Some aspects of larval rearing tank design

Abstract

The ability to reliably rear marine finfish larvae is vital to the development of the mariculture industry.

There are many factors affecting the growth and survival of marine larvae in an artificial rearing environment, and in the case of many of these too little is known at present to determine their possible effects. It appears that one such factor is the flow characteristics of the rearing vessel. Very little work has been undertaken in this field, and the present study was aimed at gathering information on the general flow behaviour of several rearing tank systems currently in use, mostly based on the cylindro-conical rearing tank.

Whilst little difference was found between the various designs, in terms of their mixing efficiency (determined using residence time distribution), all designs studied performed well in this respect. Dye studies confirmed these findings.

However, it was concluded that the concept of perfect mixing as a goal in larval rearing tank design was not appropriate, and it was suggested that a system conforming to laminar flow may meet the requirements of larvae better (in terms of their physical environment).