Aquaculture Facilities

Quenton M. Tuckett, Carlos V. Martinez, Jared L. Ritch, Katelyn M. Lawson, and Jeffrey E. Hill

Eric Cassiano, Matthew DiMaggio, Cortney Ohs, and John Marcellus

Airlifts are simple and inexpensive and not new to aquaculture. The buoyancy of rising bubbles within a pipe or tube generates an upward flow of water that are often used as part of water treatment design in recirculating aquaculture systems, but can also be used to collect and concentrate live food organisms fed to marine fish larvae. Airlifts are more gentle and efficient than sieving. This 3-page fact sheet provides protocols and designs for harvesting and feeding copepod nauplii to marine fish larvae, but these methods can be adapted for use with many live feed organisms.

Frank A. Chapman

Cortney L. Ohs, John Marcellus, Eric J. Cassiano, andJason Broach

A significant limitation in developing aquaculture protocols for marine fish species is an adequate understanding of viable egg production and larval development. The first step in that process is to efficiently collect fertilized embryos, usually referred to as eggs, for examination and further development. This fact sheet includes directions for construction and operation of two types of pelagic egg collectors: pre-filter and floating airlift.

P. A. Fowler, R. A. Bucklin, C. D. Baird, F. A. Chapman, and C. A. Watson

Quenton M. Tuckett, Carlos V. Martinez, Jared L. Ritch, Katelyn M. Lawson, and Jeffrey E. Hill

Jeffrey E. Hill, Quenton M. Tuckett, Carlos V. Martinez, Jared L. Ritch, and Katelyn M. Lawson

Quenton M. Tuckett, Carlos V. Martinez, Jared L. Ritch, Katelyn M. Lawson, and Jeffrey E. Hill

Jordan Neff, Eric Cassiano, Micah Alo, and Craig Watson

The energy consumption on aquaculture facilities can account for a large portion of on-farm operational costs. Energy associated with keeping aquatic plants and animals alive contributes to the total cost of operation.  Even on a moderately sized farm, excessive energy consumption can be a limiting factor in the success of an aquaculture business. When recirculating aquaculture systems and indoor climate-controlled production methods are used, the cost of energy can be as large as the costs associated with labor and feed. Evaluating energy use on a facility allows for the opportunity to identify areas where energy may be used more efficiently. Increasing energy efficiency can help reduce overall operational costs and increase profitability. This publication is one in a series that details techniques and methods for reducing energy consumption on aquaculture farms.

Roy P. E. Yanong

FA165 discusses the use of “bluestone” or “blue copperas” copper sulfate — basic copper chemistry, chelated copper, toxicity to target and non-target organisms, determining dose, reaching and maintaining desired concentrations, and removing copper from the system. Includes references.

Jordan Neff, Eric Cassiano, Micah Alo, and Craig Watson

Energy consumption is often a primary contributor to the cost of operation in aquaculture. Even on a moderately sized farm, excessive energy consumption can be a limiting factor in the success of an aquaculture business. Reducing operational costs can increase total profitability. Identifying inefficient energy use and implementing energy-efficient technologies can help reduce the total cost of operation. This publication is one in a series that details techniques and methods for reducing energy consumption to decrease operational costs on aquaculture facilities. In many aquaculture practices, especially finfish culture, water must be moved from one location to another.  Pumping water often accounts for a significant portion of a facility’s energy use and operational costs.  This publication discusses how variable frequency drives can be used to reduce energy consumption of pumps.

Jordan Neff, Jonathan A. Watson, Wendell A. Porter, andWendell A. Porter

This publication explains the basic methodology used to size pumps for aquaculture systems; however, these concepts can be applied to a variety of pumping systems. Written by Jordan Neff, J. A. Watson, and W. A. Porter, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, September 2022.