Incubator and method of incubation and hatching fish eggs and fry

An incubator for eyed-eggs, comprising:

• a housing having a floor and a top, said housing being suitable for holding water;
• a perforated plate, spaced above the floor, for distributing pressure evenly through the housing, the housing having an inlet below the perforated plate and an outlet above the perforated plate;
• a first layer of biological substrates resting across the perforated plate, a first layer of eyed-eggs being restable upon the biological substrates;
• at least a second layer of biological substrates being restable across the first layer of eggs and another layer of eggs being loadable over the second layer of substrates, and each successive layer of substrates and eggs loaded to fill the incubator until the eggs are proximate to the outlet,
• whereupon water flowing from the inlet to the outlet creates an upwelling water flow through the perforated plate and biological substrate.

A method of incubating fertilized fish eggs to the eyed stage comprising the steps of:

• providing an incubator comprising a housing having a floor and being suitable for holding water, the incubator further having a perforated plate, spaced above the floor, for distributing pressure evenly through the housing, the housing having an inlet below the perforated plate and an outlet above the perforated plate;
• placing a netting over the perforated plate;
• flowing water from the inlet to the outlet to create an upwelling water flow;
• loading fertilized eggs onto the netting over the perforated plate while water is flowing;
• and
• after the eyeing of the eggs, removing the eggs manually and removing the eyed eggs at the bottom of the incubator by lifting the netting over the perforated plate out of the incubator.

A method of incubating eyed-eggs to the fry stage comprising the steps of:

• providing an incubator having a housing, the housing having a floor and being suitable for holding water, the incubator further having a perforated plate, spaced above the floor, for distributing pressure evenly through the housing, the housing having an inlet below the perforated plate and an outlet above the perforated plate;
• placing a first layer of biological substrates on top of the perforated plate;
• loading eyed-eggs on the first layer of biological substrates;
• and
• placing a subsequent layer of biological substrates over the first layer of eyed-eggs;
• and
• placing a subsequent layer of eyed-eggs on the biological substrates while water is upflowing

A system of incubators, each incubator comprising:

• a housing having a floor and a top, said housing being suitable for holding water and including outside reinforcing members;
• means, spaced above the floor, for distributing pressure evenly through the housing, the housing having an inlet below the pressure distributing means and an outlet above the pressure distributing means;
• a biological substrate having openings resting on the pressure distributing means, the substrate being made from materials suitable for incubating fish eggs;
• and
• means for delivering water under pressure to the inlet so as to create a single pass upwelling flow of water through the incubator;
• wherein the incubators are side-by-side with the reinforcing members alternating in heights such that a reinforcing member of one incubator rests alternately on another incubator in side-by-side relation.

An incubator for hatching fish eggs, comprising:

• a housing having a floor, the housing being suitable for holding water, the interior of the housing being accessible from the top;
• pressure distributing means spaced above the floor of the housing, the housing having an inlet below the pressure distibuting means and an outlet above the pressure distributing means;
• water supply means for supplying water under a variable pressure to the inlet of the incubator, the water supplied by the water supply means not having passed through any other incubator;
• and
• water takeoff means for taking water from the outlet of the incubator, the water taken from the outlet of the incubator being discharged without passing through any other incubator.

An incubator for hatching fish eggs, comprising:

• a housing having a floor, the housing being suitable for holding water, the interior of the housing being accessible from the top;
• a perforated pressure plate, disposed substantially parallel to the floor and spaced above the floor, the housing having an inlet below the pressure plate and an outlet above the pressure plate;
• water supply means for supplying water under a variable pressure to the inlet of the incubator, the water supplied by the water supply means not having passed through any other incubator;
• water takeoff means for taking water from the outlet of the incubator, the water being taken from the outlet of the incuator being discharged without passing through any other incubator;
• the housing further having a pluggable cleaning opening disposed in a wall of the housing and flush with the floor to facilitate cleaning under the pressure plate;
• a fry retention screen disposed so as to block exit of fry through the outlet, the fry retention screen being removable to permit fry release at a desired time, the outlet being sufficiently large and disposed sufficiently below the top of the housing to maintain the water level in the incubator sufficiently low to prevent emergent fry from jumping out the top of the incubator;
• the incubator being apable of being loaded with:
• a first layer of biological substrates resting on the pressure plate, the substrates being made form materials suitable for incubating fish and being adapted to permit upward water flow therethrough;
• a first layer of eyed eggs being restable on the first layer of biological substrates;
• at least a second layer of biological substrates being restable on the first layer of eggs and another layer of eggs being loadable over the second layer of substrates, each successive layer of substrates and eggs loaded to fill the incubator until the eggs are proximate to the outlet.