Aquaculture feeding system HydroSpreader™

hopper

The HydroSpreader™ Sub-Surface Feeder is designed as a complete self-contained subsurface feeding system for direct placement on any suitable sized floating structure, barge or vessel deck. Designed with a low center of gravity, and available with a split hopper, the bulk bag loaded HydroSpreader™ will accommodate the dispensing of two different pellet sizes. IAS offers two feed-entrainment methods to rapidly move a specifically proportioned feed/water slurry mixture from the feed storage hopper down through submerged feed delivery hoses to any practical depth required for the subsurface feeding of caged fish. The entire process is calculated to minimize feed/water residence time in the entrainment and pumping process and through the process of moving feed through the delivery system with the end goal being full feed pellet integrity in the submerged cage for optimum feed conversion rates. The marine grade aluminum hopper is part of the design process taken to best manage equipment weight, load capacities, and center of gravity considerations for safe vessel operation. The positioning of safety grates at the feed hopper outlet and the incorporation of a bulk bag support frame positioned over the hopper lids reduce the chance of operator injury during loading. A large two-panel hopper lid design offers a large opening for easy bulk feed bag loading in all weather with the inner split hopper bulkhead reducing the opportunity for loaded feed to shift in poor site operating conditions.