Earning 1 Lakh Per Month From RAS Fish Farming: A Success Story From India

Following biological and mechanical filtering and elimination of suspended debris and metabolites, water is recycled and reused in a recirculatory aquaculture system (RAS). This technology is used to cultivate diverse fish species in high-density environments with the least amount of land and water. Unlike the other aquaculture production techniques, this is a high-density intense fish culture. let’s check out a way of earning 1 lakh per month from RAS fish farming

In this approach, fish are often raised in indoor/outdoor tanks in a controlled setting rather than the conventional method of rearing fish outside in open ponds and raceways. By returning water into fish culture tanks, recirculation systems filter and clean it. The approach can be applied to any aquaculture species and is focused on using mechanical and biological filters.

Only enough water is given to the tanks to compensate for splash out, evaporation, and waste material flushing. The reconditioned water flows throughout the system, with no more than 10% of the total water volume being changed daily. To compete economically and to make the most of the significant capital investment in the recirculating system, the fish farmer must produce as many fish as possible within the built-in capacity.

Recirculating systems utilize a variety of filter types, but the basic purpose of all filtering is to eliminate metabolic wastes, excess nutrients, and particles from the water while maintaining high water quality for aquatic life. It is crucial to consider all elements while building and engaging in aquaculture systems. However, it is suggested to support Backyard Recirculation Aquaculture Systems to stimulate small-scale fish farmers and entrepreneurs, as well as to promote fish production in urban and semi-urban regions where land and water are rare.

How does the RAS system work?

Recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) purify the water in fish or shrimp tanks before reusing it. This significantly reduces the amount of water and land required to produce seafood on a big scale. Solid removal, ammonia removal, CO2 removal, and oxygenation are all processes in RAS.

Advantages of RAS system

Tanks and equipment have a longer lifespan.
Reduced reliance on antibiotics and therapeutics, resulting in higher-quality fish.
Feed, predator control and parasites are all direct operating costs that may be reduced.
Eliminate the possibility of parasites being released into recipient waterways.
Climate change, illness, and parasite effects all reduce risk.
RAS production allows for greater flexibility in terms of agricultural site and proximity to market.
Allow for the generation of a diverse range of species regardless of temperature needs.
When feeding can be closely monitored for 24 hours, RAS feed control improves significantly.
Some variables, including as severe weather, unfavourable temperature conditions, external pollutants, and predation, might limit stock exposure to RAS stress.
Enable the production of non-endemic species securely.
Utilizing land and water in a good manner.

Disadvantages of RAS system

High running expenses are mostly due to the use of power and the need for system maintenance.
There is a requirement for highly qualified personnel to monitor and run the system.
Recirculating aquaculture emits more greenhouse gases than non-recirculating aquaculture.

What are the species suitable for the RAS method?

Tilapia
Pearl Spot/Karimeen
Baramundi/ Asian Seabass/Bhetki
Cobia
Silver/Indian Pompano
Pangasius
Rainbow Trout

Earning 1 lakh per month from ras Fish farming

The success story of Mr. Yeshu

Mr. Yeshu of Hyderabad, Telangana started fish culture by RAS technique 3 years ago. Considering the growing demand for fish among the people and the less yielding conventional methods, he wanted to cultivate fish using advanced methods. For this, he met his university professor and started investigating various methods such as biofloc and RAS methods. Eventually, after a proper analysis, he concluded that he wants to rear fish by the RAS method since he really liked the recycling system used in this method and also it needs fewer workers.

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Also in this system, you can produce a large yield of fish that are healthy. In other words, he chose a system that is easy to manage, requires less investment than others, is organic and produces high quality and high quantity yield. As he belongs to a farmer family, he knew the growing demand for fish in the market.

He says that the system involved in this method is advanced, so for research, he took 3 years investigating and learning about various techniques, he learned how to market them and how to care for and maintain them while cultivating.Even though the initial investment needed for the RAS system is high, he never took a back step and now he is earning high profits by fish culture through the RAS method and says such methods are the future of fish farming.

Construction of tanks in Mr. Yeshu’s farm

For cultivating fish through the RAS method, you need tanks. For this purpose, Mr. Yeshu constructed 5 tanks in 1800 square feet of land. In these 5 tanks, 2 are nursery tanks which are of diameter 5 metres. The other three tanks are nursery tanks which are 7 metres in diameter. There are two types of tanks that are built in the RAS system. One is nursery tanks, and the other is culture tanks. In nursery tanks, freshly bought fish seed are cultivated until they attain a certain weight.

These fish when they gain a certain weight, they are transferred to culture tanks which aid in the quick and proper growth of the fish. You can build these tanks in many ways. You can use cement tanks, stainless steel tanks or tarpaulined tanks. Mr. Yeshu says that stainless steel tanks are beneficial since they cannot get exposed to rust. It is hard to control the pH and liming effect in cement tanks. However, tarpaulin tanks are cost-effective and can be considered an alternate way to rear fish in the RAS method.

Fish culture by RAS method according to Mr. Yeshu

Mr. Yeshu chose pangasius species of fish to cultivate in his tanks. These fish can be grown abundantly by this process and are suitable for all the processes and parameters involved in this RAS system. This species of fish also can grow quickly when supplied with proper nutrition. The main idea involved in the RAS system is reusing the water in which the fish is cultivated by removing the excess Ammonia, CO2, and fish excreta.

For handling this process successfully, he uses a bioreactor in his RAS fish farm which can filter nitrates and solid waste from the water in which fish has been cultivated. Before sending the water to the bioreactor, we send it into a drum filter, which reduces solid waste to the most extent, the extra waste is removed in the bioreactor. The filtered water is again used for the cultivation of pangasius fish on his farm. The bioreactor is run by electricity and pipes are joined to it.

The wastewater or water which is high in solid and ammonia waste is supplied to the bioreactor through these pipes. This water is filtered by the bioreactor and the filtered water is supplied from the bottom of the bioreactor into the tanks through pipes. The bioreactor can be monitored by a switch, and you can also choose the rate at which it filters the water. However, keep the bioreactor running at a medium speed since it aids in an effective filtration process. You should make sure to not mix this water with the wastewater in the tanks.

Keep the tank empty and transfer the fish once it is filled with filtered water, says Mr. Yeshu. Also, he used a centrifugal system in the tanks to remove solid waste in tanks with ease. The pipes from which the water enters the tank are oriented adjacent to the tank, not directly into the tank. This makes the water to circulate in the tank creating centrifugal force. By this, the solid waste can be settled in the middle of the tank. The middle of the tank is built in a concave shape providing for the waste to settle.

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There is a pipe that is attached to the tank under the concave-shaped frame, this pipe when released, the majority of the solid waste can be extracted at once. For filtering ammonia which is present in the liquid form, the water is made to pass contains biochips and bio balls. Bio balls and biochips contain the bacteria that feed on ammonia. These bacteria can help us to remove ammonia from the water that is filtered.

The process of eliminating ammonia is the main idea of the RAS system, so while you go through the step make sure you’re committing no mistakes. Doing something wrong in this one step can lead you to heavy losses in the RAS system. For killing the bacteria that is left after the ammonia filtration process you have to use the Ultraviolet filtration process (UV filtration). The microbes when exposed to intense UV light, will be killed by the heat and we get water that is safe to use for the fish.

If you skip this step, it can result in the fish getting exposed to diseases, says Mr. Yeshu. These filtration processes should be running daily for providing fish with clean water. Also in this system, aerators play an important role. As the pangasius species are air breathers there is a need to install aerators in the water tanks. The aerators are supported by the blowers which are run by electricity. On his farm, Mr. Yeshu uses two blowers for supporting the aeration process. These blowers are connected through pipes into the tanks.

At the end of these pipes, AirOxy tubes are used. These are circular tubes with nozzles on them from which the air gets released. Per tank, 4 AirOxy tubes are used. The air bubbles released by these tubes flow from bottom to top in the tank, when needed the fish consumes it for the respiration process. These blowers as mentioned are run by electricity and can be controlled by switches for each tank separately.

There is also a pressure indication scale on these blowers, and you have to set the pressure on this scale based on the aeration required for the species you want to grow. Both the bioreactor and the air blowers are supported by a generator in case there is a sudden power cut. For freshly bought fish seeds, protein-rich feed is given until they reach a certain weight, and these are grown in nursery tanks till then.

Nursey tanks are of less size than culture tanks. Shifting from nursery tanks to culture tanks can aid the growth of fish and we can reduce the harvesting time. So the process of nursery and culture tanks play an important role in decreasing the harvesting period. Also, the fish will like the sudden change of new environment and larger space for them to swim which help them in providing a stress-free environment. Per every 1000 liters if you grow 50 kg of fish, then you can obtain nearly 5 to 6 tons of fish at the end of the batch.

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And if you grow them in a high-density method in this system, you can obtain nearly 7 to 8 tons of fish at the end of the batch says Mr. Yeshu. Mr. Yeshu says that the fish produced by the RAS method is nutritious and can grow more weight in less time. These are also tasty because they are cultivated in controlled environments and grown totally by the organic method. There is no usage of chemicals in the whole system. This method can also aid in recycling the used water saving high amounts of water for the cultivation of fish.

As the fish are grown in controlled environments, there is no chance for them for getting exposed to diseases, says Mr. Yeshu. If your fish develops diseases while growing, you probably are committing some mistakes while filtering the water or you are not maintaining a proper feed schedule, he added. By this method, it takes only 1.2 kg of feed to attain 1 kg fish, unlike in pond culture where it takes nearly 1.8 to 2 kg of feed to attain 1 kg fish. From this, we can conclude that we can save a high amount of feed cost by developing this type of method.

Also, the manpower required for the RAS system is very low. You need only 3 people to harvest a ton of fish in the RAS method whereas in pond culture you’ll need nearly 15 people to catch one ton of fish. In the RAS system, you’ll need only 6 or 7 months to harvest a batch, whereas in pond culture you’ll need a year to harvest a batch. There is no need to fear for exposing to losses in this business if all things are taken care of properly. Even if there is something wrong you did while cultivating the fish, you will probably earn back the amount you invested in your farm in no time, says Mr. Yeshu, from his experience.

Marketing and profit analysis of Mr. Yeshu’s farm

There is a common misconception that it takes a lot of investment for cultivating fish by the RAS method. This is wrong. Only the one-time investment is high in this system and running cost is very low compared to other fish farming methods, says Mr. Yeshu. The pangasius fish when reared by the RAS method can be harvested in just 6 months, which is a very less time. He invests nearly 4 lakh rupees as the total running cost assuming the high maintenance conditions and sells his pangasius fish at 170 rupees per kg wholesale assuming the low pricing conditions.

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He gets a yield of nearly 6 tons assuming the low yield conditions. When calculated he is earning an income of nearly 10,20,000 rupees per batch. When we eliminate the investment from this income, he gets a profit of nearly 6,20,000 per batch. One batch lasts 6 months, hence when calculated per month he is earning nearly 1 lakh rupees per month as a profit which is a very high income.

In this way, by taking the help of advanced technology, Mr. Yeshu is earning nearly 1 lakh rupees per month as a profit. He suggests that young farmers get into this business as there is more scope for this type of method in the coming future. He also expresses that the government is providing bank loans and special subsidies to help farmers financially to enter this type of advanced venture. You can take the help of the subsidies to get financial support and gain high profits from RAS fish farming, says Mr. Yeshu.