For proper aquaculture farming, water management needs to be precise. Since the balance of oxygen and ammonia can be life and death for fish and shrimp, modern water quality analyzers warn the farmer of potential problematic changes. These do this by their high-tech sensors, which provide real-time measurements of dissolved oxygen and ammonia nitrogen.
With the fine and real-time measurement of dissolved oxygen and ammonia nitrogen, the water quality analyzer assists farmers in responding to the triggers for aeration and water exchange. This saves your fish and shrimp from dying, increasing your yield. Let's explore this in greater detail.
Why is Monitoring Important for Aquaculture?
Aquaculture is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world as it provides various food sources. However, you can never be successful in aquaculture farming if you don’t maintain a good water quality level. It doesn’t matter if you are using ponds, cages, or recirculating systems.
Healthy water is one of the main reasons for optimal growth, feeding, and disease resistance in the species being farmed. Water condition tracking in real-time allows farmers to manage any conditions prior to stress events.
What Parameters Affect Aquaculture?
The most important water quality parameters include the level of dissolved oxygen and ammonia. There are other parameters like pH, temperature, and salinity as well.
Water quality meters are one of the modern instruments that allow continuous evaluation of such parameters. When water becomes unstable, you face health issues that make your production drop.
Role of Dissolved Oxygen
If water doesn’t have sufficient oxygen levels, the fish and shrimp can’t respire properly, which makes them suffocate. This will result in poor feeding and disease outbreaks. All species of fish and shrimp will respire well at levels above 5 mg/L. Fish will become stressed and may die in under 3 mg/L.
Low dissolved oxygen will slow down the bacterial decomposition of organic waste and cause ammonia buildup. Oxygen levels are also affected by temperature, salinity, and organic load. Warm water holds even less oxygen, so aeration is especially important.
Aerators and paddlewheels are very efficient at increasing oxygen transfer. Continuous DO monitoring will allow proper respiration and loss events to be controlled before they become catastrophic.
Role of Ammonia Nitrogen
Waste and uneaten feed generate ammonia. Even small quantities may poison aquatic organisms. You can find ammonium compounds in different types, like ammonia, NH₃, and ammonium, NH₄⁺. It is ammonia you need to worry about, as ammonium is less harmful.
If there is a rise in pH and temperature levels, you will see high levels of poisonous ammonia being generated in the water. In such conditions, the fish and shrimp suffer from a lot of stress on their gills. They no longer feed properly; ultimately, their organs get damaged.
If they are kept in such conditions for long periods of time, your fish and shrimp will have stunted growth and compromised immunity. Hence, an accurate measurement of ammonia nitrogen will help prevent its accumulation, reducing the risk of mass mortality of the fish.
Relationship between Dissolved Oxygen and Ammonia Levels
In aquaculture, there is a close connection between ammonia and oxygen levels. When oxygen levels are low, the ammonia-removing, nitrifying bacteria are also slow. An increase in ammonia will result in an increase in oxygen demand. This rapid shift will result in unstable conditions for the farm.
High levels of ammonia will change the oxygen and fish metabolism relationship. An exchanging system will increase the levels of oxygen in the system. This system will continuously control conditions in the environment to prevent reactions and aqua farm death.
The real-time data produced by a water quality analyzer allows you to ensure water conditions remain stable and safe. A water quality analyzer is essential in aquaculture because it eliminates guesswork and slow manual testing, ensuring constant monitoring.
Real-Time Accurate Monitoring
A water quality analyzer allows you to have real-time data of important water quality parameters like dissolved oxygen, ammonia, pH, and more. This accurate data helps you identify and respond to any harmful change quickly.
Early Detection of Issues
Immediate notifications inform you if values exceed the acceptable range. This allows early detection of fish kills, equipment damage, contamination, and expensive downtime. Timely reporting keeps the business running and safe.
Greater Efficiency and Cost Savings
With an automated system, you are able to have better control over aerators, chemicals, and filtration processes. This promotes energy savings, prevents useless chemicals, and reduces manual labor. Effective management controls costs.
Improved Safety and Water Quality
With water's temperature and other aspects maintained consistently, fish remain healthy and waterways are clean for users. Water quality analyzers like BOQU enable you to maintain crucial variables in the optimal range.
Regulatory Compliance and Records
Water quality analyzers are able to provide you with accurate data collected over a long period of time. This data helps you prove your compliance with environmental regulations. Effective water quality monitoring will make every audit simple for you.
Environmental Sustainability
Water quality analyzers are able to correctly identify any harmful changes in the water bodies. Hence, they help you protect the ecosystem by promoting responsible stewardship of water. Thereby, you contribute to long-term sustainability.
Measures that help Improve Water Monitoring
Quality water maintenance requires attention and water care. There are automated water quality meters, but people are the ones who set up the systems. Here are some tips for effective water monitoring:
- Check sensors regularly for calibration and for any buildup of dirt.
- Position the probes in the main zones for water circulation.
- Ensure that the sensor heads are free of bubbles or sediment.
- Conduct logging on a daily basis in order to establish trends.
- In order to manage the data collected from the analyzers, conduct a visual pond inspection.
- Check to see if the fish are showing any stressed behavior, such as gasping.
- Make sure that the aerators operate more in the warm months, especially during the night.
- When ammonia levels rise rapidly, lower the feed.
Conclusion
A dependable source of water quality data offers instant updates. It aids aqua farmers in reacting rapidly to fluctuations in water quality parameters. With the help of analyzers like
A trusted supplier like BOQU greatly enhances your ability to manage the water quality parameters. Its accurate sensors help you prevent potential mass mortality through continuous monitoring of dissolved oxygen and ammonia levels. This simple integration increases the overall yield.
Sophisticated automated systems and precise data eliminate guesswork in decision-making. It saves you time and makes feeding and aeration more efficient. With BOQU water quality analyzers, you can safeguard the aquaculture systems and achieve profitability through sustainable farming.