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Deploying an Aquasend Beacon is a great first step toward taking control of the water quality in aquafarm ponds and, by extension, the health of the fish. In order to have a successful farm, you have to protect your most important asset: your water quality. Designed for outdoor aquafarm pond use, the Beacon measures dissolved oxygen (DO) and temperature (T), the two most important factors in water quality. It sends real-time data to an online portal and alerts the fish farmer when DO and T readings approach unsafe levels.
Information source: Aquasend Beacon press release
Water temperature changes fairly slowly. DO, by contrast, is the most dynamic variable in aquafarming water quality; levels can change from optimal to lethal in a matter of hours, sometimes in minutes. Real-time data, such as that provided by the Beacon, can literally be a lifesaver. If the farmer is alerted to changing DO levels, aeration strategies can be deployed, rescuing both water quality and fish. Aeration is not difficult to deploy but the response time required for successful aeration is short, making rapid and reliable monitoring crucial.
For optimum results with the Beacon, fish farmers can calibrate and adjust, based on the unique qualities of their ponds. Calibration and adjustment are easy with the Beacon and can be done remotely.
Aquasend Beacon Installed at Global Organic Farm, Inc.
Global Organic Farm, Inc., an aquaculture farm in Desert Center, CA, owned and operated by Gwan Thio, recently deployed an Aquasend Beacon.
The initial deployment consisted of one buoy in one pond. In cases where more than one buoy is deployed, all units can be mesh networked and connected to the cloud. Each buoy is solar and battery-powered, equipped with GPS positioning and radio and phone connectivity. An anti-fouling wiper prevents the growth of algae and other organisms on the unit, ensuring continued, accurate operation. Bird spikes prevent unwanted landings.
The buoy was deployed with default settings: a 10-minute sample rate, 4 hours between wipes, alarm at 3 mg/L, 15 second fresh pump time.
Shortly after deployment, the wiper was changed from every four hours to every hour, in response to pond conditions. Later, the interval was decreased to every 30 minutes, again in response to local conditions.
Continuously Monitored Water Quality
Thio was excited about the real-time data and control enabled by the buoy. “The Aquasend Beacon is a must-have equipment for fish farmers who want to have the most current data of their ponds’ water quality. This device will notify the farm manager when the oxygen or temperature is below the set threshold, saving the farm thousands of dollars’ loss from a full pond of dead fish.”
This recognizes the unit’s potential. “It’s very convenient to know the real-time temperature and DO of the water,” he said. “The warning system is very helpful. So is being able to change the settings wirelessly.”
Further information about the product and brand, available at:
https://www.aquasend.com/case-study/aquasend-beacon-global-organic-farm/?campaign=aqsblaunch_emails
