Nightly Aeration to Increase the Efficiency of Channel Catfish Production

Abstract

Abstract Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) ponds were stocked at 10,000 fish/hectare and fed to a maximum daily rate of 53.2 kg/hectare. Three ponds were aerated 6 h/night from 30 May to 12 October at a rate equivalent to 6.25 kW/hectare with aerators that had a standard aeration efficiency of 1.34 kg O2/kWh. Three ponds served as unaerated controls, but emergency aeration was occasionally applied in these ponds. Dissolved oxygen concentrations were always above 4 mg/L in aerated ponds, but concentrations below 2 mg/L often were recorded in unaerated ponds. Harvest weight of fish averaged 4,813 kg/hectare in aerated ponds and 3,659 kg/ hectare in unaerated ponds. The same quantity of feed was applied to all ponds. Feed conversions (weight of feed applied/net weight gained by fish) were 1.32 and 1.75 in aerated and unaerated ponds, respectively. Production data were expanded to larger ponds for a budget analysis. Net returns to land, management, and equity capital were US$1,719/hectare for aerated pond...