It’s the beginning of the new year, and there’s no better time to increase your bottom line by improving your aqua farm management practices. This means going beyond typical water quality management practices and seeing how real-time monitoring can improve the quality and success of your aqua farm. Here are 3 specific examples of how real-time water quality monitoring can increase your bottom line.

Keep Your Fish Thriving at Their Ideal Temperature

Every aquatic species has an ideal water temperature (or temperature range) that will keep it the healthiest and happiest, which results in the most efficient growth. Temperatures that stray too far above or below this ideal range can have serious negative impacts on fish health and prosperity. Not only understanding the ideal water temperature for your stock but being able to actively monitor, and quickly react to, temperature changes in your ponds and pens can prevent potential fish kills or poor health. Species living at their ideal temperatures will also have healthier appetites which leads to greater growth and higher product yield for your aqua farm. Real-time water temperature monitoring will ultimately increase your bottom line by maintaining long-lasting healthy environments for your stock.

Dissolved Oxygen Levels Greatly Affect Fish Health

Dissolved oxygen (DO) levels in aquatic environments are affected by a number of factors, including temperature. Low DO levels lead to decreased food availability which in turn leads to declining fish health and increasing fish kills. Even if the low DO levels aren’t lethal, they will negatively impact fish health and growth rates. Keeping your aqua farm at the optimal DO level will ensure bigger, healthier fish. DO levels drop at night and are lowest just before sunrise, since the lack of sunlight pauses the photosynthesis of phytoplankton, which is the main source of DO for aquatic environments. Being able to monitor DO levels in real-time will give you the ability to quickly react to any sudden drops as well as a view to how much the DO level drops in your ponds overnight. This data allows you to know if and when you should turn aerators on after sunset, allowing you to more effectively control your electrical expenses.

Reduce Energy and Labor Costs

With real-time water quality monitoring devices, such as the Aquasend Beacon®, you can reduce your aqua farm’s overhead energy and labor costs, further increasing your profitability. The Beacon uses solar energy as its main power source rather than electricity or batteries, both of which are costlier sources. The data recorded by the Beacon is sent immediately to the cloud and can be accessed from any computer, tablet, or mobile device. This immediate access to data saves the labor costs of manually checking sensors or taking manual measurements of water quality. A Beacon can be deployed and left alone (unless maintenance or recalibration is needed) even in harsh environments, allowing aqua farmers to focus their resources elsewhere with the peace of mind that they will be alerted if water quality becomes an issue.

Don’t Wait, Increase Your Bottom Line Today!

Don’t hesitate to take the first step to improving your 2021 aqua farm management by contacting Aquasend® today. Aquasend® draws upon 30 years of global research-driven water quality monitoring innovation and focuses it on your local aqua farm. Take your farm’s health and profitability into your own hands with the Aquasend Beacon® and give your farm a breath of fresh air!