Shrimp Pond Wheel: Function, Determining the Number, and Location

The balance of the shrimp pond water ecosystem is expected to create a comfortable and safe environment during the shrimp farming process. One of the facilities that plays an important role in creating the conditions for aquaculture ponds is to perform aeration using a shrimp pond wheel.

Aeration is the addition of air to water to make the oxygen content in the water sufficient with the help of aeration equipment. Therefore, you need to know how to determine the need for a shrimp pond wheel and how to make a shrimp pond wheel. 

The Function of the Waterwheel in Shrimp Ponds

The function of the water wheel in shrimp ponds is needed as a supplier of oxygen. A good pond waters ecosystem requires sufficient dissolved oxygen. The need for dissolved oxygen is supplied by phytoplankton, but the need for oxygen will not be sufficient for the biota and the processes that occur in it.

Oxygen in pond water is needed not only in the process of respiration (breathing) but is also needed in the physical, chemical and biological processes that occur in these waters. The use of a water wheel in shrimp pond waters is expected to support and anticipate oxygen shortages that can occur at certain times in aquaculture pond waters.

What you need to know in the process of mixing oxygen in the upper and lower layers of pond waters is that shrimp pond waters are static at a certain height and have different characteristics between the upper and lower layers. The differences in the characteristics of these waters can endanger the life of the shrimp in them. The operation of the water wheel is expected to support the anticipation of significant differences between pond water layers, so that the quality of the water produced is relatively the same between pond water layers.

How to Determine the Need for a Waterwheel in Shrimp Ponds

The main function of the shrimp pond wheel is to supply oxygen to the shrimp pond. To find out the number of pinwheels needed, you also need to know the total shrimp biomass, at least an estimate of the total existing shrimp biomass because it is quite difficult to know the exact number.

Once known, then adjusted to the wheel supply capacity. Shrimp pond mill with a power of 1 HP (Horse Power) ideally supply up to 500 kg of shrimp, while a 2 HP wheel can supply oxygen up to 1 ton of shrimp.

For example, the results of the last sampling of shrimp have a biomass of 10 tons. In order for the aquaculture pond to get maximum aeration, 10 2 HP mills are needed to operate in the aquaculture pond pond.

How to Make a Waterwheel in a Shrimp Pond

The layout of a good wheel in a pond is very relative or depends on the number and position of the direction of the wheel and the area of the pond owned. However, the most basic thing to know is the rotation of the fan on the water wheel which is expected to produce a water current that can level the quality of pond water vertically and horizontally.

Here's how to make a shrimp pond water wheel that you can follow:

1. Use wheels which has proven quality. Many manufacturers mill domestic and foreign offering wheels good quality and cheap.
2. Use a stainless steel dynamo or waterwheel. Try to choose stainless steel.
3. Note the combination of the direction and position of the water wheel on the shrimp pond. This combination must be able to produce a whirlpool that is able to direct the dirt at the bottom of the pond towards pond water disposal (in the middle or side depending on pond construction) so that pond water conditions remain healthy.
4. Note the construction of the waterwheel support poles in the pond. 
5. Adjust the position and direction of the water wheel according to the shape of the pond and rotate clockwise. The purpose of setting the direction and position of the wheel is to be able to collect mud to the center and minimize it dead zone.
6. Use the grind amount taking into account the age and density of the shrimp population in the pond.
7. Under certain conditions in shrimp ponds, adjust the number of wheels with the level of stocking density of shrimp, as previously described. What must be considered is that a high density of shrimp requires a greater number of aerators compared to a lower density of shrimp. 

The use of a shrimp pond water wheel can have a positive impact on the concentration of dissolved oxygen in the pond. The reason is, the shrimp pond water wheel becomes one of the shrimp farming facilities that creates pond water conditions so that there is a balance in the pond waters ecosystem. 

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