Shellfish Breeding and Hatchery Management (2+1)

24.1.1 Removal of suspended solids

This is more essential for further treatment of water. Therefore it is referred as primary treatment. In this process, all the suspended matter will be removed.

In the hatchery tank water, the suspended particles are mainly the unused feed and fecal matter. They might be having a particle size ranging from 0.001 – 0.01mm depending on the feed used. These particles can be separated by the following tools:

a) Seives – appropriate size to remove the particles

b) Sedimentation chamber - make the particles to settle through the process called sedimentation.

c) cartridge filter - Cartridges are used for filtering the water. The cartridges will have filter media or cloth with micro pores.

d) Granular media filter - Filter containing granules for the filtration of water. The milli pores offered by the mass of granules will filter the suspended solids from the water.

In the above cartridge filter and granular media filter, the solids are removed while the water is passed through with or without pressure through a media with holes or pores smaller than the size of the particles. These filters are commercially available in different models to suit the flow characteristian of the water.

Sedimentation filter is to be designed based on the volume of the water that is to be filtered. This is working oo the principle of separation based as the mass or weight of the particles as against the density of the water. This has to be designed for every hatchery.