Health & Welfare
Although carbon dioxide is not highly toxic, high levels in the blood have many negative physiological consequences. As carbon dioxide increases, higher dissolved oxygen tension is necessary to load hemoglobin with oxygen.
Aquafeeds
The simplest tool for assessing phytoplankton abundance in aquaculture ponds is the Secchi disk. An electronic turbidimeter can be used to measure the amount of light scattered by a water sample.
Responsibility
Various studies suggest that maintaining minimum daily dissolved oxygen concentrations above 3 mg/L in channel catfish and penaeid shrimp ponds assures better feed consumption and growth.
Responsibility
Management of dissolved oxygen in ponds with static water is difficult, so managers of non-aerated ponds usually limit stocking and feeding rates.
Responsibility
Phytoplankton are essential in intensive aquaculture ponds but an excess can result in shallow thermal stratification.
Responsibility
Emergency aeration with tractor-powered paddlewheels allowed U.S. catfish farmers to increase feeding and stocking rates, and double production.
Responsibility
Dissolved oxygen concentration is perhaps the most important variable influencing the well-being of fish, shrimp and other aquatic life.
Responsibility
Fish farmers often fear their ponds will crash from low dissolved oxygen and result in a major loss from the death of stocked animals.