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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stuttgart, Arkansas » Harry K. Dupree Stuttgart National Aquaculture Research Cntr » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #228582
Title: Low-head recirculating aquaculture system for juvenile red drum production

Author
item Pfeiffer, Tim
item WILLS, PAUL - HBOI/FAU

Submitted to: International Conference on Recirculating Aquaculture
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/1/2008
Publication Date: 7/25/2008
Citation: Pfeiffer, T.J., Wills, P. 2008. Low-head recirculating aquaculture system for juvenile red drum production. Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Recirculating Aquaculture. p.137-145.

Interpretive Summary: The USDA Agricultural Research Service and the Center for Aquaculture and Stock Enhancement at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute-FAU (HBOI-FAU) are collaborating to evaluate low-head recirculating aquaculture system designs for intensive marine finfish production. The design for fingerling or juvenile production includes two different types of systems with both incorporating airlift pumping and low-head pumps. The one system include a nine-tank Hybrid Low Energy system featuring a dual drain tank design paired with an airlift moving bead biofilter. The other juvenile system is a ten-tank low-head propeller pump system featuring a 20ft3 polygeyser and 25 ft3 moving bead biofilter. The larger-scale production recirculating systems include four 10-foot diameter tanks with water circulation by a low-head propeller pump and biofiltration by a long-flow pathway moving bed biofilter design. Other design modifications for the low-head units include dual drain tank design paired with a static bed filter for large solids removal (> 100 microns), and drum filter foam fractionation for fine solids removal (< 60 microns).

Technical Abstract: The USDA Agricultural Research Service and the Center for Aquaculture and Stock Enhancement at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute-FAU (HBOI-FAU) are collaborating to evaluate low-head recirculating aquaculture system designs to intensively produce red drum juveniles as part of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) saltwater hatchery network initiative. The design and performance data collected from these systems, as well as systems being evaluated at Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, FL, and the FWC Saltwater Experimental Research Facility, Port Manatee, FL will be utilized to design the recirculating aquaculture systems that FWC plans in the new hatcheries throughout the state of Florida. The design of the phase I (25mm to 45 mm SL juvenile) through phase II (60 mm to 100 mm SL juvenile) production recirculating aquaculture systems include a nine-tank Hybrid Low Energy system featuring a dual drain tank design paired with an airlift moving bead biofilter. The other Phase I system is a ten-tank low-head propeller pump system featuring a 20ft3 polygeyser and 25 ft3 moving bead biofilter. For the phase II to phase III (>130 mm SL juvenile) production cycle, the larger red drum juveniles are cultured in replicated larger 4-tank RAS low-head propeller pump systems that feature sa long-flow pathway moving bed biofilter design, dual drain tank design paired with a static bed filter for solids removal.