Pond aquaculture development,

practical experiences

 Danijel Gospic, G2O d.o.o.

How to make cost effective development?

TRADITIONAL
CARP
FARMING
(0,5 – 1 t/ha)

RAS INTEGRATION, INTENSIVE

CARP
( ˃ 100 SYNERGY, FARMING
kg/m3) ECO ( ˃5 t/ha )
INTENSIFICATION

SUPER
INTENSIVE
CARP
FARMING
(400 t/ha)
Example nr. 1: Ribnjaci Kupa d.o.o.

 location: Karlovac, Croatia

 size: 370 ha water surface, more than 50 years old
farm
 many times privatized, it was not in real function
since 1990-is, it has shallow water, vegetation
problem, stuff problems, etc.
 In the golden age the farm produced about 400 t of
cyprinids/year
 Today is farm not able to produce more than 120 t
of cyprinids/year
 6 years ago we started with new development of
the farm, based on intensive farming and
diversification
 370 ha 70 ha 1 ha
Semi-intensive farming Intensive carp farming Super intensive carp
(1-2 t/ha/year) (5-10 t/ha) farming (400 t/ha)
Too high investment High investment costs in Low investment cost in
costs in reconstruction reconstruction (3 facility building (less
(over 10 EUR/kg) EUR/kg produced than 1 EUR/kg
fish/year), amortization produced fish/year, no
is long, maintenance maintenance
work is needed
High demand for labor Much lower demand Minor demand for labor
(10-20 t/person) for labor (30-60 (more than 100
t/person) t/person)
Seasonal supply of the Constant supply of the Constant supply of the
market market market
Unpredictable losses Better control of Improved control of
diseases, better FCR diseases, medium FCR
Low possibility to react Higher possibility to High possibility to react
on market needs in react on market needs on market needs
quantities in quantities
 15

14
13

12
9 11
10
20
8 19
7 17
29 30
28
6 27
26
25
5
24
23
4
22
3 41
21
2 20 40
1 39
19 38
18 37
17 36
35
16
34 45

33 44
Strujni ormar 32 43
Aerator 31
42
Vod struje
Common carp concept
(20 kg/m3/year)

Based of flow through

and aeration
(oxygenation)
CAPEX 0,5 – 1 EUR/kg
Low-tech facility, open
air
0,3 kWh/kg feed

It can be set-up and

expanded on many
places
The waist can be used
in big carp ponds
Minor operational costs
Controlled conditions
Diversification is important in carp farming future
development

Seasonality, disease risk, profitability, human

resource management

Inlet water for the carp farm is first used for

sturgeons, same water for super intensive carp
system and finally for extensive carp farming
RAS system for the African catfish,
waste water reliesed to big ponds for
extensive carp farming
Preliminary results

 Production started at 15. th of June, 2016, facility is still not

fully equipped
 CAPEX about 1 EURO/kg produced carp/year (considering
final density of 20 kg/m3, increase in total biomass about
10 X)
 Fish tank has 1200 m2, 2 m deep (2400 m3)
 Until now we reached maximum feeding per tank 240
kg/day, stocking density about 7-9 kg/m3
 Water exchange about 50 % per day; ammonia, nitrites,
nitrates at very low level (open air system – sun light)
 Energy consumption about 0,3 kWh per kg of feed
 Oxygen level 3,5-7 mg/l, regardless weather conditions
feeding is every day
 FCR with 35/10 is 1,7
 Mortality – about 2-4 %
 Disease control – lime 1 x week (20 kg/fish tank)
Example nr. 2:
Carp farm Žabnik, G2O d.o.o.
 carp farm Žabnik, Slovenija
 2 ha of water surface, the best year production
was 14 t (7 t/ha), usually abou 10 t/year
 No supply of fresh water during the season
 In 2018 we made 16 m diameter concrete tank,
about 450 m3,
 It can work as „pond in pond“ or RAS
 The idea is to produce 12 month, 6 month warm
warer species, 6 month salmonides
Technical detailes

 Water circulation, aeration, CO2 stripping – by the airlift

 Resfresment with water - from the 0,8 ha pond (50 % day)
 In first season we stocked 8500 carp fingerlings, average
body mass 40 g
 Today is average body mass about 450 g, mortality 18 pcs
 Predicted FCR aboout 1,5, final density about 10 kg/m3
 We will use pure oxygen in the future and increase final
density on 50 kg/m3
 The target is to produce about 40 t fish/year in this pond
and keep the same production in earthern ponds
 We will use also biofilter in the case of trout, in innovative
design
Trout farm, 10 l/s fresh water, capacity 30 t/y

100 % exchange water per day, oxygenation and use

of ozone

improved circular flow provide removal of the

sediment

Suitable system for the carp farming diversification

Lower tech. level than RAS

Capex about 1,5-2 EUR/kg

Easy to operate, low

maintenance cost
Perspective of super intensive carp farming
system
 It brings new perspective for carp farming
development
 The lowest CAPEX, the lowest OPEX, (reduced need for
the land, reduced need for the water)
 It is middle step between intensive carp farming in
ponds and RAS
 It can dramatically increase carp production and bring
carp farming on competitive level with other species
(salmon, trout..)
 This system can be applied for the production of any
other fish species
 Synergy with existing carp farms – waste from super
intensive system can be used for carp farming
 It can be fully automatized
 It provide standardized product all the time for the
market (modern aquaculture standard)
Touristic activities – big potential for
existing carp ponds
Further development:
Carp fingerling production in RAS,
ongrowing in superintensive carp
sytsem
Thank you for attention!