Loch Fyne Oysters in Scotland, United Kingdom, has chosen two medium pressure UV disinfection systems from Aquionics’ British sister company for its oyster farm in Loch Fyne, Cairndow. The UV systems destroy harmful E.Coli bacteria from the oyster and mussel depuration tanks. Each UV chamber can treat up to 40,000 gallons of water per hour (150 cubic meters per hour).

According to a spokesperson from Loch Fyne Oysters, “The UV units were recommended to us by the installers Barr and Wray because of their 99.99% log reduction of E.Coli, their robust, stainless steel construction, their ease of installation and easy maintenance – including easy UV lamp replacement and daily cleaning with a manual wiper – and low running costs. We also find the digital run-time read-out very useful, and the price was very competitive.”

Aquionics UV systems can be used in farms and hatcheries to treat both incoming and recirculation water, allowing flexibility in the choice of site and a rapid payback for farmers. UV is ideally suited for this application as it uses no chemicals and does not create by-products which would harm the stock, or other aquatic life, on discharge. Unlike other treatment methods, UV also avoids the expense of complex monitoring systems involved in adding and removing chemicals before the water reaches the stock. In addition, it does not alter the pH of the water. Indeed, UV is the most economical disinfection technique that can be used in aquaculture.

Maintenance of the systems is restricted to the replacement of the UV lamps every 12 months, a simple operation that can be carried out by on-site staff. An automatic or manual wiper can be fitted over the quartz sleeve which surrounds the UV lamp to prevent the build-up of any deposits, ensuring maximum levels of irradiation at all times.

A significant feature of Aquionics’ UV systems is the Photon control panel which displays a range of useful functions such as flow rate, UV dose and intensity. It is capable of logging up to one year’s performance data, which can be downloaded to a PC through an RS232 port. Linked into a central computer, the control panel can also be operated remotely, and allows the system to operate around the clock.

To date Aquionics has installed over 300 aquaculture systems in 14 countries around the world. Applications include water treatment in hatcheries, fish farms, shellfish depuration tanks and fry rearing tanks, as well as treating re-circulation water in marine parks and aquaria.