Nightly Aeration to Increase Production of Channel Catfish

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Abstract
Channel catfish (I. punctatus) were stocked in 0.02 and 0.04 ha ponds at 20,385 fish/ha and fed daily. Fish averaged 11 cm total length and 6.2 g at stocking. Six ponds received nightly aeration (2-6 h) and 6 ponds received no aeration. A maximum feeding rate of 90 kg/ha was reached in Oct. In aerated ponds, no dissolved O2 (DO) problems occurred, and survival was 92%. Fish mortalities resulted from DO depletion in all unaerated ponds, and survival was 40%. Nitrite-N concentrations were significantly higher in the aerated ponds, though never at levels reported as lethal to channel catfish. Concentrations of un-ionized NH3 were high enough in both aerated and unaerated ponds to have adversely affected growth. Aerated ponds yielded an average of 5307 kg/ha of channel catfish. The unaerated ponds yielded an average of 1400 kg/ha and were an obvious economic failure. Direct extrapolation of economic data to large commercial ponds is not advised.