made sense to run all the lakes off one large system rather than buying 20 separate aerators and having to supply power to all the lakes, its much cheaper and easier to move air around than electricity, for our site a diffused air system suited our needs best for day to day aeration, however diffused air is not ideal in the event of a oxygen crash, normally this is due to an algal die back, so to cover all bases we had two surface splash aerators and small generators on standby just in case we needed them, if you just want to improve water quality, growth, catch rates etc then diffused air is the way forward, but if your lake suffers with oxygen crashes then ideally you require both diffused air and surface aeration, we stock and sell both diffused air systems for general aeration and surface splash aerators as these are by far the best for oxygen crashes. Aeration is not cheap but when you consider the value of your stock and the benefits aeration brings, it’s absolutely worth investing in.
For our diffused air system we have large blowers that feeds air through a network of pipes around the site, this air is then fed through diffusers in each lake, the rising bubbles lift water from the bottom of the lake and expose it to the air at the surface where it absorbs oxygen, this process also mixes the warmer water at the surface with the colder water from the lake bed, by constantly turning the water over in this way we create a better overall oxygen level and more even temperature. Another advantage with this system is it can be used to de-ice the lakes in winter.
After many years running and improving our own system we started to supply our customers with smaller versions of the system we had developed for our fish farm, as times gone on we have developed more and more sophisticated systems, we have even designed and now produce our own diffusers here on site, these diffusers are cost effective and virtually maintenance free compared to diffusers readily available on the market today, most diffusers need regular cleaning to maintain their efficiency as the small holes tend to clog up over time, its relatively easy to pull out the diffusers to clean them if you have a small pond with just one or two diffusers, but with a larger system and lots off diffusers maintenance becomes a real headache, as time goes by maintenance generally gets forgotten about leading to the reduced efficiency, so we developed diffusers that don’t tend to clog up, you can never say never, but we’ve never known one to clog up completely yet.
Basically our system comprises of a blower or pump which distributes compressed air through heavy duty sinking hose to the diffusers situated out in the lake, the air rising up from the diffusers lifts the oxygen poor water up from the lakebed to the surface where it can absorb oxygen from the air, this updraft of water also mixes the warm water at the surface with the cooler layers below creating a more even overall water temperature. Everything in the aquatic environment requires oxygen, so by increasing the amount of oxygen available everything can thrive, this means more natural food and fish that feed harder and for longer, thus producing better growth rates and better catch rates. Fitting an aeration system is probably the single greatest improvement you could make to your fishery.
We also produce a couple of off grid solar based systems with a battery banks for sites that have now power, there’s an option to suit everyone. Every lake is different and what suits one may not suit another, for more details please phone Chris on 07789304942 to discuss your aeration needs.
