Silver Perch
Intensive RAS Aquafarming
This photograph is of the first intensive silver perch farm in NSW designed and built by the author in 1987-1988. The working aquaculture biomass was 10,000 silver perch per megalitre.
If you are looking into aquaculture and fish farming this design has much to offer commercially.
In the photo there are two separate silver perch aquaculture systems.
Both run mechanical, biological and nutrient stripping filtration. Silver perch were only grown in the three raceway style ponds of each system.
What you are looking at is the largest recirculation aquaculture system in Australia
For example: Looking at the lower system in the photo, the water flow is from the top storage pond to the three raceways on to mechanical filtration, to secondary mechanical filtration and dissolved nutrient stripping and on to a dual stage gravel biological filter.
The biofilter drains into the lower storage dam which feeds water back to the top storage dam at 1000 litres per minute.
The culture density was about 10,000 fish per megalitre at harvest with a carrying capacity of 120,000 fish or 60 tonnes production per 2 year cycle.
Each culture system only used one 3kw pump.
Each system was gravity feed only.
Each system was private catment and private disposal
Even today, there is no other system in the country that has these production efficiencies.
High density aquaculture or fish farming is more about filtration and biological stability of the water than about fish culture.In many ways the fish biomass is the bi-product of efficient biological and mechanical filtration.
Silver Perch Farming & Water Quality
