UK shrimp farmer reports 'marked improvements' with nanobubbles
Cheap-to-run device enhanced water quality, resource efficiency, and shrimp growth performance in trial, says Three Sixty Aquaculture
UK land-based shrimp farmer Three Sixty Aquaculture Ltd has announced highly promising results from the latest phase of its on-site evaluation of NanobOx nanobubble technology, demonstrating marked improvements in water quality, resource efficiency, and shrimp growth performance at its Swansea R&D facility.
The trial forms part of Three Sixty Aquaculture’s ongoing strategy to integrate next-generation tools that enhance recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) productivity while reducing operational costs.
Irish company NanobOx, a spin-out from University College Dublin (UCD), uses patented electric technology to produce nanobubbles at what it says is just 1% of the cost of standard nanobubble generators. The unit consumes just 50 Watts.
Reduced ozone use
Three Sixty Aquaculture reported that the NanobOx system produced a consistent increase in oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), resulting in significantly improved flocculation efficiency in protein skimmers and settlement systems. This enhancement enabled an 8–10% reduction in ozone usage, delivering both direct cost savings and lower environmental impact.
“These results are highly encouraging,” said Three Sixty director and chief technology officer Lee Tanner. “Maintaining stable dissolved oxygen above 7 mg/L throughout the trial undoubtedly contributed to the excellent growth performance. With the NanobOx unit operating at only 50 W while delivering 800 L/min at 7 mg/L, it is clear this technology offers meaningful efficiency advantages.”
For the trial, stocking densities were deliberately kept at a conservative level of below 5 kg/mÂł, but even so, enhanced water quality translated into significantly better than expected animal performance, said Three Sixty in a press release.
Shrimp produced during the trial achieved an average weight of 35 g in just 80 days, with some individuals weighing up to 42 g.
Three Sixty said the metrics are noteworthy for intensive indoor shrimp systems and point to the potential of the technology to support higher biomass throughput, improved feed efficiency, and shorter production cycles at commercial scale.
Following the success of this trial phase, Three Sixty Aquaculture will begin its next stocking cycle in January 2026, expanding the scope of evaluation to test system scalability, long-term performance, and additional operational scenarios.
The company’s R&D programme continues to focus on identifying and integrating technologies capable of strengthening economic resilience and environmental sustainability across future commercial deployments.
