The Application of Water Quality Sensor in Aquaculture

Sensor is a kind of common detection device which is able to transfer the signal of detected object into electric signal in a certain rule for output, storage or logging. Sensors can be applied in a wide range including industry, chemical engineering, electric power, electronics, machine tool and agriculture. Water quality sensors， or say water quality probes, are commonly used in aquaculture and are playing important roles.

Aquaculture farms can be seen almost everywhere in coastal cities. Only in an environment that suits yield, can people get good harvest of various aqua organisms including fishes, mussels and other aquatic species. Water quality, as one of the most important factors that influence aquatic yield, can be monitored by sensors.
There are quite a lot of elements to be detected for water quality, among which most important ones are the temperature, oxygen content and noxious gas content of the water. In the past, farmers can estimate these factors with their experience, but with the rapid development of sensing technology, now they can use sensors to monitor water quality. For instance, water temperature can be measured by temperature sensors, PH value can be measured by PH meters, oxygen content in the water can be measured by dissolved oxygen sensors, and the content of noxious gas can be measured by some other sensors.
As science and technology develop, more and more sensors are applied for aquaculture. There are antiviral sensors to detect whether water is poisoned and aquatic product density sensors to ensure the healthy growth by proper methods.
Different types of sensors can be applied for different aquatic species according to their requirements on water quality. For those that have high demand on temperature, temperature sensors must be applied. For those that are demanding on dissolved oxygen, DO sensors must be used to monitor oxygen content in the water. The effect of geographic position shall also be considered. In a word, to guarantee the good aquatic harvest, optimal design shall be applied.