RAS – Recirculating Aquaculture Systems
Land-based recirculating systems for salmon, trout, shrimp and high-value species.
Full-scope RAS project sourcing — feasibility, engineering, financing, construction and commissioning are sourced from independent providers, not supplied by FishMatch Group and not equipment supply alone.
Project-matched RAS engineering partners
Private & anonymized
Zero
What is RAS aquaculture?
RAS (recirculating aquaculture system) farming raises fish in indoor tanks that clean and reuse 90–99% of the water through mechanical filtration, biofiltration, CO₂ stripping and oxygenation. Because the water loop is controlled, production is independent of climate, soil and local water bodies — at the cost of higher capital and energy input than ponds or cages.
- How much does a RAS system cost?
- Typical RAS CAPEX ranges from USD 10,000 to 25,000 per tonne of annual capacity, depending on species, redundancy, automation and country. A 500 t/y salmon RAS often falls between USD 8 million and USD 15 million.
- How does a recirculating aquaculture system work?
- Water leaves the fish tank, passes mechanical filtration (drum filter) to remove solids, a biofilter that converts ammonia to nitrate, a degasser that strips CO₂, an oxygenation stage that raises dissolved oxygen, and usually UV or ozone disinfection before returning to the tank. Only 1–10% of the system volume is replaced per day.
- What stocking density can a RAS run?
- Typically 40–100 kg/m³ depending on species and welfare standards — salmon post-smolt around 40–80 kg/m³, tilapia and catfish up to 100 kg/m³ or more. Shrimp are measured per m² of tank floor instead.
What we source
FishMatch Group sources turn-key and modular RAS projects from independent RAS engineering companies. We cover smolt, post-smolt and full grow-out facilities — including biofilters, oxygenation, denitrification, sludge handling and SCADA.
- Drum filters & MBBR biofilters
- LOX / oxygen cones
- UV & ozone disinfection
- Denitrification reactors
- PLC / SCADA controls
We develop complete commercial projects — not just equipment packages
A recirculating aquaculture facility is a construction and biology project before it is an equipment purchase. We coordinate sourcing across the entire RAS project lifecycle — site and water assessment, mass-balance and process design, CAPEX/OPEX modelling, financing preparation, competitive tendering, build supervision and biological start-up — by matching each scope to independent engineering companies, integrators and EPC contractors who execute and warrant the work.
- Phase 1
Feasibility & site assessment
Water source, energy, effluent permitting and site suitability for land-based production.
- Phase 2
Concept & engineering design
Mass balance, biofilter and oxygen sizing, tank layout, redundancy and SCADA philosophy.
- Phase 3
CAPEX / OPEX modelling & financing
Full build cost model, energy and labour OPEX, sensitivity analysis and bankability review.
- Phase 4
Tendering & supplier selection
Structured tender packages, anonymised comparable bids and technical scoring against your design.
- Phase 5
Construction & installation
Civil works, mechanical installation, water-loop integration and inspection milestones.
- Phase 6
Commissioning, training & operations
System start-up, biofilter maturation, operator training and first production cycle support.
What you receive
- Process design basis and mass-balance sizing
- Bankable CAPEX/OPEX model with sensitivity cases
- Tender documents and scored bid comparison
- Construction and commissioning milestone plan
- Operator training and biosecurity protocols
Private by design.
You'll never see supplier names. We run a sealed-bid process and present anonymized proposals — you choose the winner, we handle the introduction and the contract.
Markets we source ras – recirculating aquaculture systems for
Sourcing runs the same way in every market: one structured specification, matched suppliers with real export experience for that destination, and anonymized bids priced on the same scope. Country pages below carry the local logistics, certification and installation detail.
Buyers looking for a RAS aquaculture system supplier or manufacturer — land-based recirculating aquaculture systems for fish farming, hatcheries and RAS tank design — can compare several engineered RAS systems on one specification.
Norwegian suppliers are strong in post-smolt and smolt RAS. Compare aquaculture equipment suppliers in Norway in one supplier-neutral RFQ.
RAS – Recirculating Aquaculture Systems: equipment guides and planning tools
Product-type guides explain what each item does, published specification ranges and what to put in a request. Size the project with the calculators, then send one reviewed RFQ.
- RAS culture tanks
Circular, octagonal and raceway tanks in GRP, HDPE, lined steel or concrete — the hydraulic base of every RAS.
- Drum filters
Rotating screen filters that remove solids before they reach the biofilter.
- RAS biofilters
Moving-bed, fixed-bed and sand filters that turn ammonia into nitrate.
- Oxygen cones
Pressurised contactors that dissolve pure oxygen into a side-stream.
RAS systems — engineering & procurement FAQ
The most common questions on recirculating aquaculture systems, straight from active procurement briefs.
Ready to price it?
Start a private, anonymized RFQ.
1–3 shortlisted proposals. Zero buyer fees. Suppliers stay confidential until you choose.
Related categories
system
Fish Farms
Complete fish-farm projects: ponds, raceways, RAS and offshore cages.
system
Hatcheries
Marine and freshwater hatcheries for fingerlings, smolt and post-larvae.
system
Cage & Offshore Farming
HDPE pens, mooring, feed barges and offshore submersible cages.
system
Flow-Through Systems
Raceway and flow-through fish farms with continuous single-pass water.
Before you request quotes
Equipment scope
What equipment does a commercial aquaculture project actually need?
A grow-out project typically needs holding infrastructure (tanks, ponds or cages), water movement (pumps, piping, valves), aeration or oxygenation, water treatment appropriate to the system, feeding equipment, grading and handling gear, monitoring and alarms, and backup power. RAS adds mechanical filtration, biofiltration, degassing, disinfection and tighter process control. Hatchery and processing scopes are specified separately.
Which equipment should be specified before requesting quotes?
Specify the items whose sizing changes everything downstream: design biomass and stocking density, water exchange or recirculation rate, oxygen demand at peak temperature, and installed pumping head. With those four fixed, suppliers can quote aeration, filtration, pumps and power on the same basis. FishMatch calculators produce these figures and attach them to the RFQ.
Can equipment be sourced in stages?
Yes, and phased procurement is common. The usual sequence is water supply and holding infrastructure, then aeration and treatment, then automation and monitoring, then processing and cold chain. Staging works when interfaces and capacity headroom are defined at the start; otherwise later phases force replacement rather than addition.