# Dissolved Oxygen Manipulation



## TonyT21 (Dec 12, 2010)

Playing around with water quality and growing fish to abnormal size in a hurry is done every day around the world with intention and forethought

I am sharing my experience with you for those of you that are interested in growing large fish and peaking aggressive feeding behavior. CAUTION - if you do this be sure to keep your hands out of the oxygenated water.

I have been very successful manipulating water chemistry (manipulating DO saturation) in order to achieve maximum metabolism efficiency during feeding periods. My goal was to produce an abnormally larger fish in a short period of time which is an aquaculture technique used in recirculating aquaculture systems.

The technique is simple... increase the DO saturation to 150% 30 minutes before feeding and maintain the DO at 150% for 2 hours after feeding. The results are an extremely efficient food to weight conversion. Metabolism is not limited by low DO saturations normally available in room air with this technique.

I use compressed welding oxygen with a precision flow regulator, oxygen tube and stone.

What I find most spectacular is the aggressiveness of the feeding behavior when the water is pre supersaturated with pure oxygen prior to feeding.

It takes a tremendous amount of oxygen for the digestive process to procede to completion and this won't work by simply adding more air or increasing aeration. Air doesn't have enough oxygen in it to turn on cellular metabolism like pure oxygen because air is composed mostly of nitrogen which is inert filler gas. Too much nitrogen (aeration) at normobaric pressures can cause "pop-eye" and the "bends." Nitrogen supersaturation (>100% nitrogen saturation) is the culprit here.

You can do all sorts of things to fish by simply manipulating their environmental water quality or water chemistry.

Fish are cold blooded... their metabolism is always controlled by water temperature and always limited by the dissolved oxygen concentration in that water.

Cheers


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

Interesting info. Ive wondered for a while since people use pressurized c02 for plants if pressurized o2 would be benificial.

Whats your reasoning in saying:

"CAUTION - if you do this be sure to keep your hands out of the oxygenated water."


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## Johnny_Zanni (Nov 8, 2009)

Higher metabolism = more aggressive fish.


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

Johnny_Zanni said:


> Higher metabolism = more aggressive fish.


So they are suddenly dangerous? Increasing the tank temp will increase their metabolism yet I don't worry any more if i put my hand in 70F or 85F water


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## Johnny_Zanni (Nov 8, 2009)

CLUSTER ONE said:


> Higher metabolism = more aggressive fish.


So they are suddenly dangerous? Increasing the tank temp will increase their metabolism yet I don't worry any more if i put my hand in 70F or 85F water
[/quote]

Idk I have never done it but thats just the tie I got with it.

Maybe the more oxygenated water makes them more active? Like a person who has a lack of oxygen is fatiqued. Maybe its similar


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## TonyT21 (Dec 12, 2010)

CLUSTER ONE said:


> Interesting info. Ive wondered for a while since people use pressurized c02 for plants if pressurized o2 would be benificial.
> 
> Whats your reasoning in saying:
> 
> "CAUTION - if you do this be sure to keep your hands out of the oxygenated water."


If you've never seen abnormal aggressiveness of feeding behavior induced within an oxygen enriched environment (extreme DO supersaturation), I think it would be impossible to imagine what happens.... because the feeding behavior you create with the pure oxygen is so abnormal. Keep in mind that Mother Nature cannot create environments with 100% O2 like you can even if she wanted to.

The "Caution" is only my opinion after observing the bizarre behavior modification I created and for "danger"... well, danger is always relative to a known or perceived danger one has experienced first hand, seen on TV, read about or told about.

If the only known reference one has ever seen or experienced is the feeding behavior seen in a normobaric conditions with environment/tank water exposed only to air or 21% oxygen with DO's of 3-6 ppm... one could never even begin to imagine the feeding behavior modification induced within tank environments @ 22-30 ppm DO (extreme man made DO supersaturation) containing hungry fish.

One thing about playing around with this sort of feeding behavior modification... the absolute aggressiveness is impressive if you really enjoy action.

Keep in mind&#8230; I don't think PETA WILL NOT be impressed with this by any stretch of the imagination&#8230; for sure.

On the other this feeding modifications has been demonstrated in the aquaculture industry to grow bigger fish faster than the normal feeding practices which is a real plus for some fish keepers.

Cheers


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