Buyer problem solver
Start from the problem on your farm
Short answer
Pick the problem that matches your situation. Each one takes you through four steps: work out the cause, compare the options, check the costs, and then send a private request that FishMatch reviews by hand. FishMatch does not diagnose disease or promise results. For health problems, ask a qualified aquatic veterinarian or lab.
Shrimp are dying or survival is falling
Usually raised by: Farm or production manager first; the owner or investor once losses reach the budget.
Treat mortality as an investigation, not a product purchase. Record when and where losses started, check dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, ammonia and nitrite against your own logs, review stocking source and recent feed changes, and get a qualified aquatic veterinarian or lab to confirm any disease. Buy equipment only once the cause points to a system gap such as aeration, biosecurity or water treatment.
Before you contact anyone, check
- Pattern: sudden die-off or slow, steady losses?
- Timing: first weeks after stocking, or late in the cycle?
- Records: oxygen, temperature and feeding logs from before the losses
- Lab or vet confirmation before any treatment decision
1. Find the cause
3. Check the costs
Water quality keeps going out of range
Usually raised by: Operations or technical manager; consultants often write the specification.
Find out which parameter is failing and why before choosing equipment. Low oxygen, ammonia or nitrite build-up, pH swings and solids all have different fixes: aeration or oxygen supply, biofiltration, water exchange, solids removal or better source-water treatment. Regular testing with calibrated equipment is the starting point for any of them.
Before you contact anyone, check
- Which parameter fails, and at what time of day?
- Source water: well, river, sea or municipal, and how it is treated
- Stocking density and feeding rate when it happens
- Testing method and how often it is calibrated
1. Find the cause
3. Check the costs
Oxygen drops at night or aeration seems too small
Usually raised by: Farm manager; the budget approver signs off on extra energy and backup power.
Size aeration from the oxygen your stock and feed actually use, plus a safety margin and backup for power cuts. Paddlewheels, diffused air, blowers and pure oxygen suit different depths, densities and energy costs. Work out the oxygen demand first, then compare options on delivered oxygen per unit of energy and on what happens if power fails.
Before you contact anyone, check
- Lowest dissolved oxygen reading, and when it happens
- Biomass and daily feed at peak
- Pond or tank depth and layout
- Backup power and alarm arrangements
2. Compare options
3. Check the costs
Planning, fixing or expanding a RAS
Usually raised by: Owner or investor with an engineer or consultant; the procurement signer compares bids.
A RAS works only as a balanced system: tanks, solids removal, biofiltration, degassing, oxygenation and disinfection sized together for the planned biomass and feed. Most problems come from undersized parts or a design that doesn't fit the species. Fix the production plan and design basis before asking suppliers for prices, so the quotes can be compared fairly.
Before you contact anyone, check
- Species, target tonnes per year and harvest size
- Maximum feed per day (the main design load)
- Source water, building and energy limits
- Existing equipment to keep or replace
1. Find the cause
2. Compare options
3. Check the costs
Hatchery output or post-larvae supply is unreliable
Usually raised by: Hatchery or production manager; the owner decides whether to build or keep buying.
First decide whether the problem is supply (quality or timing of bought-in juveniles) or your own hatchery's performance. Building a hatchery means steady broodstock, very clean water, live or specialised feeds and skilled staff. Compare the full cost and risk of building with tighter supplier specifications and health certificates for bought-in stock.
Before you contact anyone, check
- Is the issue quality, quantity or timing?
- Broodstock source and health status
- Water treatment and biosecurity in larval rearing
- Grow-out demand the hatchery must meet
1. Find the cause
2. Compare options
3. Check the costs
The CAPEX budget is unclear or keeps growing
Usually raised by: Investor or budget approver, often with a lender and consultant.
CAPEX grows when the scope is vague. List every part of the project, including site work, buildings, water and energy, equipment, installation, commissioning and working capital to the first harvest, then cost each part from written quotes rather than rules of thumb. Any figures in FishMatch tools are illustrative starting points, not quotes.
Before you contact anyone, check
- A written scope that lists every part of the project
- Which costs come from quotes and which are estimates
- Working capital until the first sales
- Contingency, currency and freight assumptions
1. Find the cause
2. Compare options
3. Check the costs
FCR is too high and feed costs are eating the margin
Usually raised by: Farm manager; the owner sees it in the cost per kilo.
FCR (kg of feed per kg of fish or shrimp produced) rises with overfeeding, wasted feed, low oxygen, poor water quality, disease and wrong feed size or quality. Measure it per pond or tank from real feed and harvest records, fix feeding and oxygen first, and then judge whether feeders, monitoring or a different feed would pay back.
Before you contact anyone, check
- FCR per pond or tank, not only farm average
- Feeding method, timing and wasted feed
- Oxygen and temperature at feeding times
- Feed size and storage condition
1. Find the cause
2. Compare options
Who is usually involved
| Role | What they need |
|---|---|
| Problem owner | Farm or hatchery manager who sees the losses every day |
| Researcher | Technical staff or consultant comparing causes and options |
| Budget approver | Owner, investor or lender who signs off on CAPEX and running costs |
| Procurement signer | Person who compares written quotes and signs the order |
| Advisers and intermediaries | Consultants, engineers and agents who write specifications |
Projects of USD 250,000 or more get hands-on sourcing help. Smaller requests are still saved and pointed to the free tools above. Supplier identities stay private. Start a private request.
Sources
- FAO / Eurofish — A Guide to Recirculation Aquaculture (Bregnballe, 2015)
- SRAC Publication 451 — Recirculating Aquaculture Tank Production Systems
General planning guidance only. It is not veterinary, engineering or financial advice.