How is post-smolt RAS equipment sized?

From peak daily feed load. Feed load determines oxygen demand, CO2 production, ammonia load and solids production, which in turn set biofilter media volume, drum filter capacity, degassing area, oxygen transfer and pumping. Tank volume follows from density and swimming-speed targets, but it is an output of the design, not the input a supplier quotes from.

What transfer weight should a Norwegian post-smolt facility target?

It depends on the sea-site strategy. 100–250 g remains standard smolt output. Post-smolt strategies typically target 250–500 g, and some projects go to 1 kg to cut sea time and lice exposure further. Every step up multiplies biomass, feed load and therefore treatment capacity, so the transfer weight decision should be fixed before equipment is quoted.

Is freshwater or seawater post-smolt RAS better?

Brackish or seawater operation prepares fish for transfer and can improve robustness, but it raises material specification (titanium, polymers, coated steel), changes biofilter start-up and nitrification behaviour, and complicates CO2 and alkalinity control. Freshwater systems are cheaper and biologically simpler. The right answer follows from your transfer weight, water availability and sea-site conditions.

How long does delivery and commissioning take?

Individual components such as drum filters, pumps and oxygen cones commonly ship in 8–16 weeks. A full process package with design, installation and commissioning usually runs 12–24 months from contract to first stocking, with biofilter maturation adding several weeks before full feed load can be carried.

Which countries supply post-smolt RAS equipment to Norway and the Nordics?

Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Dutch, German, Polish and Spanish manufacturers all supply into Nordic land-based projects, either as full-scope integrators or as component specialists for filtration, oxygen, degassing, pumps and controls. Component-level sourcing is often the cheaper route when your own engineering team owns the process design.

Can post-smolt RAS projects be financed?

Land-based salmon projects are frequently financed through equipment leasing, export credit from the supplier's country, or project finance against offtake. Bankability normally requires a costed process design, permit status, a credible biological plan and management with RAS operating experience.

Post-smolt and smolt RAS equipment sourcing for Norway and the Nordics

Land-based salmon projects in Norway, Iceland, the Faroes, Denmark, Scotland and Chile buy the same core package: filtration, biofiltration, degassing, oxygenation, disinfection, sludge handling and controls — sized from daily feed load. Send one specification and receive comparable quotes from manufacturers and integrators that build for Nordic conditions once suppliers respond. Free for buyers.

Request post-smolt RAS quotes Sourcing in Norway

What equipment does a post-smolt RAS facility in Norway need?

A Norwegian post-smolt RAS facility is specified around daily feed load, not tank volume. The core package is mechanical filtration (drum filters), biological filtration (moving-bed or fixed-bed reactors), CO2 degassing, oxygenation (cones or low-head systems with backup LOX), pumping and internal circulation, disinfection (UV and/or ozone), sludge handling and dewatering, plus intake and discharge treatment sized to the discharge permit. Around that sits monitoring and alarming for dissolved oxygen, CO2, TAN/nitrite, pH, temperature and flow, redundancy on every life-support path, and grading, pumping and transfer systems for moving fish from smolt to post-smolt to sea or on-growing.

Where post-smolt RAS fits in the production chain

Hatchery and first feeding

Eyed ova through fry, typically freshwater RAS or flow-through with tight biosecurity and small-particle filtration.

Smolt production (to ~100–250 g)

Freshwater RAS with photoperiod control and smoltification management before transfer.

Post-smolt (250 g–1 kg)

Brackish or seawater RAS that shortens sea time, cuts lice exposure and lifts sea-site utilisation.

Land-based grow-out

Full on-growing to harvest size where sea licences are unavailable or local supply is the objective.

Capacity bands — what scale this suits

Sizing depends on feed load, transfer weight, temperature, water availability and permit limits. The bands below are planning orientation only.

Pilot / R&D module

Up to ~200 kg feed/day. Single loop, one or two tank groups, used to validate biology and water chemistry before committing to full scale.

Small smolt facility

~200–1,000 kg feed/day. Multiple loops, drum filtration and MBBR, LOX backup, basic SCADA.

Commercial post-smolt

~1,000–5,000 kg feed/day. Segregated loops per batch, full degassing and oxygenation trains, sludge dewatering, redundant life support.

Large land-based build

Above ~5,000 kg feed/day. Modular halls, heat recovery, N+1 across all critical systems, full SCADA with historian and remote support.

Specifications that change the quotation

Peak daily feed load in kg/day — the master figure every RAS supplier sizes from
Target transfer weight (100 g, 250 g, 500 g or 1 kg+ post-smolt) and standing biomass at peak
Freshwater / brackish / full seawater operation, and whether salinity is ramped in-house
Make-up water availability in L/kg feed and intake water quality (source, temperature, salinity, iron, TSS)
Design temperature and heating/chilling load — heat pumps and heat exchangers are frequently the second-largest energy line
Discharge permit limits for TSS, total nitrogen and phosphorus, and whether sludge dewatering or biogas handling is required
Redundancy philosophy: N+1 on pumps and blowers, LOX backup, emergency oxygen, generator autonomy
Fish welfare and monitoring scope: DO, CO2, TAN, nitrite, pH, ORP, turbidity, alarm escalation and remote access
Biosecurity zoning, disinfection between modules, and personnel/vehicle hygiene barriers
Regulatory and documentation set for the market: NYTEK/technical documentation, CE marking, food-contact materials, electrical standard (230/400 V, 50 Hz)

What affects the cost

Feed load and transfer weight — cost scales with kg feed/day far more than with tank count
Water reuse rate: near-zero-exchange designs raise treatment CAPEX but cut heating and pumping OPEX
Seawater vs freshwater — titanium heat exchangers, coated steel and polymer selection add material cost
Degassing and oxygenation strategy: air stripping plus LOX vs pure-oxygen cones changes both CAPEX and gas contracts
Sludge handling: thickening, belt or screw press, and whether nutrient recovery is required by permit
Energy price and heat recovery scope — the dominant OPEX line in Nordic land-based facilities
Automation depth: basic PLC control vs full SCADA with redundancy, historian and remote support
Freight, installation, commissioning and biological start-up support at your site

We publish no fixed prices. Land-based RAS pricing is project-specific and depends on scope, materials, freight, duties, installation, commissioning and biological start-up support at your site.

Smolt, post-smolt and land-based grow-out compared

Option	CAPEX	Operating profile	Best suited to
Flow-through / hybrid smolt	Lowest per kg of capacity	High water and heating demand; permit-limited	Sites with abundant, stable, high-quality water and generous abstraction rights
Freshwater RAS to 100–250 g	Moderate	Moderate; simpler materials, established biology	Classic smolt production feeding conventional sea sites
Brackish / seawater post-smolt RAS to 500 g–1 kg	High	Higher gas, energy and materials cost	Shortening sea time, reducing lice exposure and lifting site utilisation
Full land-based grow-out	Highest	Highest; energy and oxygen dominate	Markets without sea-site licences, or projects targeting local supply of harvest-size fish

Information suppliers need to quote

Send these with your brief and quotations come back comparable instead of provisional.

Peak daily feed load (kg/day) and annual production target (tonnes)
Stocking weight in, transfer weight out, and expected number of batches per year
Water source, salinity, temperature profile and available make-up volume
Discharge permit conditions and sludge disposal route
Site drawings, available building footprint and ceiling height
Electrical supply, standby power and gas (LOX) supply arrangement
Scope split: process equipment only, or design, installation, commissioning and biological start-up
Delivery port or site address, Incoterm preference and required delivery window

Submit your project brief RFQ preparation checklist

Related sourcing and planning pages

Aquaculture suppliers in Norway

Country sourcing: ports, documentation and lead times.

Aquaculture suppliers in Iceland

Geothermal-supported land-based salmon and char projects.

RAS systems — global overview

The full RAS equipment category and buyer guidance.

Water treatment systems

Intake, process and discharge treatment scope.

Atlantic salmon ova and smolt sourcing

Biological input side: eyed ova, fry and smolt supply.

RAS sizing calculator

Translate feed load into flow, oxygen and biofilter demand.

RAS cost calculator

Indicative CAPEX and OPEX bands before you brief suppliers.

Project financing

Leasing, export credit and project finance for land-based builds.

Post-smolt RAS buyer FAQs

Short answer

What is the fastest way to get quotes for Post Smolt RAS Equipment?

Submit one structured request for Post Smolt RAS Equipment. FishMatch Group translates it into a technical RFQ, runs a confidential sourcing round with project-matched international suppliers, and returns comparable quotations. No fee is charged to the buyer, and your identity and project details stay private until you choose to proceed.

How it works:: One structured request, human-reviewed before any supplier outreach
Typical turnaround:: Depends on scope and site data; no turnaround is guaranteed
Confidentiality:: Supplier names are never exposed during evaluation
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.

Start a structured RFQ