WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • MARCH 2025 45 Hatchery in Curaçao. The juveniles were housed in custom made trays that fit inside fiberglass raceway tanks (Figure 1). The trays have a 250-micron mesh on the bottom and measure: 0.25m long x 0.2m wide x 0.08m operating depth, while the fiberglass raceway tanks measure 1.2 m long x 0.3 m wide x 0.08 m operating depth (Figure 2). The water filtration system was comprised of two pumps and a 100-micron bag filter, which was changed daily. The juvenile conch FIGURE 3. Photosynthesis of the diatoms and other algae created bubbles on the artificial grass, causing buoyancy. maintained on screens only were housed indoors in shallow tanks using the same size screens as the outside juveniles. The water was filtered using a 50-micron pleated cartridge filter. Artificial turf. The artificial grass (100 percent nylon) was used as a surface area to grow diatoms and other algae species for the juveniles’ diet. The artificial grass was put in flow through tanks that were exposed to the sunlight to encourage photosynthetic growth of diatoms. Although the artificial grass significantly increased the surface area for diatoms to colonize, we encountered a challenge with buoyancy due to oxygen bubbles that were generated during photosynthesis, which caused it to float and made it unsuitable for growing the conch (Figure 3). To resolve the floating issue, we conducted a series of tests before conducting the actual experiment, with different materials to anchor the artificial grass. The first attempt involved using stainless-steel fishing wire, which proved inadequate over time (Figure 4). We then tested the artificial grass with PVC by cutting the PVC in half lengthwise for added surface area (Figure 5). The PVC was insufficient to counteract the buoyancy caused by the oxygen bubbles. (CONTINUED ON PAGE 46) FIGURE 4. Iteration I, a strip of artificial grass with a stainless wire for weight and rigidity. FIGURE 5. Iteration II, PVC cut in half and artificial grass attached with glue. FIGURE 6. Iteration III, PVC cut in half to create concrete semicircles to which the artificial grass was glued.
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