What is included in a turnkey trout ras farm?
A typical scope includes technology design, tanks or pools, mechanical and biological filtration, pumps, oxygen supply, automation, piping, installation, commissioning and launch support.
Design · equipment · launch
Trout farms RAS
We design and launch trout farms for fry and commercial fish, pool and canal type: we calculate the technology, select equipment, perform installation, launch and support.
15 years
in the industry
60+
launched farms
30+
trout projects
Quiz
Short answer
Trout RAS farm is a fish farm format designed for a specific site, water source, production capacity and target market. The pool layout, water treatment, oxygen system, automation and auxiliary zones are calculated together, not selected as unrelated equipment. For trout, cold water, high oxygen, fast solids removal and stable hydraulics are the main design priorities.
5 short questions
Choose the trout farm format to suit your task
We'll tell you which scenario might be suitable - commercial trout or fry farm, pool or canal technology. You don’t need to know the exact power and budget.
What do you already have?
Which format is closer to you?
Have you chosen a growing technology?
What type of investment are you considering?
What do you want to get in the first step?
Leave your contact - we will help you navigate the format, budget and next step
Enter a correct phone number
Even if you don’t yet know the exact power or format of the farm, that’s okay. We will help you figure it out from the first steps.
Application accepted
We will contact you and help you determine the appropriate trout farm format.
Mass direction
Why trout is chosen for RAS
Trout is an understandable mass product with stable demand: everyone knows it, it has an established price and ready-made sales channels.
Premium product
Trout is a valuable species of fish with high quality meat.
Massive and understandable market
Trout is a well-known fish with an established price and distribution channels. The volume of the red fish market in the Russian Federation is about 250,000 tons per year, which simplifies the initial entry into the market.
Status proceedings
Trout is perceived as a high-quality product that is understandable to consumers - the farm makes a good impression on partners and investors.
Perfectly recyclable
It is possible to produce dozens of types of products with high added value from trout.
Format for the task
Types of trout farms
The farm format is selected to suit the task: fry production, classic pool technology or a Danish-type canal farm.
Fry farm
Production of planting material - eggs, larvae and fry. Incubator, larval and fry lines. Often - for stocking their own cages and ponds or selling juveniles.
fry · planting materialClassic pool farm
Round or rectangular pools with individual water exchange, hydrocyclones and fecal traps. A universal solution for commercial trout - from pilot to industrial scale.
commercial fishDanish type channel truss
Long concrete channels with airlift circulation and high planting density. Effective for large volumes; requires a channel drum filter and sophisticated hydraulics.
large volumes
An engineering system, not a “fish pool”
How does the RAS system technically work?
Closed water circulation cycle. Click on a circuit node to see how it works.
Growing technology
RAS technology for trout
A RAS trout farm is a fish farm with repeated use of water, where the quality of the environment is maintained through mechanical cleaning, biofiltration, degassing and oxygenation. Most often we are talking about growing rainbow trout - one of the most common objects of cold-water aquaculture.
Demanding on water quality
Stable temperature, high oxygen, low ammonia and nitrite, good water clarity.
Growing all year round
In RAS, trout grows regardless of the season and weather - production is not tied to external reservoirs.
Channel or pool
The layout is tailored to the project objectives, the building and the required performance.
According to site conditions
The technology is adjusted to the volume of cultivation, the target weight of fish and the format of the farm.
The “Technology” section describes the stages of growing trout in a RAS, water and oxygen regimes, feeding, as well as the logic of block layout and maintenance requirements.
Go to the "Technology" section →
What is included in the project
Trout farm composition
The farm is designed as a set of technological blocks. The composition depends on the format - commercial fish, small fish or a full cycle with its own planting material.
1. Fish hatching blocks
- Quarantine / acceptance of RPM — individual containers, adaptation, primary batch control
- Incubation block — incubators/devices, sanitary conditions, stable temperature and oxygen (if from eggs)
- Larval-fry block — trays, baths and small pools for hatching, starting feeding, growing
- Teenage block (nursery) — containers for weighed portions, sorting and transplanting, automatic feeding according to the task
- Product block — main tanks for growing to the required weight
- Pre-sale preparation and shipment — exposure, packaging with oxygen, loading area
- RMC / manufacturers — separate line, stable modes, accounting and biosafety (full cycle, optional)
- Spawning block — obtaining caviar and milt, preparing producers (full cycle, optional)
2. RAS core - water treatment
- Mechanical cleaning - usually a drum filter
- Biofiltration — biofilter / bioreactor
- Degassing / gas mode — removal of CO₂ if necessary
- Oxygen/oxygenation - distribution, reservation
- Pumping/hydraulics — collectors, fittings, backup pumps
- Wash water and sludge unit - collection, sediment, drain
- Instrumentation and automation – O₂, temperature, pH, alarm, log
- Optional — UV / ozone, pH correction, additional. water treatment
3. Temperature and climate
- Cooling / t° stabilization — heat exchange or chiller, control of summer peaks if the water is not “cold”
- Ventilation/dehumidification — in large workshops with an open water surface
4. Auxiliary zones
- Warehouse of feed and consumables
- Control room/lab - working area of the fish farmer
- Technical premises — electrical, air/oxygen, heating and climate
- Sanitary areas and logistics — washing, disinfection, “clean/dirty” zones
Full cycle blocks (RMS, spawning) are connected if the farm works with its own caviar. Optional water treatment and climate units are added based on water quality and site conditions.
Expertise in detail
Why does a trout farm require
Why does a trout farm require
separate design
Cold water 14–16 °C
Trout is cold-loving: at 18 °C and above, stress and growth inhibition begin. The cooling circuit is a mandatory cost item in most regions of Russia.
Oxygen circuit with reserve
Trout's oxygen requirement is high, and falling even for a short time is critical. The oxygen circuit is designed with a reserve.
CO₂ degassing
Cold water does not release carbon dioxide on its own. Without a degasser, CO₂ accumulates, growth is inhibited, and FCR deteriorates. This is a standard unit, not an option.
Peak load biofiltration
With high density and active feeding, the biofilter must cope with the peak ammonia load, and not the average. Volume reserve is required.
Hydraulics and high densities
Trout are sensitive to flow rates and water quality. At densities of 100–120 kg/m³, uniform distribution of oxygen and removal of suspended matter are critical.
Long cycle and redundancy
An 8-14 month batch of trout is too valuable to lose because one node fails. Backup pumps, emergency aeration and oxygen reserve are required.
Number order
Basic Economics of a Trout Farm
Guidelines for cost, price and payback. Exact indicators are calculated individually for the site, region, scale and sales model.
Cost
$4.7–$5.7 /kg
Wholesale price
$6.6–$8.5 /kg
Retail price
$11–$14 /kg
Line payback
2.5–3.5 years
Commercial trout — an understandable mass product with an average margin. Turnkey with building payback 3–4.5 years depending on the scale and distribution channel.
How much to invest and what scale
Start
Business
IndustrialMega
Model range of trout farms
Guidelines for the initial selection of scale. The exact budget, equipment composition, profit and payback are calculated individually.
StartPower10-20 t/year
Area400-900 m²
Equipmentfrom $90k-$160k
Turnkey + constructionfrom $340k-$540k
Profit/year$80k-$240k
Paybackfrom 2.5-3 years
BusinessPower50-100 t/year
Area1,500-3,500 m²
Equipmentfrom $320k-$560k
Turnkey + constructionfrom $1M-$1.9M
Profit/year$300k-$850k
Paybackfrom 2.5 years
IndustrialPower200 t/year
Area4,000-5,000 m²
Equipmentfrom $1M
Turnkey + constructionfrom $2.8M
Profit/year$1.1M-$1.8M
Paybackfrom 2 years
MegaPower500 t/year
Area8,000-10,000 m²
Equipmentfrom $2.1M
Turnkey + constructionfrom $7.6M
Profit/year$2.1M-$3.3M
Paybackfrom 2.5 years
The numbers are used as guidelines for the initial choice of scale. The exact budget, equipment composition, profit and payback are calculated individually for the site, water, electricity, region and equipment.
Do you have a site?
Do you have a plot or building? Check if it is possible to place a trout farm there
At the first stage, it is important to understand the area, water, electricity, logistics and engineering constraints - in order to assess how much power can be accommodated.
Enter a correct phone number
You may not know the exact parameters - a general understanding is enough, we will clarify the details during a call.
About Aquafarmer
Aquafarmer - we have been designing and launching RAS fish farms for 15 years
We design, complete, install and launch RAS fish farms for trout, African catfish and other types of fish.
15 years
in the industry
60+
launched farms
30+
trout projects
8
power scenarios
Our task is not just to sell equipment, but to help create a working farm: from calculating technology to installation, launch and maintenance.
Personal brand and expertise
Anton Pelcher - founder and expert of Aquafarmer
“I have been involved in RAS fish farms and RAS technologies for more than 15 years - from the product line to expert assessment of projects and approach to trout farms.”
Thanks to public expertise, a YouTube channel and open content, you can see our approach in advance, understand how we carry out projects, and figure out who you will work with.
Live objects, not just renders
Photos from launched farms
More than 60 fish farms of various sizes - from compact farms to industrial fish farms. Real objects that have already been built, installed and operating.
Corridor between the pool rooms
Industrial hatchery and fry farm
Fish tank in operation
Farm pool hall
Engineering components and piping
Pump group and filtration
RAS machine room
Oxygen station
Farm pools
Circular pool
Drum microfilter
Object at the launch stage
Real trout expertise
Real trout projects
30+ real trout objects, only a few are presented here: commercial farms of basin and canal type, fry farms and a state project on fish listed in the Red Book. Click on a project photo to open a gallery of all photos of the project.
Discuss the project with a team that has already launched trout farms
Managed process
The path from idea to working farm
A clear chain of 9 steps - from the first application until the farm reaches its design capacity and support.
Stage 1Contact
01
Application
Leave your contacts - even without exact capacity and budget.
02
First call
We specify the site, region, budget and goal at the start.
03
Diagnostics with an expert
We analyze the model, limitations, risks and scenarios.
Stage 2Elaboration
04
Pre-project
Technology, equipment, layout, economics and payback.
05
Design
Working solutions for the farm model and engineering conditions.
Stage 3Implementation
06
Construction and delivery
Building, utilities and equipment set.
07
Installation and launch
RAS assembly, commissioning and preparation for stocking.
Stage 4Result
08
Output to power
Production cycle, personnel and performance monitoring.
09
Escort
Technology, service, operation and development of the project.
Engineering Depth
Our units and equipment at sites
Reliability depends on engineering components: filtration, pumps, biofilters, oxygen circuit, automation and piping. We show the equipment in a real installation.
Drum microfilter
Pump groups
Oxygen cones
Oxygen station
UV disinfection
Biofilter / loading
Piping and fittings
Water treatment module (3D)
Solutions catalog
Get a catalog of RAS trout farms
Basic trout business models, capacity lines, guidelines for investments, profits, payback and site requirements.
- commercial trout: pool and canal farms, fry farms
- lines Start, Business, Industrial, Mega
- guidelines for area, capacity and investment
- Features of trout RAS and the path from idea to launch
The catalog will help you quickly understand the order of numbers and choose a scenario for discussion with an expert.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Clear answers to the questions that usually appear before a RAS fish farm project starts.
Can the farm be adapted to an existing building?
Yes. Before design, the building is checked for area, height, floor loads, water supply, drainage, ventilation, power capacity and convenient equipment maintenance.
What data is needed to calculate the farm?
The first calculation needs the fish species, target capacity, growth stage, available site or building data, water analysis, climate conditions and investment range.
Next step
Want to see if a trout farm could be your next business asset?
Leave a request - we will contact you, ask a few simple questions and help you navigate the farm format, budget and next steps.