2.

1 Conventional Flow-Through Systems

The specific flow rate (q)is one of the basic parameters of flow-through systems that can be
expressed:1/

1/
In this formula and all subsequent formulas, the notation h-1 denotes per hour, kg-1 per kg, etc.

where

Q = actual water flow (m h)

W = actual mass of fish in the tank (kg)

In the conventional flow-through system the oxygen requirement of the fish stock is ensured by
the inflow water as follows:

Q . (Cs - C) = W . r

where

Cs = dissolved oxygen concentration at saturation level (when the oxygen is dissolved from the
atmosphere) (gm-3)

C = allowable minimum dissolved oxygen concentration (gm-3)

r = specific oxygen consumption of the fish (gh-1kg-1)

Assuming the following basic data

- temperature of inflow water is 15°C

- inflow water is saturated with oxygen (C = 10 gm-3)
- specific oxygen consumption of the fish is 0.4 gh-1kg-1

the specific flow rate can be calculated as follows:

There is another important parameter that can be used for the design of flow-through systems,
the specific volume (V) of water necessary for a 1 kg weight increase of fish. This can be
expressed:
where

G = specific growth rate (kg kg-1 day-1)

G can be expressed by the known equation as follows:

where

Rp = Food protein consumption of 1 kg of fish per day (kg kg day)

PER = Protein Efficiency Ratio (kg fish flesh/kg food protein)
h = daily fish mortality rate (kg kg-1 day-1)

assuming

Rp =0.01 kg kg-1day-1
PER = 2kg kg-1
h = 0.01kg kg-1day-1

Then G = RpPER - h = 0.01 . 2 - 0.01 = 0.01 kg kg-1day-1

The specific volume of water (V) can now be calculated as follows:

If the temperature of the inflow water is not 15°C but 20°C (Cs = 9 gm), the specific values are
as follows:

q (20) = 2.4 m3day-1kg-1

v (20) = 240 m3kg-1

2.2 Intensive Flow-Through Systems

The value of specific water consumption can be decreased by supplying pure oxygen to-the
inflow water. When the pressure is 100 kPa and the water temperature is 15°C, 48 gm of pure

oxygen can be dissolved in clean water . At a water temperature of 20°C,

the
If the minimum allowable oxygen concentration is 5 gm-3 ,1 m3 of water contains 38.6 g dissolved
oxygen available for fish at 20°C which is almost tenfold that contained by water with oxygen
dissolved from the atmosphere:

The specific flow rate (q) at two different temperatures is the following:

q (15) = 0.223 m3 day-1kg-1

q (20) = 0.248 m3 day-1kg-1

The specific volume of water (V) is the following:

v (15) = 22.3 m3kg-1

v (20) = 24.8 m3kg-1

These data, however, should always be checked as to whether toxic metabolites accumulate at
these flow rates.

Our assumption is that fish can incorporate some 30 percent of the feed protein (PPV = 0.3),the
rest, 85 percent of which is ammonia, is excreted. Since 16 percent of the protein is nitrogen,
fish excrete 95.2 g ammonia for each kg of feed protein consumed.

The calculation of the amount of ammonia-nitrogen excreted after feeding a unit of food protein
(a) is as follows:

a = (1 - PPV) 0.85 . 0.16 (kg kg-1)

where

PPV = Productive Protein Value (kg fish protein/kg feed protein)

a = (1 - 0.3) 0.85 . 0.16 = 0.0952

Ammonia, depending on the pH and temperature of water, is present in the water in two forms:

Figure

as ammonium ion (NH4+) and as 'free' or 'un-ionized' ammonia (NH3) that is toxic to the fish. In
our calculation the allowable maximum value of un-ionized ammonia concentration is 0.045 gm-
3
.

Calculating the tolerable total ammonia-nitrogen concentration (C) at different pH and

temperature values yields the following:
CN/20°C, pH 7.01/ = 10.71 gm-3
CN/l5°C, pH 7.5/ = 4.75 gm-3
CN/20°C, pH 7.5/ = 3.43 gm-3
CN/25°C, pH 7.5/ = 2.40 gm-3
CN = ammonia-nitrogen concentration (gm-3)
(NH3 - N) + (NH4+ - N)

For the calculation of CN, Figure 1 and Table 1 should be used.

In intensive flow-through systems an adequate water flow is needed in order to flush the
metabolic wastes, first of all the ammonia.

The amount of ammonia + ammonium ion that is excreted by a certain mass of fish (W) during a
day can be expressed as follows:

1000 . W . a . Rp (g day-1)

where

W = mass of fish in a tank (kg)

a = amount of ammonia-nitrogen excreted after feeding a unit of food protein (kg kg-1)
Rp = fish feed protein consumed by a unit mass of fish in one day (kg kg-lday-1)

The amount of ammonia-nitrogen that can be flushed by the water flow (Q) in a day, with a
given maximum tolerable ammonia-nitrogen concentration (CN) can be expressed as follows:

24 . Q . CN (g day-1)

where

Q = water flow (m3 hour-1)

CN = ammonia-nitrogen concentration (gm-3)

thus,

1 000 . W . a . Rp = 24 . Q . CN

Dividing both sides of the equation by W and using the formula:

q = Q . W , we get an equation as follows,

In our calculation:
Thus, the specific flow rate (g) at different pH and temperature can be calculated as follows:

q (15°C, pH 7.5) = = 0.200 m3day-1kg-1

q (20°C, pH 7.5) = = 0.278 m3day-1kg-1

The specific volume of water can be calculated as follows:

V (20°C, pH 7.5) = = 27.8 m3kg-1

Figure 1. Diagram of ammonia equilibrium pH and temperature

Table 1 Percent NH in Aqueous Ammonia Solutions for 0-30°C and pH 6-10
Source: Emerson et al., Ammonia equilibrium pH and temperature, J. Fish. Res. Board,
Can., Vol. 32/12/1975

The values of the specific flow rate and the specific volume of water at different pH and water
temperatures are shown in Table 2. It can be seen in the table that at 15°C the specific flow rate
needed for the proper oxygen supply is higher than that needed for the flushing of the metabolic
wastes. At higher temperatures the ammonia removal by flushing becomes the decisive factor. It
also turns out from the table that the water requirement of the system is two times higher at 20°C
than at 15°C.

3. THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE DESIGN OF FLOW-THROUGH

SYSTEMS
3.1 Water Pumping System
3.2 Tank Design

3.1 Water Pumping System

Since flow-through systems are dependent upon large quantities of water, the design of the
pumping system is critical in their design. The required quantity of water can be determined
according to the calculations given below.

3.2 Tank Design

3.2.1 Size
3.2.2 Material
3.2.3 Additional equipment

3.2.1 Size

In a raceway with an inflow at one end, the mean water velocity (v) can be expressed as follows:

where

b = tank breadth (m)

d = tank water depth (m)
L = tank length (m)
S = actual fish stocking density (kgm-3)
q = actual specific flow rate (m3kg-1h-1)

In this equation the 'q' can be calculated and it is desired to maintain a constant value.

The 'S' is increasing during the growing period from an initial stocking density up to a maximum
one. Its value can be calculated based on the growth curve. The 'v' is desired to be kept in a
certain range.

The water velocity should be kept below a certain value in order to avoid stress and energy waste
of the fish and wash-away of the food particles. On the other hand a certain minimum water
velocity should be exceeded in order to keep the waste materials in suspension.

Taking into account the above criteria the geometric dimensions of the raceway can be calculated,
assuming constant water depth during the growing period. The water depth however might be
varied and thus it is possible to maintain a more or less constant water velocity throughout the
growing period.

3.2.2 Material

The tanks of a flow-through system usually are rectangular reinforced concrete raceways, but
large size outdoor raceways can be made of earth with plastic covered inner surface. Smaller size
indoor raceways can be built out of concrete, plastic, metal or wood.

Table 2 Water Requirement of the Flow-Through Systems

3.2.3 Additional equipment

The tanks should be equipped with properly designed water control structures and it is advisable
to install a safety device as well that gives an alarm signal when the water flow (or the water level)
decreases below a certain value.

Although the conventional flow-through system is based upon the oxygen supply from the inflow
water, in extreme cases oxygen depletion can occur. Then aeration is needed. Therefore
emergency aerators with high efficiency should be provided during the design of the farm
equipment.

In flow-through systems, intensive feeding is based on complete pelleted food that should be
given to the fish regularly and in proper doses. This can be ensured by different automatic feeders
first of all, but self moving food dispensers or demand feeders can also be used.

Regular grading is an essential work in these intensive systems, because the divergence in the
growth rate has a disadvantageous effect on the growth of the smaller fish. Special mechanized
graders are available for this purpose that handle the fish gently; however, the frequency of the
grading should be minimized.

Because of the special conditions of these systems (high stocking density, concrete tank, etc.)
the harvest of the fish can be mechanized as well.

Different fish pumps have been developed for this purpose.

REFERENCES
Emerson, K et al., 1975, Aqueous ammonia equilibrium calculations: effect of pH and
temperature. J. Fish. Res. Board Can., 32(12):2379-83

Kepenyes, J. and A. Ruttkay, 1983, Water requirement of fish production. In International

Conference on Water management and production potential in agriculture. Szarvas, Hungary, pp.
90-100

Kerr, N.M., 1981, Design of equipment and selection of material - an engineer's

assessment. Schr. Bundesforschungsanst. Fisch. Hamb.. (16/l7) vol. 2:515-21
Kramer, Chin and Mayo Inc., 1972, A study for development of fish hatchery water treatment
systems. Prepared for Walla Walla District Corps of Engineers.