How to Judge Water Quality by the Splash of an Aerator?

The splash created by an aerator can reveal potential water quality issues. By correctly analyzing the splash, you can promptly adjust the water quality and prevent further deterioration, ultimately leading to increased production and income.

Normal Aerator Foam:

Normal Bubbles produced by a Paddle wheel aerator dissipate and disappear within 2-4 meters. If the water is dark, the splash will slightly reflect that color.

Aerator Foam Indicating Excessive Organic Matter or Dead Algae
1. Aerator Foam with a Long Water Line:

The water line extends beyond 5 meters, even up to more than 10 meters, and the bubbles persist for a long time, appearing white or yellow.

2. Aerator Splash with Intense Color, or Foam with Intense Color:

The water splash clolor near the aerator is excessively intensive
(as shown in the red box on the left), or the bubbles produced are entirely green (as shown in the foam on the right)
These two situations indicate excessive organic matter or algae die-off (dead algae). Therefore, it is crucial to address the issue promptly to prevent hypoxia and other problems.

Conventional Treatment Methods:

1. Frequently add or change water during high-temperature periods.
2. Regularly use bottom modifiers.
3. Periodically apply beneficial bacteria such as Bacillus and photosynthetic bacteria.
4. Operate the aerator more frequently.

Aerator Foam with an Exceptionally Short Water Line

The water color appears relatively normal, but the splash produced by the aerator is less than two meters, making it seem like the aerator is struggling.

Ponds with extremely short water lines are often overlooked in practice, so please pay close attention to this. This situation is caused by excessive water viscosity. The root cause remains excessive organic matter, coupled with severe bottom sediment pollution within the water body. As shown in the picture above, ponds that also raise ducks are very prone to this type of splash. Even if the water color appears good, hypoxia can easily occur at night. It’s also important to check if nitrite and ammonia levels exceed safe limits (they often do).

In addition, when this kind of water is present, shrimp will often molt abnormally and fish will often get various parasites.

Conventional Prevention and Treatment Methods for Aerator Foam with an Exceptionally Short Water Line:

1. Pay attention to the bottom quality. Remove sludge and expose the pond to the sun after each harvest cycle, and do not apply bottom fertilizer at the beginning of each cycle.
2. Add clean, unpolluted fresh water or, if possible, partially replace the water. Ensure the water source is clean and unpolluted.
3. Adjust water quality and modify the bottom using bottom modifiers and active bacteria.
4. Control feeding and promptly sell some of the adult products to reduce density.

Aerator Foam Indicating Water Stratification

The water splash appears noticeably different in color compared to the surrounding water, with a significantly lighter water line.

Some may consider this normal. However, compare the water line contrast in the images below. The left side shows normal aerator foam without stratification, while the right side displays pronounced stratification.

Observing this type of foam indicates a lack of algae in the lower layers of the water, potentially even signaling hypoxia in those layers. Many people are indifferent to this issue, which is alarming and needs to be addressed urgently.

Conventional Prevention and Treatment Methods for Aerator Foam Indicating Water Stratification:

1. Operate the aerator more frequently; stratification will disappear once algae grow in the bottom layer.
2. Use oxidizing bottom modifiers, such as potassium peroxymonosulfate, to reduce chemical oxygen demand at the bottom.
3. Depending on the specific pond conditions, apply active bacteria and a small amount of fertilizer.
4. Use oxygen granules for 3-5 consecutive days to increase dissolved oxygen at the bottom and promote algae growth.

Aerator Foam Sealing the Water Surface

The aerator produces an excessive amount of foam, severely covering the entire water surface in extreme cases.

When there is too much foam on the water surface, it prevents atmospheric oxygen from dissolving into the water, leading to acute hypoxia. This extreme situation arises from excessive organic matter and dead algae in the water, which produce a large amount of surfactants, making the surface tension of the water very strong.

Conventional Prevention and Treatment Methods for Aerator Foam Sealing the Water Surface:

1. Add and replace water.
2. Turn on all aerators. Do not stop them just because they are producing foam. Simultaneously, use powdered oxygen enhancers and granular oxygen.
3. Emergency solution: Use edible oil – whether it’s peanut oil, soybean oil, or olive oil, use 200-300 grams per 1000 m². Heat the oil on a stove, mix it with water, and then splash it across the entire pond. You will immediately notice all the foam disappearing. This is a temporary solution, only to be used in emergencies. When foam seals the water surface and fish and shrimp are suffering from hypoxia, this method can save the entire pond.
4. Other treatments are the same as those for excessive organic matter and algae die-off.

Important Considerations for Foam Observation and Assessment

There are numerous types of foam, each representing different information. In practice, we should pay attention to the following:

1. Always observe the foam in conjunction with the water color of the pond. Do not jump to conclusions based solely on foam color and characteristics. The same type of foam in different ponds may have different causes and consequences.
2. Maintain a rational perspective on foam. In the pursuit of high efficiency today, foam is ubiquitous. It is not necessarily true that ponds without foam are good, nor that ponds with foam are bad, and vice versa. In the middle and later stages of aquaculture, as fish and shrimp grow larger, feeding increases, and bottom pollution inevitably worsens, foam will inevitably appear. We need to conduct a comprehensive analysis based on the actual conditions of the pond and not blindly treat it simply because a certain type of foam is undesirable. In practice, perfect water quality and indicators often mean there are very few fish and shrimp.
3. Foam serves as a window reflecting the water quality, bottom quality, and even the condition of fish and shrimp in the pond. When addressing foam issues, we should not focus on superficial methods to reduce or increase foam. It is not as simple as adding detergent when there is little foam or using oil to break it down when there is too much. Instead, we should address the issue based on the root cause of the foam, treating both the symptoms and the root cause.