RAS sourcing

RAS sourcing: supplier capability profiles, equipment specs and procurement guides

Everything a recirculating aquaculture buyer needs before requesting prices — what to specify for each subsystem, how to compare manufacturers on capability rather than marketing, and the reviewed procurement sequence FishMatch runs from brief to introduction.

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.

Equipment specifications

RAS equipment specs to define before you ask for a price

Planning-grade ranges for each RAS subsystem, plus the exact figures to demand from every manufacturer so quotations stay comparable.

Circulation pumping

Moves the full system volume through treatment at the design turnover rate.

Typical turnover
1–3 system volumes per hour
Head range
3–12 m depending on loop layout
Efficiency target
≥ 70% at duty point
Redundancy
N+1 on every critical loop

Ask every supplier

  • Pump curve with the duty point marked, not just rated flow
  • kWh per m³ circulated at design head
  • Materials in contact with saline or brackish water

Mechanical filtration (drum filters)

Removes solids before biofiltration so ammonia conversion stays stable.

Screen size
40–90 µm typical for grow-out
Hydraulic capacity
Sized at peak flow, not average
Backwash water
0.2–1.0% of daily throughput
Solids capture
50–80% of TSS at design load

Ask every supplier

  • Capacity curve at your solids load, not clean-water rating
  • Backwash volume and pressure requirement
  • Spare screen panel lead time

Biofiltration

Converts ammonia to nitrate; the single most schedule-critical subsystem.

Media surface area
500–1,000 m²/m³ typical
Design basis
g TAN removed per m² per day at design temperature
Fill fraction
40–60% of reactor volume
Maturation
3–8 weeks before full feed load

Ask every supplier

  • TAN removal rate used for sizing and the temperature it assumes
  • Media type, fill fraction and reactor volume separately stated
  • Start-up and maturation support scope

Oxygenation & degassing

Delivers dissolved oxygen at feed peaks and strips CO₂ and nitrogen.

Oxygen demand
≈ 0.4–0.6 kg O₂ per kg feed
Transfer efficiency
70–95% for oxygen cones / LHO
CO₂ target
< 15 mg/L in grow-out
Backup
Emergency LOX with independent supply

Ask every supplier

  • Guaranteed transfer efficiency at your inlet pressure
  • Degassing capacity at maximum feed load
  • Emergency oxygen autonomy in hours

UV & disinfection

Controls pathogen load in recirculated and make-up water.

UV dose
30–100 mJ/cm² depending on target organism
UV transmittance
Design at actual UVT, often 70–85%
Lamp life
9,000–16,000 h
Placement
After mechanical filtration

Ask every supplier

  • Validated dose at your UVT and flow, with the validation report
  • Annual lamp and sleeve replacement cost

Monitoring & control

Alarms, logging and interlocks that protect biomass when something fails.

Core probes
DO, temperature, pH, ORP, level, flow
Alarm path
SMS/voice escalation with acknowledgement
Logging
≥ 12 months at 1-minute resolution
Failover
UPS on control cabinet and probes

Ask every supplier

  • Open data export (CSV/API) or proprietary lock-in
  • Which alarms trigger automatic actions vs notification only

Feeding systems

Distributes feed accurately; feed accuracy drives FCR and water load.

Dosing accuracy
±3–5% per feeding event
Control
Per-tank schedules with appetite feedback
Integration
Feed logs linked to biomass records

Ask every supplier

  • Whether feed data exports into your biomass tracking
  • Calibration procedure and frequency

Make-up water & effluent treatment

Conditions intake water and meets the discharge consent for the site.

New water
typically 3–10% of system volume per day
Intake treatment
Filtration, disinfection, temperature control
Effluent
Solids separation to permit limits

Ask every supplier

  • Guaranteed effluent parameters against your permit values
  • Sludge handling volume and disposal assumption
Procurement guide

How RAS procurement runs, step by step

  1. 01

    Fix the production brief before you request prices

    Species, annual tonnage, harvest size, water source, temperature range, site constraints and permit status. Quotes built on different assumptions cannot be compared, no matter how detailed they look.

    • Species and target tonnes/year
    • Water source and temperature profile
    • Site area, power and permit status
  2. 02

    Size the system independently

    Run tank volume, flow, biofilter and oxygen demand yourself so you enter supplier conversations with an independent reference. A supplier design that differs by 30% from your sizing is a question, not necessarily a problem.

    • Design flow and turnover
    • Biofilter volume and TAN load
    • Peak oxygen demand
  3. 03

    Write one scope of supply for every bidder

    State battery limits explicitly: what is inside the supplier's scope, what is civil works, what is local install. Most price gaps between RAS quotes are scope gaps, not equipment gaps.

    • Battery-limit list
    • Exclusions list
    • Commissioning and training scope
  4. 04

    Normalise the bids

    Bring every offer onto the same line items — equipment, install, commissioning, spares, freight, warranty — then compare cost per tonne of annual capacity rather than headline price.

    • Line-by-line comparison
    • Cost per tonne of capacity
    • Lead time and payment terms
  5. 05

    Test operating cost, not only CAPEX

    Energy, oxygen, feed, labour and water make the difference between a viable farm and a stranded asset. Ask for guaranteed kWh per kg produced at the design load.

    • kWh/kg produced
    • Cost per kg at target FCR
    • Payback range
  6. 06

    Reviewed introduction, then contracting

    FishMatch reviews the brief and approaches suitable manufacturers directly. Buyers are introduced to shortlisted suppliers after that review — there is no automatic buyer-to-supplier contact.

    • Reviewed brief
    • Shortlist rationale
    • Introduction and quotation round
Scenario RFQ builder

Build a RAS procurement request from a scenario

Pick the reference project closest to yours. The RFQ builder opens with the system type, species, capacity and budget band already filled in — you adjust the details, attach drawings and submit. FishMatch reviews the brief before any manufacturer is approached.

Selected: FM-RAS-AAtlantic salmon post-smolt, 600 t/year, Full land-based RAS, 12 grow-out tanks, dual loop. Cost driven by oxygen strategy and redundancy, not tank volume; a second loop was specified for biosecurity separation.

Scenarios are anonymised planning references, not quotations. Supplier identities are only introduced after FishMatch reviews the brief and validates technical fit.

Free tools

Size the system, check the water budget, test feasibility and normalise supplier bids so every RAS quotation lands on the same basis.

Supplier profiles

RAS manufacturer capability profiles

Reviewed, anonymised RAS capability profiles — segment, region, certifications, export markets and languages. Identities and contact details are introduced by FishMatch after the brief is reviewed.

Open the supplier directory & matching engine

Match capability profiles by species, target tonnes per year and system type, and compare equipment specifications, certifications and lead times side by side.

1 capability profile Identities and contact details stay with FishMatch

FM-RAS-4782

RAS & recirculating systems

Europe
  • ras-systems
Certifications
Not declared
Export markets
Not declared
Languages
Not declared
View capability profile

RAS sourcing FAQs

What does a RAS sourcing process actually cover?

Defining the production brief, sizing the system independently, writing one scope of supply, collecting comparable quotations, normalising them line-by-line and testing operating cost before contracting. Equipment selection is the last step, not the first.

Why can't I see supplier names on this page?

FishMatch is a managed sourcing service rather than an open marketplace. Buyers compare anonymised capability profiles — segment, region, certifications, export markets — and FishMatch introduces suitable manufacturers after reviewing the brief.

Which RAS equipment specifications matter most in a quotation?

Biofilter TAN removal rate and the temperature it assumes, oxygen transfer efficiency at your inlet pressure, drum filter capacity at your real solids load, and guaranteed kWh per kg produced. These four decide whether a cheap quote stays cheap.

How do I compare two RAS quotations that differ by 40%?

Almost always a scope difference. Rebuild both onto identical line items — equipment, civil, install, commissioning, spares, freight, warranty — using the RAS bid normalizer, then compare cost per tonne of annual capacity.

How long does RAS procurement take?

For a commercial grow-out project, expect 6–12 weeks from a complete brief to comparable quotations, and longer where permits, water rights or financing conditions are still open.

Ready to start a reviewed RAS sourcing round?

Submit your production brief. FishMatch reviews it, shortlists suitable manufacturers and returns comparable quotations — no automatic supplier contact.

Short answer

What is the fastest way to get quotes for RAS Sourcing?

Submit one structured request for RAS Sourcing. 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.

Supplier selection criteria

How should a buyer compare aquaculture suppliers?

Compare on evidence, not on presentation: delivered projects at a similar scale and climate, engineering support during design, lead time commitments, spare-part and service availability in your region, certification and testing documentation, payment and warranty terms, and willingness to quote against your specification rather than substituting a catalogue package.

What are the warning signs in a supplier quotation?

Treat these as review triggers: no itemised scope, guaranteed biological or financial performance, no named delivery terms or lead time, no spare-parts or service statement, unclear responsibility for installation and commissioning, and equipment sizing that does not reference your water temperature, oxygen demand or biomass targets.

How does FishMatch handle supplier selection?

FishMatch is an independent sourcing layer, not a manufacturer or reseller. Requirements are structured into a single technical RFQ and routed to relevant producers; buyers receive comparable offers without supplier identities being exposed before they choose to proceed. Selection stays with the buyer — FishMatch standardises the comparison basis.

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