The desire for higher production yields has driven the marine species farmers to shift to increasingly more controlled environments – recirculated aquaculture systems (RAS). A truly successful RAS that makes reared species thrive requires an advanced disease control solution due to continuous water re-use, accumulation of species droppings, and nutrients used in its feed.
This further intensifies as microbiology is disrupted by increasing stocking densities and feeding, potentially making RAS an ideal breeding ground for various bacteria and viruses. UV systems are the best available technology for tackling this issue – including increasing numbers of bacteria outside of the biofilter. ULTRAAQUA UV delivers tested and proved UV solutions for controlling the risk of bacteria outbreak in the RAS without altering other crucial water qualities such as pH and temperature.
Based on in-field experience and R&D ULTRAAQUA UV systems have been designed to meet disinfection requirements even for the most intensive RAS and as of today are responsible for disinfecting over 100 000m3/h RAS water worldwide.
In order to accommodate a high variety of climates and flows, ULTRAAQUA UV systems for aquaculture offer gravity flow, open channel systems, and closed vessel systems – in both stainless-steel and polypropylene materials. This enables the company to provide the best solution for either influent, effluent, or process water that can be installed or retrofitted in a variety of RAS layouts.
Bacterial
Aeromonas salmonicida – 5.0 mJ/cm2; Aeromonas hydrophila – 5.0 mJ/cm2; Flavobacterium psychrophilum – 126 mJ/cm2; Vibrio salmonicida – 1.5 mJ/cm2; Vibrio anguillarum – 4.0 mJ/cm2; Pseudomonas Fluorescens – 11.0 mJ/cm2; Renibacterium salmonicida – 20.0 mJ/cm2; Bacterial Kidney Disease (BKD) – 60.0 mJ/cm2
Viral
Infectious Salmon Anemia Virus (ISAV) – 10.0 mJ/cm2; Infectious Pancreas Necrosis Virus (IPNV) – 250 mJ/cm2; Nodavirus – 200 mJ/cm2; Infectious hematopoietic necrosis Virus (IHNV) – 30.0 mJ/cm2; Atlantic Salmon Paramyzo Virus – 240.0 mJ/cm2; Heart Sceletal Muscle Inflammation (HSMI) – 250.0 mJ/cm2; Nervous Necrosis Virus (NNV) – 70.0 mJ/cm2
Once the key water inlet point is secured, one can be sure that the diseases are not entering the control environment through the water intake. This significantly reduces the stress imposed by the dangerous pathogens and microorganisms. As a result, the reared species’ energy is directed into growth which leads to higher food conversion ratios (FCR) allowing to produce an overall healthier and stronger fish.
UV disinfection is the only disinfection method that efficiently inactivates pathogenic microorganisms found in aquaculture without affecting water properties or creating dangerous by-products such as bromates. It makes it an especially ideal solution for hatcheries and grow-out applications.
The higher the quality of water, the less medication is required. Antibiotics are a common solution to control disease outbreaks in aquaculture farms. However, this method makes consumers uneasy since it makes anyone in the supply chain develop resilience and affects everyone’s health. Prevention is the best solution – by securing water with non-chemical UV disinfection, producers can significantly cut the use of antibiotics and produce overall healthier fish for the consumers
Closed units can be customized to match the individual project specifications. Variations of flange size and orientation options (U, L, or Z) help to provide customers with the least effect on the overall hydraulics. Control cabinet features can also be customized to meet the challenging installation location requirements