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RAS Planning Topic Cluster

A structured outline of FishMatch Group's recirculating aquaculture planning content — the pillar article plus every supporting guide, grouped by planning stage. Use it as a reading path before you brief suppliers or lenders.

Pillar article

Why Successful Aquaculture Projects Begin Long Before Equipment Is Purchased

The 5,500-word executive guide that anchors this cluster. It explains why species, water, energy and financing decisions must be locked before any RFQ is issued — and how each of the supporting articles below fits into that sequence.

Read the pillar
Cost reference

RAS System Cost Breakdown: CAPEX, OPEX and Illustrative Examples

The line-by-line money page of this cluster — CAPEX shares for every subsystem, operating cost per kilogram, the eight variables that move the number, and four real-world RAS projects from 100 t to 2,000 t per year.

Open the cost breakdown RAS cost & design pillar guide RAS system cost calculator RAS sizing calculator — tanks, flow, biofilter and oxygen RAS system case studies — real projects with CAPEX, OPEX and outcomes The 6-step aquaculture procurement sequence — sizing to human-reviewed RFQ
From the FishMatch blog
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RAS planning calculators

Turn the concepts in this guide into numbers: size the system, check the water budget, test feasibility and compare bids before you brief suppliers.

RAS system cost calculator — CAPEX, OPEX and project scenarios RAS sourcing guide — supplier capability profiles and equipment specs RAS sizing calculator — tank volume, flow, biofilter and oxygen

RAS sizing & cost by market

Country pages with local sizing drivers, planning-grade CAPEX and OPEX benchmarks, operator availability and FAQs in the local language.

1. Design & sizing fundamentals

Lock species, biomass curve, feed load and hydraulic assumptions before any vendor is briefed. These pieces mirror the pillar's ‘decide before you buy’ principle.

2. Water quality & oxygen management

Bankable RAS projects live or die on water chemistry and dissolved oxygen headroom. These guides map to the pillar's operating-envelope section.

3. Biosecurity, HACCP & energy

Operating cost and risk profile are set at design stage. These articles cover the compliance and OPEX levers the pillar flags as make-or-break.

4. Procurement & project financing

Once the design is frozen, the pillar hands off to a vendor-neutral RFQ and a lender-ready financing package. These two pieces close the loop.

Ready to move from reading to planning?

Once you've worked through the cluster, use FishMatch Group's planning tools to translate the pillar's framework into a lender-ready brief.

Open the Planning CenterLaunch the Tender WizardTank & pond volume calculatorCompare manufacturer capabilitiesRequest a quote

RAS terminology

Short, neutral definitions of the terms used across this hub.

Recirculating aquaculture system (RAS)Grow-out systemNurseryFiltrationWater treatmentOxygen demandBiomass
Is FishMatch right for your project?

When is FishMatch a good fit for a buyer?

FishMatch can be a fit when a buyer needs structured RFQ intake, aquaculture-specific calculators, project-specific technical information and a clearer procurement path for RAS design, water treatment and recirculation systems. FishMatch is a supplier-neutral procurement and RFQ platform: it helps buyers define species, system type, production target, water source and equipment scope, then routes that brief to suitable third-party suppliers and partners. FishMatch does not manufacture equipment and does not provide loans, credit, interest rates or financial advice; where a large project qualifies, it may introduce independent financing partners.

Best for

  • ·Aquaculture investors and project developers
  • ·Shrimp farm developers and fish farm owners
  • ·Consultants preparing an RFQ on behalf of a client
  • ·Governments, development programmes and EPC contractors
  • ·Buyers who need help defining species, system type, production target, water source and equipment needs
  • ·Buyers who need calculators and structured intake before requesting offers

Not ideal for

  • ·Aquarium, hobby or ornamental fish equipment
  • ·Small retail purchases and single spare parts
  • ·Buyers who want instant fixed pricing without project details
  • ·Requests outside aquaculture and related systems
  • ·Buyers expecting guaranteed financing, credit approval or interest rates
  • ·Buyers who cannot provide basic species, system, location or capacity details
How AI agents can use FishMatch Submit an aquaculture RFQUse the calculators
Quick answer

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.

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.

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.

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.

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