Filtration Systems
Mechanical and biological filtration for hatcheries, nurseries and grow-out.
Overview
Filtration removes solids and dissolved nutrients from culture water. Mechanical filtration (drum, disc, sand, protein skimmers) removes particles; biological filtration (MBBR, fixed-bed) converts ammonia to nitrate.
Where it is used
- RAS grow-out
- Marine hatcheries
- Recirculating shrimp systems
- Ornamental & broodstock facilities
Typical applications
- Solids removal down to 30 µm
- TAN control at high density
- Water clarity for observation and grading
Benefits
- Enables high-density culture
- Reduces disease pressure
- Improves feed conversion
Limitations
- Requires stable operation & alarms
- Biofilter must be seeded and matured
- Pressure loss must be engineered into system head
Typical project sizes: From compact hatchery skids to industrial RAS with hundreds of m³ of biomedia.
Drum vs Sand vs Bead vs Protein Skimmer
| Parameter | Drum filter | Sand filter | Bead filter | Protein skimmer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solids capture (µm) | 40–100 | 20–50 | 5–20 | Dissolved organics |
| Backwash water use | Low (2–5%) | High (5–10%) | Medium | None |
| CAPEX | Medium | Low | Medium | Medium |
| Best for | RAS main filter | Pretreatment | Nurseries, high-solids | Marine RAS |
Buying guide
How to evaluate suppliers
- Sized on peak solids load, not average
- Verify backwash automation and alarm channels
- Prefer stainless or engineered polymer housings
Common purchasing mistakes
- Undersizing biofilter to save CAPEX
- Ignoring dissolved organics (DOC) build-up
- Skipping pilot maturation period
Technical questions to ask
- What is the guaranteed effluent TSS at design load?
- What is the maximum TAN under normal and stress conditions?
- How is biofilter maturation supported at commissioning?
Warranty considerations
- 12 months mechanical
- 5 years housings
Maintenance
- Weekly inspection of mesh and seals
- Quarterly biomedia turnover check
Expansion capability
- Modular biofilter cells
- Bypass loop for cleaning without shutdown
Energy efficiency
- Drum filters low energy; pumps around them dominate cost
Lifecycle
- 10–15 years housings; 3–5 years mesh, seals, bearings
Technical specification checklist
Line-by-line items you should include in a vendor-neutral technical specification. Download as CSV to hand to your engineer or drop straight into the RFQ Builder.
Budget guide
| Project size | Indicative CAPEX | Indicative OPEX |
|---|---|---|
| Hatchery skid | USD 30–120k | USD 0.10–0.20/kg |
| Mid-size RAS (500 t/y) | USD 400k–1.2M | USD 0.30–0.60/kg |
| Large RAS (5,000 t/y) | USD 3–8M | USD 0.40–0.80/kg |
Indicative ranges only. Real budgets depend on site, regulations, redundancy and scope. Use for internal planning — always validate with an engineering study.
Major cost drivers
- Design flow
- Solids load
- Housing material
- Automation level
Optional equipment
- Ozone injection
- Foam fractionation
- Denitrification module
Installation notes
- Pipework and manifold design critical to performance
Operating cost notes
- Backwash water and pump energy
Maintenance reserve
- Budget 3–5% of CAPEX/year
Procurement checklist
- 1Water analysis of source water
- 2Peak feed and biomass load
- 3Redundancy plan
- 4Draft specification with TSS/TAN KPIs
- 5Independent commissioning test
Supplier evaluation matrix
Score each supplier from 0 to 10 on each factor. Weights are pre-set with defensible defaults — override if your context differs.
| Factor | Weight | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Guaranteed effluent TSS/TAN | 25 | |||
Materials and corrosion resistance | 15 | |||
Backwash automation | 15 | |||
Local parts availability | 15 | |||
Total 10-year cost | 15 | |||
Warranty | 10 | |||
Lead time | 5 | |||
| Weighted total | 100 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Decision wizard
Frequently asked questions
Planning a project?
Now that you have the technical picture, get confidential quotations from project-matched international suppliers — or line up equipment financing first.
Continue exploring
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Short answer
How do you source Filtration for a commercial aquaculture project?
Start from the process requirement — biomass, flow, water quality target and site constraints — not from a product catalogue. FishMatch Group converts that requirement into a specification for Filtration, sources it from vetted manufacturers and integrators across Europe, Asia and the Americas, and returns like-for-like quotations with lead times, energy consumption and lifetime running cost stated in the same format.
- What we compare:
- Scope, capacity, energy use, lead time and total cost of ownership
- Typical turnaround:
- Depends on scope and site data; no turnaround is guaranteed
- Delivery terms:
- Quotations normalised to EXW / FOB / CIF so prices are like-for-like
- Cost to buyers:
- No fee charged to the buyer
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.