Showing posts with label Equipment. Show all posts

Sunday, June 7, 2020

3.2 Air Pumps

Posted on Sunday, June 07, 2020 by Biofloc Fish Farming

• What are Air Pumps?

An air pump is one of the most basic, yet versatile, pieces of equipment that you will have to own for fish rearing, whether it is an aquarium or a fish farming tank. For biofloc fish farming, this is considered one of the most important equipment which you will need, so that you don't end up with thousands of dead fishes floating on the water surface. The basic function of an air pump is to force air, through mechanical means, from the atmosphere into your aquarium, which is later released inside the water in the form of bubbles.

Please note: This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. It would be highly appreciated if you please consider buying from the links provided. It won't cost you anything extra, but it may help us with a little bit of commission from Amazon.

• What is the use of air pumps in tanks?

Like we've discussed above, the air pump forces the air from the atmosphere into the tank through a pipe. The air is released through a air stone, this results in the creation of thousands of tiny air bubbles which rush to the water surface, causing surface agitation. This is beneficial in some ways:

Increases the concentration of dissolved Oxygen (D.O.) in the tank.
Fishes are constantly breathing oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide, these bubbles helps in releasing the dissolved carbon dioxide.
Good aeration helps in stirring the water up to a certain degree. Maintaining proper water flow velocity is essential for optimizing biofloc systems and keeping microorganisms suspended in the water column.
An additional benefit of aeration and mixing is the removal of gases from the water column, which can have a great effect on overall water quality.

• Types of air pumps :

Electromagnetic air pump
Diaphragm air pump

➤Electromagnetic air pumps are a type of rotary pumps where they rotor is constantly, well, rotating, and when it comes to fish-keeping trade, they generally look something like the picture attached. They are comparatively cheaper than diaphragm air pumps but they come with their own set of problems like:

Louder operating noise.
Cannot be easily repaired in case of malfunctioning, although by theory they last longer.
Consumes more electricity as compared to diaphragm air pumps.

➤Diaphragm air pumps are a better substitute for electromagnetic air pumps. They are a type of reciprocating pump, where the air is pumped in two-steps cycle. They can be comparatively quieter than electromagnetic air pumps, with lesser power consumption, and they last way longer in comparison. Even in case of malfunctioning, its usually a damaged diaphragm which can easily be replaced by a novice with just unscrewing about four screws and repairing it, that's why i always use them as my primary aeration source.

• How to choose the right pump for my tank?

Do consult your trainer under whom you were trained, he/she will probably assist you up to a certain extent, but do not follow him blindly. I mean, the person who trained us, said that any pump that causes "bubbles to come out of water" will be useful. He also insisted that any pump that pumps about 25 LPM (litres per minute) volume of air will suffice. That is not totally true. The depth of the tank affects the air pressure, and from my experience more is better, because its better use one pump for more than one tank, than using multiple pumps for them.

I use 120 LPM diaphragm pumps for two tanks (10,000 litres each) on an average, and they've been working fine for me. If you're going for just one tank in the beginning, try to invest just a little bit more and go for any pump that pumps 60 LPM volume of air or more, you can easily make 11-12 outlets from it and still have enough aeration and water movement.

3.1 Use of Potassium Permanganate in Biofloc Farming

Posted on Thursday, June 04, 2020 by Biofloc Fish Farming

• Potassium Permanganate

Potassium permanganate is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula KMnO4. It is a purplish-black crystalline solid, that dissolves in water to give intensely pink or purple solutions. In a layman's term, it is a moderately strong "chemical" that will react with any organic matter in a biofloc fish tank, and oxidize them. Therefore it is used extensively by fish farmers to disinfect their ponds or fish tanks to get rid of any microbial lifeforms like algae, bacteria and kill them and purify their ponds or tanks.

It is available in pharmaceutical stores in small sachets and packets of around 50 grams, and it can be cheap or a just a little bit costly depending on the locality. You can find it in crystal forms or powdered form and the colour varies from very dark pink to purple which become deep purple when dissolved in water.

• How to use it :

Buy a small pack of Potassium permanganate from any pharmaceutical shop, you can buy as much as you want but you won't need a lot of it, so you can store it for future use. I use the product shown below.
Open the pack, you'll find a purple or dark pink coloured powder. Take just a small amount of it, about 3-4 grams.
Dissolve the powder in a bucket full of water, it will easily dissolve in water resulting in a purplish solution.
Spray or pour the solution all over the walls carefully.
Wait for a about 30 minutes and wash it off thoroughly with clean water. Let the water drain out totally.
Fill it with clean water up to the desired mark and proceed with the next step.

• Other uses of Potassium permanganate :

I use a solution of 1 gram of Potassium permanganate powder in 20 litres of water to sterilize the fish seed before releasing them in the tank. This helps in getting rid of the unwanted pathogens that the fishes carry with them. I do it by taking the fishes in a net and dipping them in the solution for about 10-15 seconds, and then dipping them in clean water and then releasing them. I have noticed that this process helps in getting rid of many extremely lethal parasites like Ich.

• Tips :

Potassium permanganate stains skin and clothing and should be handled with care. Clothing stains may be washed away using acetic acid (vinegar). Skin stains usually disappear within 48 hours.
Potassium permanganate rapidly loses its potency when exposed to light and air. So keep any solution you make up well away from light and in a airtight container.
Ensure you clearly mark any such container as POISON and keep it well away from children.
Wear rubber gloves and use masks when handling Potassium permanganate.