Oxygen Helps Eliminate Algae

Tholen – “Before, the filters would clog with algae every few days, but now we hardly need to clean them at all. Additionally, root development is very good. We see many more roots and almost no dead material anymore.”

In two sentences, this summarizes the situation on the farm at Andy Domen of Douglas Boomkwekerij. Recently, he installed several OxyBull aeration systems from Agrona in the water basin. These are mats placed on the bottom of the basin and connected to a compressor. Oxygen is pushed through a membrane and binds to the water molecules, making the water oxygen-rich. Additionally, the OxyBull creates water movement. Both factors – more oxygen and movement – prevent algae growth, provide more vital water, kill harmful bacteria for the crops, and significantly reduce sludge formation on the bottom and in the pipes.

“The effect was almost immediately noticeable,” Andy continues. “Algae growth was greatly reduced, making the water visibly cleaner (see photos/videos). Especially during good weather, we were constantly busy. The algae grew so quickly that we had to clean the filters every other day. After installing the OxyBulls, this was quickly reduced to only once every 10 days, and now it’s practically not needed anymore.”

At one of the two locations, Andy had three OxyBulls installed, and at the other, six. Moreover, he recently completely renovated the latter basin. “In the past, we had quite a lot of issues with Phytophthora, Pythium, and other (water) fungi. Since we recycle our water, it’s hard to get it out of the system, and most crops stay on the field for a relatively long time. We’ve been looking for a solution for a long time but never really found anything. In short, this has really helped us.”