Lecture 5

Aquaculture production systems,

design and requirements
By: Engr. Joan Jane J. Sanchez
 Aquaculture production systems,

ABE 115 - Lecture 5

design and requirements
5.1 Aquaculture site selection criteria
5.2 Aquaculture processes
5.3 Pond systems
5.4 Pen and cage systems
5.5 Tank and recirculating system
5.6 Flow-through systems
5.7 Recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS)
5.8 Integrated systems
5.9 Hatchery Design and Construction

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 Aquaculture site

ABE 115 - Lecture 5

selection criteria

Factors to be considered in site

selection:
1) Ecological factors
2) Biological factors
3) Economic and social factors

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1. Ecological Factors

1. Water supply
2. Water quality
3. Climate
4. Hydrological characteristics
5. Soil characteristics
6. Land
 1. Ecological Factors

ABE 115 - Lecture 5

Water supply
An assured water supply of sufficient quantity and adequate quality is the most important factor to
be considered when deciding on the suitability of a fishpond site. Therefore, the investigations for a
proper water source should be most thoroughly conducted in site selection.
Water sources:
✓Irrigation Canal ✓Lakes
✓Rivers ✓Springs
✓Creeks ✓Rainfall-runoff
✓Reservoir ✓Deep wells
*For a pond built in suitable soil, the minimum supply of
Water Supply Medium: water should be 5 l/sec/ ha of pond throughout the year.
✓ Feeder channels *Drainage
✓ Storage tanks, and *Flood problems
✓ Pipelines
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 1. Ecological Factors

ABE 115 - Lecture 5

Water quality
➢ One of the most significant factors to be considered in site selection.
➢ It should be investigated by taking several water samples from the proposed water source for
laboratory analyses of physical, chemical, biological and micro-biological properties, including health
hazards.
➢ Water test procedures should be in accordance with the relevant Standard Classification in the
country on water quality.
i) physical properties - temperature, color, odor, turbidity, transparency, suspended solids.
(ii) chemical properties - pH, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, free carbon dioxide,
alkalinity, salinity, dissolved solids, ammonia, all as regards both useful and toxic qualifies; also, whether
pollutants of agricultural or industrial origin are present, and if so, to what extent.
(iii) biological properties - quality and density of plankton.
(iv) micro-biological properties - species and quantity of parasites.
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 1. Ecological Factors

ABE 115 - Lecture 5

Climate
Important climatological factors to be obtained from the meteorological
station nearest to the site are as follows:
- mean monthly temperature
- mean monthly rainfall
- mean monthly evaporation
- mean monthly humidity
- mean monthly sunshine
- mean monthly wind speed and direction

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 1. Ecological Factors

ABE 115 - Lecture 5

Hydrological characteristics
➢The most important data needed for site selection can be gathered from
such sources as Irrigation Departments or other Water Authorities.
➢The following are needed:
Data for discharge, yield, floods and water elevations of existing
water sources (rivers, irrigation channels, reservoirs, springs, etc.).

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 1. Ecological Factors

ABE 115 - Lecture 5

Soil Characteristics
➢For engineering purposes, the techniques used for soil
investigations vary from relatively simple visual inspection to
detailed sub-surface exploration and laboratory tests.
➢Visual inspection of the site is an essential preliminary step.
➢In order to provide data on sub-surface soils, a test pit measuring
0.80×1.50 m with a depth of 1.50 to 2.0 m, depending on the
landform and the elevation of the water table, should be dug in
each hectare of the site.

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 1. Ecological Factors
Soil Characteristics
➢Digging of a test pit permits visual
examination of soil and makes it
possible to obtain disturbed and
undisturbed samples of soils
encountered in the different layers
below ground level.
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ABE 115 - Lecture 5
➢A sandy clay to clayey loam is the
best type of soil both for pond
construction and growing natural
foods at the pond bottom.
➢Areas with a layer of organic soil
over 0.60 m in thickness are
unsuitable for any kind of fishpond,
because it would be difficult to
maintain water levels in the ponds
due to high seepage;
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 1. Ecological Factors

ABE 115 - Lecture 5

Land
➢It should be confirmed that the proposed land area is suitable.
➢The general conformation of the land should be with slopes not steeper than
2 percent.
➢ If wasteland, unsuitable for agriculture or other direct use, is selected for a
project, the cost of the land will be low.
➢Land elevation and flood level are important factors in determining the
suitability of the area for the construction of a fish farm or hatchery.
➢The land should be free from deep flooding; the maximum flood level for the
past 10 years should not be higher than the top of the dikes.;

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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
2. Biological and Operational Factors
Before a site can be selected for a project, the following should be ascertained:
➢ species to be cultured
➢ resources and availability of stocking materials (spawners, fry or fingerlings)
➢ type of project:
(i) small-scale rural project
(ii) large-scale rural project
➢system of culture adopted:
(i) extensive, (ii) semi-intensive, (iii) intensive
➢Operational method:
(i) monoculture, (ii) polyculture, (iii) integrated
➢ production target
➢ estimated size of area required.
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 3. Economic and Social Factors

ABE 115 - Lecture 5

• development plans for the project area- ownership, availability of land and land values,
land regulations and rights, as well as any legal restrictions relating to land
• proximity to all-weather road connections
• availability of electricity, telephone or radio connections, as well as unit power cost
• availability of equipment, services and supplies needed for running the project
• availability of construction materials
• location of markets for the produce and determination of demand
• availability of organic and artificial fertilizers, drugs and chemical materials
• availability of supplementary feeds
• costs of equipment, materials, feeds, etc. needed for running the project

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 3. Economic and Social Factors

ABE 115 - Lecture 5

• costs of equipment, materials, feeds, etc. needed for running the project
• availability of suitable transport facilities
• availability of ice for marketing
• availability of staff with adequate experience of pond management
• availability of skilled and semi-skilled laborer's
• reasonable amenities for permanent staff, for example, schools, shopping
facilities, hospital, etc.
• information on the local financing methods or credits
• political realities

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 Aquaculture Processes

ABE 115 - Lecture 5

Code of Good Aquaculture Practices (PNS/BAFS 135:2014)

Compliance Requirement:

Siting and
Design

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 • Available environmental impact assessment (EIA)

ABE 115 - LECTURE 5

or recent environmental report for non-coverage
Compliance areas;
Requirement: • Proof of legal ownership of the farm area (license
to operate or business permit from the local
government unit);
• Available risk assessment report;
• Vicinity map (indicating different enterprises
around the farm); and
• Farm map (showing the sources and discharges of
water).

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 Lay-out and design

ABE 115 - LECTURE 5

• Evidence of segregating aquaculture activities with
Compliance livestock activities;

Requirement: • Installation of proper segregating device (e.g.

fences) from livestock that are present in the farm.
• Farm layout showing the different structures of the
farm (e.g. location of ponds in relation to livestock
houses).
• Farm design and layout should prevent cross-
contamination.

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 • Evidence that current dike can withstand the high
level of water;

ABE 115 - LECTURE 5

• Barriers or control measures in place at all
Compliance possible entry points in the farm;
• All entry points should have warning signs;
Requirement:

• Footbath or tire-bath should be in place;

• Proof or evidence of using bio-security measures;
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 • No waste storage located at least 50meters from
pond area;

ABE 115 - LECTURE 5

• Proper facilities for storing feeds and other
Compliance materials used in the pond must be away from toxic
Requirement: chemicals;

• Provide evidence of compliance with local

regulations;
• Cage materials are proven durable and corrosion

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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Pond System

Earth ponds are the most used unit for fish

production worldwide, and more than 40% of
world aquaculture production is performed in
ponds.
Ponds are used both for fish and shellfish
and at different life stages. Important species
grown in ponds, include different types of
carp, catfish, shrimps and prawns.

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 Pond Lay-outing

ABE 115 - Lecture 5

The pond system usually consists of various compartments with specific uses such as:
1) nursery or fry pond
2) transition or holding stunting pond
3) production or rearing ponds and other features (catching, desilting food growing ponds,
etc.).
4) Also, a part of the system are the water control structure or gates, pipes or culverts and
water supply or drainage canals.
5) Support facilities consist of farm buildings, farm roads and road dikes, bridges, fish tanks,
storage shed (for feed and equipment), chilling tanks, and other ancillary structures.
In the Philippines, a sanctioned buffer zone of at least 100 m from
the sea to the main perimeter dike and 20 m along riverbanks is
spared for ecological consideration as well as physical
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 Types of compartments

ABE 115 - Lecture 5

1. Fry acclimatization pond
➢ Sometimes called fry box this is the
smallest unit in a pond system usually
4 to 8 m2.
➢ Fry are first stocked in this pond for 1
to 4 days and then allowed passage
to the nursery pond proper by just
cutting open the small dike partition
(Djajadiredja and Daulay, 1982).

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 Types of compartments

ABE 115 - Lecture 5

2. Nursery pond
➢ Small in size, about 1 to 4 percent of total production
area and usually square or rectangular in shape.
➢ It may be a single pond unit or made up of two, four,
six, etc. sub-compartments which form the whole
nursery unit.
➢ A manageable area ranges from 500 to 10000 m2 per
compartment, although 1000 to 5000 m2 is preferred
(BFAR-UNDP/FAO, 1982).
➢ The nursery is used for rearing the fry for at least 30
days (in the case of milkfish) before transferring into
another larger pond.

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 Types of compartments

ABE 115 - Lecture 5

2. Nursery pond (continuation…)
➢Rearing the fish in small area is more convenient and safer as it can
be watched more closely and taken cared of more adequately.
➢Nursery pond should be in elevated portion of the farm in the central
or near the corner of a rearing pond compartment (Djajadiredja and
Daulay, 1982).
➢The most suitable place is where it can be easily always supplied
with new unpolluted water when necessary and at elevation where it
can readily be drained even during ordinary low tides (Alcantara,
1982).

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 Types of compartments

ABE 115 - Lecture 5

3. Transition pond
➢ The transition, holding or stunting pond is located adjacent to the nursery pond in order to
have efficient and quick transfer of fingerlings.
➢ 10 percent of the total production area is usually allocated for this purpose.
➢ The fingerlings or post fingerlings are reared here for varying periods before finally stocking
them in the production or rearing ponds.
➢ The fish can be retained in the transition pond longer or up to a few months especially when
the number of fry stock is sufficient for several cropping within the year.
➢ A manageable area for transition ponds ranges from 1000–20,000 m2 per compartment but 5
000–15 000 m2 is preferred (BFAR-UNDP FAO, 1981)

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 Types of compartments

ABE 115 - Lecture 5

4. Production pond
➢This is also called grow out pond.
➢The bottom elevation of the rearing pond should be about 0.2 m lower than that of the
transition pond but slightly higher than the Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW) or zero
tidal datum.
➢The pond bottom slopes toward the catching pond or water supply canal to facilitate
harvesting of marketable-sized fish.
➢A manageable size ranges from 1.0 to 10 ha per compartment although 2.0 to 5.0 ha is
preferred.
➢Production ponds for milkfish of 15 to 20 ha per compartment is common in the
Philippines.
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 Types of compartments

ABE 115 - Lecture 5

5. Catching pond
➢This pond serves as a concentration area or basin for the fish during harvest.
➢It is constructed adjacent to the gate inside a bigger pond compartment.
➢Catching ponds may be provided also for nursery ponds, transition ponds, and
rearing ponds.
➢The catching pond for the nursery and transition ponds is usually about 2
percent of the respective compartments' water surface area; for rearing pond,
it is usually 1–1.5 percent.

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 Lay-out of pond system

ABE 115 - Lecture 5

6. Food growing pond
➢This pond is optional and may be built, if deemed necessary.
➢Named “kitchen pond”, it is a compartment set aside for
growing live food organisms at high density, this is a recent
innovation and is intended to augment the availability of food in
fishpond areas where natural food organisms does not grow
well or in farm set-up where high density stocking of cultured
fish is used.

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 Lay-out of pond system

ABE 115 - Lecture 5

Pond layouts may be grouped into:
(BFAR-UNDP/FAO, 1981 and Denila, 1976)

(i) conventional;
(ii) radiating;
(iii)modular or progression; and
(iv)multiple stock/harvest pond

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 Lay-out of pond system

ABE 115 - Lecture 5

Lay out schemes Nursery Pond Transition Pond Rearing pond
(production: kg/year)
Conventional 1% of the total production area 9% of the total production area 80% of the total production
(1000-2000) area

Radiating Same as conventional system Same as conventional system Same as conventional system

Modular 4% of the total production area 6% of the total production area 80 percent; there are three
(1800-3000) production process stage; each
stage follows a ratio 1:2:4 or
1:3:9

multiple stock/harvest pond
(1000-2000)
6% of the total production area
No transition pond; instead, 94% of the total production
holding canal for fingerlings is area including FHC
allocated for each rearing pond
called fish holding canal (FHC);
19 percent of every rearing
pond

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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Pond Design

Conventional
Pond System

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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Pond Design

Radiating Pond
System

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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Pond Design

Modular Pond
System

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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Pond Design

Multiple
stock/harvest
Pond System

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 Pen and Cages System

ABE 115 - Lecture 5

(Enclosure Culture)

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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Pen and Cages System

Forces must be considered in designing net

structures:
1. Static Forces - weight of the structure (net
support, and other structural parts.
2. Dynamic Forces - forces generated by wind
above the waters surface.
➢ Any structure in fresh water and/or salt water will experience
changes in stress caused by corrosion and fouling.
➢ Bottom scouring may also influence strength and/or holding
ability of pilings and anchors.

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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Pens and cages systems

Cages – are enclosed bottom and sides made of net screens, wood or
wire mesh. Size range: 1- 1,000m3
• Fixed Cages, cheaper & simple
• Floating Cages, rigid materials: GI pipes, bamboos and plastic pipes can
be used as frames. Floatation materials: empty plastic drums, styrofoam
• Submersible cages, take advantage of prevailing weather conditions
• Submerged cages, underwater the whole duration

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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Pens and cages systems
Advantages:
• Simple construction
• Requires smaller financial investment
• Easily managed
• Transferable
• Offers high production per unit area

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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Pens and cages systems
Disadvantages:
• Crowded condition may lead to diseases
• High feeding cost
• Vulnerability to adverse weather
• Vulnerability to effects of pollution
• Attractive to poachers and vandals
• Disrupt navigation & reduce seascape value
• Wastes have pronounced negative impact
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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Pens and cages systems

Cage Design
Should satisfy the following:
a. Hold the fish securely
b. Remove potentially harmful metabolites
c. Cage volume must remain relatively
resistant to deformation by external
forces

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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Pens and cages systems
Shape
Circular Shape
• Make efficient use of materials
• Have higher construction cost than square
• Stable even during rough weather
Cage bags
• Netting materials can be flexible or rigid
• Flexible: natural or synthetic fibers nylon nets:
knotless, knotted
• Rigid: plastics and metals mesh square or
diamond mesh

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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Pens and cages systems

Cage Collars
• To support the bag securely in the
water column and help maintain
shape
• Serve as work platforms
• Made of Bamboos, GI pipes
• According to IDRC/SEAFDEC (1979)
bamboo tends to have a useful
working life of 18 - 24 months in
freshwater and 12 - 18 months in
seawater

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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Pens and cages systems

Groupings & Linkages

• Influenced by the nature of the site,
mooring constraints, environmental
considerations and disease prevention
• Cage groupings must not impede
navigation.
• Arranging arranging the cage to face the
prevailing wind results to a higher
harvest.
• Link together by rope, chain and used
tiers in between cages
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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Pens and cages systems

Mooring systems:
• Consists of lines and anchors
• Chain, nylon ropes or combination
• Length should not be less than 3X the
water depth of the site
• Anchors: fabricated or bought
concrete blocks with steel rods and eyebolt

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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Pens and cages systems

Fish Pen Design

The fish pen is divided into three
major components, namely:
The Nursery,
The Main Enclosure and
The Barrier

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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Pens and cages systems

(a) The nursery

• constructed inside the main enclosure
structure.
• a surface area of about 10 % of grow-out area.
• For a 10-ha grow-out area, the nursery can
have a dimension of 100 m × 100 m and
• for a 5.0-ha grow-out area, it can be 70 m × 70
m.

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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Pens and cages systems
(a) The nursery
• Bangus fingerlings are stocked in the
nursery at a density of 20,000 fingerlings per
hectare.
• These fingerlings stay in the nursery for 30–
45 days during dry season and 45–60 days
during rainy season, after which they are
released to the grow-out area for a culture
period of about 4–6 months, depending on
the season.
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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Pens and cages systems
(a) The nursery
• Framework-which holds the net in shape above the
water surface and composed of a single row of
vertical bamboo poles and two rows of horizontal
bamboo braces.
• The vertical poles are spaced 1.0 m on centers and
are driven into the lake bottom down to a depth of
about 2.5 m-3.0 m.
• The lower horizontal brace is connected to every
vertical pole at elevation 1.0 m above mean sea level
(MSL), while the upper horizontal brace is installed at
elevation 2.5 meters above MSL.

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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Pens and cages systems
(a) The nursery
• The net is of polyethylene type of material.
• The lower edge of the net is tied to a 5.0 kg
sinker spaced at 1.0 meter on centers.
• The lower edge of the net, together with the
sinkers, is embedded into the lake bottom to a
depth of about 1.0 meter.
• The upper edge of the net, on the other hand, is
tied to the bamboo framework at about 1.0 meter
above the water surface to prevent fingerlings
from escaping the nursery framework.

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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Pens and cages systems
Barrier
(b) Enclosure

• the area where the bangus stocks

are cultured until marketable sizes.
• for four months during dry season
and for about six months during rainy Enclosure
season.
• the size of harvested bangus is
expected to be about 5–6 pieces to a
kg.

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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Pens and cages systems
(b) Enclosure
• Each layer of polyethylene net is of 150-mesh
depth, has a mesh size of 22 mm and the number
of ply is 15. It is a knotted type of net. freeboard
• The lower type of the two polyester net is of 100-
mesh depth.
• Its mesh size is 22 mm and the thickness of bar is
about 2.0 mm.
• The upper layer is of 28-mesh depth, 51 mm
stretched length and the bar diameter is about 2.0
mm. This is tied to the main enclosure framework
to provide 1.0 m to 1.5 m freeboard and prevent
fish stocks from jumping out or escaping from the
grow-out area.

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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Pens and cages systems
(b) Enclosure

• Floats of 800-gram buoyancy capacity is installed between the two

layers of polyester nets.
• Concrete or stone sinkers of 5 kg to 10 kg weight are tied to the foot
rope of the main enclosure net at an interval of 1.0 m on centers.
• These sinkers, together with the nets are embedded into the lake
bottom, one after the other, to a depth of about 1.0 meter.
• Bamboo pins of about 10 mm × 1.0 m are also used in place of
concrete or stone sinkers.

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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Pens and cages systems
(c) Barrier

• To protect the grow-out enclosure, the

nursery and the tilapia cages from floating
debris and the forces of nature as well as
to discourage poaching,
• barrier structure is set up 10–15 m around
the main enclosure frame-work of grow-
out fence

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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Pens and cages systems
(c) Barrier
• The frame-work is composed of bamboo
poles and anahaw trunks arranged similar
to the main enclosure framework.
• The net on outer side is a polyester type of
material, 150 mm mesh size and 25 mesh
depth.
• The diameter of the bar is about 3.5 mm.

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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Pens and cages systems

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 61

ABE 115 - Lecture 5

1/11/2023
The way to

ABE 115 - Lecture 5

get started
is to quit
talking and
begin doing.

Walt Disney
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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Thank you!

Any questions?

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Lecture 5
Aquaculture production systems,
design and requirements
By: Engr. Joan Jane J. Sanchez
 Aquaculture production systems,

ABE 115 - Lecture 5

design and requirements
5.1 Aquaculture site selection criteria
5.2 Aquaculture processes
5.3 Pond systems
5.4 Pen and cage systems
5.5 Tank and recirculating system
5.6 Flow-through systems
5.7 Recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS)
5.8 Integrated systems
5.9 Hatchery Design and Construction

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 Recirculating Aquaculture Systems

ABE 115 - LECTURE 5

• Recirculation aquaculture is
essentially a technology for farming
fish or other aquatic organisms by
reusing the water in the production.

• The technology is based on the use

of mechanical and biological filters,
and the method can in principle be
used for any species grown in
aquaculture such as fish, shrimps,
clams, etc.

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Recirculating Aquaculture Systems
➢Round tanks: Advantages
• Uniform environment
• Optimum rational velocity : for
swimming and for self-cleaning
attributes
• Flow distributes feed and fish
• Rapid removal of waste
• Reduce floor space requirements
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ABE 115 - Lecture 5
• Reduces cumulative cost of equipment
• Fish feeders
• Proves: oxygen, pH, temperatures, etc.
• Reduces labor:
✓Time required to analyze water quality
✓Distribute feed
✓Perform cleaning chores
4
 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Recirculating Aquaculture Systems

➢Round tanks: disadvantages ✓controlling flow hydraulics :

• larger economic risk with each water velocities, dead-spaces, and
tank loss settling zones
• mechanical problems
• biological problems
• potential problems to overcome:
✓removing mortalities
✓grading and harvesting fish

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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Recirculating Aquaculture Systems

➢Round tanks: diameter and

depth
1. Culture tank can be large
• between 12 to 42 m diameter
• smaller tanks are used:
hatcheries and smaller farms
2. Dia:Depth = 3:1 to 10:1

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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Recirculating Aquaculture Systems

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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Flow-through systems

• Traditional: earthen
• More recently: concrete, plastic, metal.
• Indoors: temperature may be controlled.
• Short-term: depuration & holdover.
• Based on
-Constant, large volume of H2O :100-1,000 gpm
-Topography
-Discharge

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 • Water supply

ABE 115 - LECTURE 5

• Use large quantities of water
(raceways have continual water
exchange, often 2 to 10
exchanges/hr).
• Gravity springs are most
economical

• Location
• Near water supply

• Topography
• 8-10 percent slope

Flow-through systems • 18-24 inch water drop

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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Flow-through systems

Types of Raceways:
• Single pass
• Parallel – flow through one raceway
(channel)
• Series – flows through multiple raceways
(most common)
• Recirculating
• Floating

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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Floating raceways

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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Flow-through systems
Single Pass Raceway
• Length: width: height ratio
• 30:3:1 for adults
• 6:1:1 for fingerlings
• 3:1:1 for fry
• Water depth not to exceed 3-4 ft.
• Fish are sorted (youngest to oldest)
• Water flows via gravity.
• Baffles, quiescent zone, levees, splash boards & screening.
• Self-cleaning
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 13

ABE 115 - Lecture 5

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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Integrated systems

• Integrated farming involving aquaculture defined broadly is the

concurrent or sequential linkage between two or more activities, of
which at least one is aquaculture.
• Benefits of integration are synergistic rather than additive; and the fish
and livestock components may benefit to varying degrees.
• The term “waste” has not been omitted because of common usage but
philosophically and practically it is better to consider wastes as
“resources out of place”.

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 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Integrated farming

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Hatchery Design and Construction
Facilities and equipment for a hatchery include:
• Ponds or tanks for holding and rearing brood
stocks
• Spawning pond, tanks or hapas
• Nursery pond, tanks or hapas
• Conditioning pond/tank
• Water supply system and storage tank
• Aeration system
11/01/2023
ABE 115 - Lecture 5
• Pumps (for recirculatory egg incubation
system)
• Electricity supply and/or generator
• Basins, buckets, containers
• Seine nets, scoop nets, grading basket
• Sensitive scale for weighing fry and fingerlings
• Accessories for packing of fry and fingerlings
16
 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Hatchery Design and Construction

Hatcheries consist of multiple pond types based on the size of fish to be

housed and purpose.
• Nursery pond : for g rowing /nursing fry to fingerlings
• Broodstock pond : for rearing /holding the breeders for spawning
• Sex-reversal pond : for sex-reversal of newly hatched fry
• Conditioning pond : for holding fingerlings before transp ort
• Grow-out pond : for growing fingerlings till harvest (to table -size )
• Quarantine pond : for introducing new fish to the farm or for
treatment purposes
• Reservoir pond : for storing inlet water before use in the hatchery
and nursery.

11/01/2023
17
 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Hatchery Design and Construction
• Broodstock Management:
1) Hatcheries supplying fish for culture -based fisheries (CBF) need to consistently provide good
quality (fit and healthy) juveniles suitable for stocking.
2) Poorly planned genetic management of brood stock and breeding can result in:
➢ declines in the quality of stock over a number generations
➢ reduced fecundity
➢ reduced hatch rates
➢ reduced growth rates
➢ increased in the incidence of abnormalities
➢ increased susceptibility to diseases

11/01/2023
18
The way to

ABE 115 - Lecture 5

get started
is to quit
talking and
begin doing.

Walt Disney
11/01/2023
19
 ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Thank you!

Any questions?

11/01/2023
20
Lecture 6
Technical and
economic feasibility
considerations
By: Engr. Joan
Jane J. Sanchez
 Feeding System

Harvesting
Equipment

Topics
Instrumentation
and Monitoring

Presentation Title
ABE 115 - Lecture 5 2
Feeding Systems
➢ Feed accounts for about 60-80 %
of operational costs in intensive
aquaculture, while feed and
fertilizers represent about 30-60
percent of the total cost of
aquaculture production in semi-
intensive aquaculture system.
➢ Feeding can be done by hand, or
by automatic feeders or feeding
systems.

Why use automatic

feeding system?
ABE 115 - Lecture 5 3
 Dry, excluded or pelleted feed is
TYPE OF quite easy to deal with: the
particles are fixed and hard.
FEEDS Wet feed or moist feed is rather
more difficult to feed
automatically.
 Selection of feeding
system
1. Feed type
2. Production species
3. Production type
4. Production size
5. Access to electricity.

ABE 115 - Lecture 5 5

 Feeding system requirements
✓ Simple operation
✓ Low maintenance
✓ Tolerate wind and sea (offshore
farms)
✓ Tolerate high humidity
✓ Simple to fill with feed
✓ Simple calibration (to control the
amount dispensed)
✓ High dispersion accuracy
✓ Cause few breakages
ABE 115 - Lecture 5 6
 Types of Feeding Equipment

Feed Feed Demand Automatic Feeding

Blowers Dispenser Feeders Feeders & Systems
Feed
ABE 115 - Lecture 5
Machines 7
Types of Feeding Equipment
1. Feed blowers
➢ A feed blower is only a tool to simplify hand
feeding.
➢ There are different blower types based on the
‘carrier’ used for the feed particles which is normally
either air or water.
➢ The feed can either be sucked up from a tank or a
bag by vacuum, or the feed can be filled into a
hopper standing over a pipe with flow of air or
water.
➢ The hopper can be fixed on a boat or be movable.
8
Types of Feeding Equipment
2. Feed dispenser
➢ A weighed portion of feed is placed on the
dispenser and the dispenser will empty it during a
fixed period, normally from one to three days.
➢ Advantage:
➢ simple and robust construction
➢ easy to monitor visually
➢ construction is favorable to use in research
operations
➢ Disadvantage:
➢ it takes quite a long time to measure and/or
weigh the feed that should be placed in the
dispenser

ABE 115 - Lecture 5 9

Types of feeding equipment
Typical feed dispensers:
(A) disc feeder (B) conveyor belt feeder.

10
Types of feeding equipment
3. Demand feeders
➢ A demand feeder is normally a mechanical
construction. A stick is attached to a slightly
bowed plate sitting under a feed hopper. The
stick goes from the feeder down into the water.
➢ Advantage:
➢ there is no need for an electricity supply.
➢ the design is simple with few moveable
parts.
➢ Disadvantage:
➢ feed loss
➢ Demand feeders are sensitive to
movements in water and wind

ABE 115 - Lecture 5 11

Types of Feeding Equipment
4. Automatic feeders
1) Feed Container (Hopper)
2) Mechanism for feed distribution
3) Electrical power supply
4) Control unit

ABE 115 - Lecture 5 12

Types of Feeding Equipment
4. Automatic feeders
➢ Distribution mechanisms:
➢ Screw - allows a specific batch of feed
to be dispensed for every rotation
➢ Vibrator - plate that vibrates may be
used to distribute a volume of feed.
➢ Cell wheel - vertically installed rotating
wheel with wings, cells or chambers
sitting under a feed hopper may also be
used to distribute feed.
➢ Other

ABE 115 - Lecture 5 13

Types of Feeding Equipment
4. Automatic feeders
➢ Feed hopper
➢ Spreading of feed - point feeding
(no spreading mechanism), sector
feeding and circle feeding.
➢ Control unit
➢ Electric current
➢ Feeding system-feeding robots

ABE 115 - Lecture 5 14

 Types of Feeding Equipment
5. Feeding system
A complete feeding system may comprise three parts: a
storage unit, a transport unit and a feed distribution unit.
(1) Systems where the feeder is centrally placed and feed is
transported to the single fish production units (tanks,
ponds or cages) through pipes, normally known as
feeding systems.
(2) Systems where the feeder is installed on a rail system
that covers several units, normally called feeding
robots.

ABE 115 - Lecture 5 16

 Types of Feeding Equipment
5. Feeding system
Central feeding system
➢ consists of storage silos, a sluice valve, tubes with a
flow of water or air for transporting of feed, a
selector valve, and a distribution unit.

ABE 115 - Lecture 5 17

 Types of feeding equipment

5. Feeding system
Feeding robots
➢ a feeder suspended from a rail system
hanging above the fish tanks.
➢ A motor to push the feeder along the rail
system is included
➢ The rail system is laid over the production
units and under the feed silos.
➢ The robot may have its docking station under
the silos where it enters for automatic refilling
with feed when the hopper on the feeder is
empty.

ABE 115 - Lecture 5 18

 Feed Control
➢ The use of restrictive feeding with no
feed loss, (really underfeeding).
➢ Acceptance of a certain feed loss which is
expensive and damaging to the
environment.
➢ Hand feeding is an old-fashioned system for
regulating feed supply.
➢ One way to improve the feed control and
utilization of feed is to use a feeder for basic
feeding and hand feeding for topping up.

ABE 115 - Lecture 5 19

 Harvesting
Equipment

ABE 115 - Lecture 5 20

 Negative Effects of
Handling the Fish
a) Handling creates a stress response in the fish.
b) Fish may also suffer physical damage if handled
too roughly.
c) How much the fish is affected by handling is
species dependent
d) All handling includes some kind of human work,
which requires time and creates costs.

ABE 115 - Lecture 5 21

 Methods and Equipment
for Internal Transport
1) With a supply of energy
2) Using signals or stimuli to get the fish
to move voluntarily.
Moving fish with a supply of external energy
With supplied energy, the total internal transport process
may again be divided into three phases:
(1) Crowding of the fish inside the production unit
(2) Vertical transport where the fish are lifted between the
levels
(3) Horizontal transport of the fish between the units.
ABE 115 - Lecture 5 22
 Methods and Equipment
for Internal Transport
Crowding
• Reduction of water level (tanks, ponds)
• Reduction of available volume (ponds, tanks
and cages)

ABE 115 - Lecture 5 23

 Methods and Equipment
for Internal Transport
Vertical transport
1. Dip net
2. Pumps: Centrifugal pump, Vacuum–pressure pump,
ejector and airlift pumps
3. Fish screw
4. Transport tanks

ABE 115 - Lecture 5 24

 Equipment for grading that
requires an energy supply
Methods where the fish are taken
out of the water Methods and equipment
➢ Manual for size grading of fish
➢ Fish cradle ➢ Equipment can be separated into that needing a supply of energy
➢ Grading box and equipment where the fish voluntarily grade themselves.
➢ Tilt grader
➢ The first method is totally dominant. The effectiveness of the
➢ Bar grader different methods is to some degree dependent on the species to
➢ Grading machine and others. be graded.
➢ The latter method is mainly used in research activities. A brief
survey of the methods most used follows.

ABE 115 - Lecture 5 25

 Methods and equipment
for size grading of fish
Methods for grading the fish in the water
➢ Methods where the fish are maintained in the
water throughout the entire grading process
have been developed for raceways, ponds, sea
cages and grading channels.

ABE 115 - Lecture 5 26

 Methods and equipment
for size grading of fish
Methods for voluntary grading (self grading)

➢ The same stimuli that are used for voluntary fish

transport have been used for self grading.

ABE 115 - Lecture 5 27

 Instrumentation and Monitoring

ABE 115 - Lecture 5 28

 Construction of measuring
instruments
➢ The construction of measuring instruments depends
on the measuring principles used and the signal
transfer.
➢ One classification is mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic,
electrical and electronic, where the last is being
increasingly used.
➢ A measuring instrument often comprises three major
parts:
(1) A sensor or probe
(2) A transmitter to transfer the signal
(3) A display or another type of indicator
(connected to the transmitter).

ABE 115 - Lecture 5 29

 Construction of measuring
Measuring Temperature
1) One principle utilized to measure
instruments
temperature is the expansion of Instruments for measuring water quality
certain substances with temperature
as in a mercury thermometer.
➢ On-line instruments that can stay in the water carry
2) That the electrical resistance in
out continuous monitoring and are always a type of
materials changes with temperature
electrode or sensor.
may also be used to measuring
➢ Off-line instruments are more closely related to those
temperature.
in laboratories, and normally more work is needed to
3) The difference in voltage occurring
perform an analysis, together with experience in
between two different materials may
performing laboratory work in some cases.
also be used for measuring
temperature.
4) A thermistor is also a temperature
dependent resistance, but is more
complex and includes semiconductor
technology

ABE 115 - Lecture 5 30

 Construction of measuring
instruments
Measuring oxygen content of the water

➢ The oxygen content may be measured either chemically or

electronically.
➢ The normal chemical method is the so-called Winkler
method which is a titration method, consisting of adding
certain chemicals to the water and observing a color
change which will be directly related to the oxygen
concentration.
➢ A sensor or probe is used. This can be constructed using a
positively charged conductor (anode) and a negatively
charged conductor (cathode) separated by an insulator.

ABE 115 - Lecture 5 31

 Construction of measuring
instruments
Measuring pH

➢ The pH can also be measured by a standard chemical analysis with

titration and observing the change in color, which is pH dependent.
➢ A pH meter is constructed on the same principle as the oxygen meter. Here
the probe is constructed with two electrodes, one for measuring the
concentration of H+.

Measuring conductivity and salinity

➢ Conductivity is a measure of the ability of water to conduct an
electric current.
➢ In fish farms this is important in order to evaluate the ability of the
water to inhibit pH fluctuations, i.e., the buffering capacity.

ABE 115 - Lecture 5 32

 Construction of measuring
instruments
Measuring total gas pressure and nitrogen saturation

➢ The total gas pressure in the water is measured mainly to find not
only the total pressure, but also the amount and saturation of
dissolved nitrogen gas (N2).
➢ If the saturation of nitrogen in the water is above 100%, the fish
may suffer from gas bubble disease.
➢ One method to measure the total gas pressure in the water is to use
a saturometer (saturation meter)

ABE 115 - Lecture 5 33


Measuring the water flow
➢ A simple way to measure the
water velocity in a pipe is to
use a propeller, paddle wheel
or turbine
➢ An electromagnetic flow meter
can also be used to measure
water velocity
➢ Ultrasound waves may also be
used for measuring the water
flow, as in an ultrasonic flow
meter
Instruments for measuring
physical conditions
➢ In aquaculture, the water condition is of major
importance, particularly the following factors: water
flow, water level and water pressure.
➢ Many methods can be used to measure these
parameters; some can also be used to measure more
than one.
➢ Either the propeller can be installed in an existing pipe
system, known as an inset meter, or it can be a
separate system in which the propeller and instruments
are connected, forming a complete unit adapted to the
pipe.
34
 Instruments for measuring
physical conditions
Measuring water pressure
Measuring water pressure
➢ Water pressure is measured to control
Water pressure is measured to control water
water levels in tanks or the pressure in
levels in tanks or the pressure in pipes. If the
pipes. If the pressure is too high or low a
pressure is too high or low a warning signal
warning signal can be given.
can be given.
➢ Diaphragm manometers are often used to
➢ Diaphragm manometers are often used to
measure the water pressure. The
measure the water pressure. The
manometer is fixed directly to the pipe
manometer is fixed directly to the pipe
where the measurements are taken.
where the measurements are taken.
➢ A bourdon tube manometer may also be
➢ A bourdon tube manometer may also be
used for pressure measurements
used for pressure measurements

35
Instruments for measuring
physical conditions
Measuring water level
➢ Measuring the water level is necessary at various places
to avoid overflows and water shortages.
➢ Different types of electronic floats may be used for
controlling the water level.
➢ A commonly used float is the level rocking sensor.
➢ Capacitance sensors
➢ Water level can be controlled very accurately by
ultrasound devices A transmitter and receiver are placed
above the water surface.

36
Thank you for
listening!
Any Questions?