FLUSHING SYSTEM FOR AQUACULTURE TANK

摘要

FLUSHING SYSTEM FOR AQUACULTURE TANK A system is provided for removing solid wastes from the bottom of an aquaculture tank for the rearing of aquatic animals in a stacked arrangement of cages, in which a minimum of water is removed during the process such that the tank in which the cages are arranged need not be completely drained and in which the water level never drops below the animal in the topmost cage. The waste removal system includes a tapered, funnel-shaped bottom member for the aquaculture tank and a fast-opening and closing valve at the base of the funnel. Settled solid waste is dislodged and removed from the tank in a double pulsed flushing operation in which the valve is first opened and then rapidly closed to produce a pulsed and interrupted turbulent wave to break up and put into a slurry suspension the waste in the funnel portion of the bottom member. The valve is opened the second time to drain the dislodged waste and a minimum amount of water from the tank so as to permit tank cleaning without removal of the animals from the tank.