Turn Key Construction Concepts in RAS
Design Concept for a 2000 Tonne POD RAS
'Simplicity of Application'
Round the clock monitoring
Back up power issues
High Electricity Consumption
Full time Staff required at a rate of 1.7 per 4 tonne of production. Not Good!
(Dutch Aquaculture has 4 staff per 1000 tonnes of fish production)
Short working life of RAS Components
Return on investment 5 to 14 percent.
Or Loss of Investment
High Mortality (Fish)
Stress (Human)
Gray Hair (Human)
Divorce (Human)
You get the picture
However if one approaches the design concept correctly the outcomes are both financially and aesthetically rewarding as you can see below..
The above POD RAS Design Uses Only One Pump
The above picture is a two module RAS system we designed and built in 1986. This farm was, private catchment, private disposal. The aquafarm was vertically integrated with hatchery, nursery and growout production. It was and still is capable of 30 tonnes production per module every 18 months.
And that equates to $726,000 AUD per 18 months on today's prices.
Wages = $150,000
Feed = $200,000 standard pellet diet
Electricity = 10kwatts x 18 hours@40cents/kwh = $72/day x 500 days = $36,000
(Kel also likes a new 4WD, strictly for work you understand)
Vehicle = $80,000
Set Up Costs @20% /crop = $100,000 (owned the land and borrowed $300,000 at 14% = $42000 pa interest)
This farm has a hatchery but if the farm needed to buy fingerlings
100,000 Fingerling @ $0.75 = $75,000
Sundries at 10% = $64,000
TOTAL COST of PRODUCTION = $705,000
Profit = $21,000
Yes, if you run animals you do have loses. Technically speaking, the farm 'primary production' costs were $200,000. From a tax perspective, the farm made a loss of $155,000. This figure covers any outstanding taxation for the year plus a percentage carry over loss to the following year. Do you find this interesting? Because this is legal.
In actual fact, the above figures represent a profitable business within Australia. Because POD is passive filtration the overheads and staff requirements are very low.
A POD system requires one staff person full time and three persons for harvest. That is 1.2 persons per 66 tonnes production per 18 months. The whole farm operates on 1000 liter per minute flow rate per individual RAS system, and there are two modules in the top half of the picture.
Each RAS utilise's a multi-stage mechanical and biological filtration system that was, maintenance free.
The farm utilised inground ponds and plumbing with an expected working life of 25 years
The water leaving the biofiltration was drinkable.
Return on production costs was 67%
This farm produced the best looking and healthiest silver perch I, to this day, have ever seen. And that includes wild stock.
"Not too bad for the eighties".
If you are building an RAS system then the above components are basic and essential for low stress, long production life RAS Aquaculture.
Warning these systems were fundamentally flawed
There are so many Recirculating Aquaculture Systems around today it amazes me there is such a lack of success. Then again maybe it doesn't. There are well defined books, miles of research and yet it cannot be said that there is one successful RAS in Australia. Yes including the one mentioned above. It was bought for tax reasons so the current results are not valid.
There are many claims but for any aquaculture business, success can only be measured in profits over time. Can anyone tell me of an aquaculture business that has been profitable for the last 10 years?? SEND
Aquafarmer builds RAS systems for profitable longevity and really, that is the only necessary factor an RAS system should and need for sales promotions.
For any questions on RAS operations Contact Us
The Pod System (Our commercial RAS Design)
POD Recirculating Aquaculture System Design