RAS sizing calculator.
RAS sizing starts from the production target, not from tank drawings. Peak standing biomass sets daily feed load; feed load sets oxygen demand, ammonia load and solids production; density limits set tank volume; and turnover rate sets recirculation flow, pump duty and energy. Enter your target below to get planning-grade volumes, flows, filtration and oxygen figures you can put straight into a supplier RFQ.
Size your recirculating system
RAS sizing calculator
Recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) are sized around standing biomass, feed load and target density. This tool derives system volume, daily make-up water, TAN production, MBBR biofilter volume and oxygen demand — the five numbers every RAS engineer starts with.
Trout/salmon 40–80, tilapia 60–120
Modern RAS 3–10%
Planning estimate only: Final species assumptions, stocking density, water quality, biosecurity, system design, equipment sizing, production performance and financial outcomes must be confirmed by qualified independent professionals and the selected provider.
Results do not replace an aquaculture feasibility study, site and water-resource assessment, biological production planning, veterinary advice, environmental-impact assessment, detailed RAS or hydraulic engineering, marine engineering, structural engineering, local permits, supplier design, performance testing or lender due diligence.
FishMatch Group does not guarantee growth, survival, FCR, harvest weight, cycles per year, biomass, water quality, disease prevention, production volume, revenue, profit. Outputs are not legal, financial, engineering, tax or veterinary advice. Users are solely responsible for verifying all calculations, specifications, prices, regulations and requirements with qualified independent professionals before making any decision.
Supplier and manufacturer listings are provided for research, transparency and discovery only. FishMatch Group does not provide automatic buyer-supplier introductions. Every aquaculture project request is reviewed manually by David / FishMatch Group, and supplier introductions are made only after internal approval.
How RAS sizing works, step by step
Annual harvest in tonnes and target harvest weight set standing biomass. Standing biomass — not annual tonnage — drives every piece of equipment in a recirculating aquaculture system.
Daily feed at peak biomass is the master variable. It sets oxygen consumption, TAN production for the biofilter, CO₂ stripping duty and solids load on the drum filter.
Density limits give tank volume; required turnover (typically 0.75–1.5 tank volumes per hour in grow-out) gives recirculation flow, which sets pump duty and pipe diameters.
Biofilter media volume follows TAN load and areal removal rate. Oxygen supply follows feed load plus a safety factor, and dictates whether you need LOX, on-site generation or aeration only.
Pumping head, oxygen transfer and temperature control dominate the electricity bill. Standby pumps, backup oxygen and generator capacity belong in the sizing sheet, not the negotiation.
RAS sizing benchmarks
Planning-grade ranges used to sanity-check a RAS design before engineering. Species, temperature and welfare rules move every line.
| Parameter | Typical range | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Grow-out stocking density | 40–90 kg/m³ | Species and welfare limits; salmon lower, tilapia higher. |
| Tank turnover rate | 0.75–1.5 volumes/hour | Higher turnover for high density and warm water. |
| Daily new-water exchange | 1–10% of system volume | Below 1% requires denitrification. |
| Oxygen demand | ≈ 0.4–0.6 kg O₂ per kg feed | Plus safety factor and stripping losses. |
| TAN production | ≈ 30 g TAN per kg feed (32% protein) | Drives biofilter media volume. |
| Specific energy use | 3–8 kWh per kg produced | Pumping, oxygenation and temperature control. |
Take the sizing further
Once volumes and flows are fixed, check the water budget, test cost per kilogram and normalise supplier bids against the same scope.
- RAS system sizing calculator
Size tanks, flow rate, biofilter volume and oxygen supply from your target biomass and feed load.
Open calculator - RAS water turnover & exchange rate calculator
Check hydraulic retention time and daily new-water exchange against stocking density and feed input.
Open calculator - RAS feasibility & production cost calculator
Estimate cost per kilogram produced — feed, energy, oxygen, labour — before committing CAPEX.
Open calculator - RAS bid normalizer — compare supplier quotations
Compare RAS supplier quotes on identical scope so price, capacity and lead time line up line-for-line.
Open calculator
RAS sizing FAQ
FishMatch Group is a managed sourcing service. Every brief is reviewed by a person before sourcing begins — suppliers are never contacted automatically and supplier identities are never exposed.
Short answer
What is the fastest way to get quotes for RAS Sizing Calculator?
Submit one structured request for RAS Sizing Calculator. 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.