Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi there,
My name is Waheed S. Bahha, I am a student at SVSU in Saginaw MI. I am looking for a commercial scale aquaponic system that is going to be built in my country Saudi Arabia. I really need your help, I have lot's of ideas that the Aquapoincs would be free hand. I also have few questions that i did not find much information about it.
1) How many fish the tank can take? I saw an example that said every 100 fish to 1000 L.
2) I knew that Fish provide Ammoina, and Ammonia itself if it increase in the fish tank might kill the fish, so to solve this problem without affecting the fish and plant?
3) I read many articles about Aquaponics they talked about increasing the plants but they never talk how we can increase the fish?
Thanks

Hi waheed

Welcome to the forum. Your questions are answered heaps within the forum, I suggest you do a search

Also, if you haven't already, start a small scale ap system and learn from it for a while before attempting commercial scale


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi Moderator,
I found many interesting designs, but I did not find the design that companies both increasing both fish and plant. Also, I was hoping to find more different designs, so I can have more information. I already have my design but I am looking for more ideas that will lower the cost to build the Aquaponics. Also, I am going to use 82000 m^2 for the aquaponic.
Please if you could provide me with more information it will be great
thanks

Not sure I'm following you "wbahha"...

So.. you're looking for commercial designs... that can improve your own commercial design...

Perhaps you might be better served by posting up your design... and asking for critique...

And/or suggestions... for improvements... within your stock/plant requirements...

Before I answer any of the above questions, let me first suggest starting a smaller version of your commercial system. You can later scale it, after making sure the design works. It will save you a lot of effort, money, and time. With that said lets get to answering some of your questions:

1) That is a good estimate, but it really comes down to which type of fish you use. Some fish will be better in crowded conditions, than others who might do better with more space. I would contact your local state fish hatchery since they can better assist you with some of the local fish in the area as well as potentially provide free fish to stock your system with.

2) Ammonia is what helps make the system work. It is part of the Nitrogen Cycle and when properly balanced, becomes the fertilizers (Nitrate) which your plants will need.

The Nitrogen Cycle in Aquaponics
http://www.okofarms.com/storage/AquaponicNitrogenCycle_web%20copy.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1336760982064

On average (and again it will depend on which fish and plants you raise) you want to try for a 1:1 ratio per volume of fish and plants. 1000L of fish tank = 1000L of grow space.

3) They talk about increasing the plants due to produce being the main revenue source. Plants take on average 30 days to harvest, whereas fish take months (Tilapia = 8 months to reach maturity). I would suggest starting with the produce and then afterwards start raising and staging the fish, since raising fish compicates the process. And once again check with your local fish hatchery as they will be able to provide valuable information regarding raising fish ie., which permits are needed, which fish can be raised, etc.

This is an example of information that gets spread around the internet. First started by someone who should have known better and then promulgated into both BYAP and commercial advice where it is almost certainly wrong for both.

In commercial systems you do not calculate your stocking density on the number of fish per given volume but on the mass of fish.

Generally smaller fish do not tolerate high densities as well as larger fish so the denity by mass is often increased as the fish get bigger.

What this means is that when they are small a commercial operation may stock fish to a density 40-50kg/m3 but when they are larger densities maybe more than 70-80kg/m3. Now if the small fish weigh 10g and the large fish weigh 500g how many fish per m3 is that?

Tilapia are different because many operations stock fish of different sizes in the one tank but even so there average density is often greater than 60kg/m3.

All this is explained in great detail in recirculating aquaculture (do a search for "timmons" or "lekang" texts which you will need to read and understand if you are serious. Alternatively if you are serious you need to employ someone who has.

I certainly wouldn't be taking advice.. or consultancy.. from the mob above...

http://www.okofarms.com/consultation-design/

Never done it before how hard could it be?

how much would a 82000m² system cost? 8.2 hectares

nearly as big as this one:- viewtopic.php?f=13&t=18864&hilit=biggest+commercial

$8-$10 million...

Well that was the cost of the high tech UES NFT approach at Cobbity... the one above is lower tech.. and DWC...

I'll find out the cost... but remember.. the one linked above... is a pilot feasibility...

$8million plus, wow! For half a hectare!

Are you serious? What the hell went wrong. A greenhouse operation in Geelong had a similar budget blowout but that was because the greenhouse builder went bust and Faber was left with the mess of cleaning it up.

lol .. the $8million wasn't just for the greenhouse...

No...I didn't think it was. Was just another example of a budget that went out of control.

They may be in positive cashflow but with such a high cap-ex the ROI must have taken a beating. I'd heard that there had been some budget blow outs but seems a huge price to pay per m2.

Rupe you may have better figures than me but a stand-alone hydro system would be less than $200/m2. Granted the MGS will bump the price per m2 up but not that much.

Isn't their GH 5000m2? That would make the cost $1600/m2

@ $200 /m² I'll have a dozen.

So 82000m² would be $16.4million

That is the bulk discount Slowboat. You have to get a GH over at least 5000m2 to get that rate.