Biofouling is one of the biggest challenges for mariculture in tropical waters. This study aims to evaluate different materials in control to biofouling in tropical waters through two experiments. For Experiment I, compared the accumulation of biofouling on different nylon panels and the use of antifouling (copper-base) paint that remained submerged for 8 weeks. In experiment II, evaluated multifilament nylon, monofilament nylon and copper alloy metal with and without the use of zinc anode. The experiment were carried for 150 days, in summer with water temperature of 26 °C. Significant biomass of biofouling was observed on nylon meshs, and those of monofilaments presented a lesser amount of diversity of organisms compared to the multifilament. The multifilament mesh painted with copper-based paint proved to be efficient in controlling biofouling. The copper alloy metal was maintained without the accumulation of biofouling throughout the experimental period (150 days). No differences were observed for copper alloy metal with or without a zinc anode. Copper alloy metal was effective as an antifouling agent even in a tropical waters. This data can open the way for a new system of fish farming in tropical seas using copper alloy metal for the construction of net cages.

中文翻译：

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大西洋热带水域水产养殖的防污替代品


生物污垢是热带水域海水养殖面临的最大挑战之一。本研究旨在通过两个实验评估不同材料对热带水域生物污垢的控制作用。对于实验 I，比较了不同尼龙板上生物污垢的积累情况以及使用浸没 8 周的防污（铜基）涂料。在实验II中，评估了使用和不使用锌阳极的复丝尼龙、单丝尼龙和铜合金金属。实验进行了150天，夏季，水温26℃。在尼龙网上观察到显着的生物污垢生物量，并且与复丝相比，单丝的生物多样性呈现出较少的生物多样性。事实证明，涂有铜基涂料的复丝网可以有效控制生物污垢。在整个实验期间（150 天），铜合金金属保持没有生物污垢的积累。对于有或没有锌阳极的铜合金金属，没有观察到差异。即使在热带水域，铜合金金属作为防污剂也是有效的。这些数据可以为热带海洋中使用铜合金金属建造网箱的新养鱼系统开辟道路。