Aquaculture Engineering

Maria Mojena Gallo Gonzales

College of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
Western Philippines University
Criteria for pond construction
Land/ area/ site
Soil
Water source
Weather/ Climate type
Prevailing wind
Tide fluctuation
 Site Selection (Ponds)
 Mangrove vegetation – Types of mangroves
thrives in the area indicate what type of soil is
present.

 Ex. Rhizophora – Thrives in acidic areas 5-3pH.

Presence of H2S
Nipa fruticans – Thrives in area with low
salinity
 Site Selection (Ponds)
 Topography – pertains to the slope, land
elevation and horizontal distance of the land.
Important when draining pond water.
The higher the topography the area is less
vulnerable to flooding.
Ponds should be situated in flat areas in order
to easily facilitate draining and filling of ponds
Pond bottom should be slightly leveled and
sloping towards the gate
 Site Selection (Ponds)
Accessibility
Aquaculture farms should have adequate
access to suppliers of seeds, feeds, labor, and
other supplies
It should also be close to markets in order to
reduce costs of transporting fish
 Soil
 Choose areas with soil with good water holding
capacity
 Clay, sandy clay, clay loam, and silty clay loam are
suitable for ponds
 Avoid soils high in pyrite (Fe2S) and high decaying
organic matter since this makes the soil acidic
 Suitable soil pH ranges from 6.5-7.5
 Sites with suitable soil types must be selected since
this can affect water parameters such as pH, nutrient
loading and natural food productivity
Soil sampler
 Water Source
 Spring water – Free from pollutants.
 Aquifer
 Minimal dissolve oxygen
 Good quality of water
 Salt water – Available in large amount.
 High salinity
 Contain high amount of dissolve organic matter,
micro and macro nutrients, contaminants etc.
 Fresh water – water with low salinity.
 Limited availability than sea water.
 Contain high amount of dissolve organic matter,
micro and macro nutrients, contaminants etc.
Let’s go back to
BASIC!!!
 Water (H2O)
Exists in 3 physical state: solid, liquid
and gas
Covalent bond joins together the
oxygen atom with each hydrogen atom.
 Characteristics of water

 High specific heat  Viscous

 High latent heat of  Attain maximum

fusion density @ 4˚C

 High latent heat of  An excellent solvent

vaporization

 Strong surface tension

 High specific heat
Capacity of water to absorb heat with
temperature change.

1 calorie/ gram per 1˚C rise in

temperature.

This mean that water absorb more heat

with lesser temperature rise.
 High latent heat of fusion

To melt 1g of ice we must apply 80

calories of heat.

1 calories of heat added to 1g of the

liquid produces an increase of 1˚C.

No temperature change during melting

 Latent heat of vaporization
 The heat that vaporizes a unit quantity of a
substance at constant temperature.

 540 calories of heat turn 1g of the liquid at

100˚C to 1g of water vapor at the same
temperature.

 Water can store large amounts of heat, thus

warms up and cools down slowly.
 Strong surface tension
Its strength is 73 dynes per sq cm at
20˚C.

Surface tension increases as salinity in

the water increase, but weakens with
rising temperature.
 Viscosity
Molecular fiction in a liquid or gas
that hinders flow or a moving
object.

Water is viscous
 Maximum density at 4˚C
 Density is the weight per unit volume of a given
substance.

 Fresh water is heaviest in the liquid form when

its temperature is roughly 4˚C.

 Ice crystal structure has a large amount of open

space.

 Maximum density of saltwater occurs at the

lowest temperature.
 Excellent solvent
 Water is a polar compound, it also dissolve
other polar compounds.

 Water also dissolve nonpolar compounds that

have atoms like oxygen, nitrogen and fluoride.

 Dissolve an assortment of substances from

the air (including pollutants), rocks and soils,
sediments and even those synthesize by living
things.
 WATER CYCLE
 Rainfall on farms  Entrance of runoff to
lakes
 Reception of water
by plants  Release of water
from plants
 Percolation of water
(movement through
the soil)
Factors affecting water cycle

Deforestation

Climate change

Pollution- open dumping of garbage

Excessive ground water withdrawal-

cause sinking of the land
 3 Water world

Freshwater

Marine

Estuarine
 Fresh water
Lakes, rivers ect.

Salt content is 0-0.5 ppt

Dead sea is a lake

Water that is clear are infertile and green

color are fertile
 Lotic and Lentic

Lotic – running waters.

Lentic- also called standing water,

relatively still but not motionless.
 Water source
 Aquaculture ponds should preferably be near
adequate water sources such as rivers to ensure year
round supply
 For brackish water ponds, choose sites with a range
between high and low tides of around 2-3 m to
facilitate sufficient draining and filling of ponds
 Water supply should be of good quality; avoid sites
near densely populated or heavily industrialized areas
since these are sources of pollution
 Weather and climate
Weather – is what conditions of the
atmosphere are over a short period of time
Climate - is how the atmosphere
"behaves" over relatively long periods of
time.
 Climate type
 Type 1 – Composed of 2 seasons.
 Common in regions facing the South China Sea.
 Dry (April- Nov); Wet (rest of the months)
 Type 2 – Region facing the pacific ocean.
 No dry season, rains from Nov – June.
 Type 3 – Panay area; seasons are very
pronounced.
 Dry (Nov – April); Wet the rest of the months.
 Type 4 – Uneven distribution of rainy seasons
during the year.
Present climate type
 Prevailing wind

Wind can move water

Wind can be useful in flushing/ draining
water, debris and other organic
materials.
Outlet of pond should coincide with the
flow of the wind.
 Tide fluctuations
Rhythmic rise and fall of ocean water
brought about by the movement of
mood.
Marine and brackish pond is dependent
on constant environment.
Salt water intrusion is effected by tides.
Tide tells us when to harvest and drain
the pond.
 Four tides occurring in a day

Low tide
Low-low tide
High tide
High-high tide

0 datum – Reference to the average low-

low water level.
 Brackish water tides
Neap tide – Low tide, useful in draining
water
Spring tide – High tide, useful in filling
up water
Ebb tide – Out going tide
Flood tide – Incoming tide
 Major station where tidal fluctuation is
predicted
 San Fernando, Launion
 Manila
 Legaspi, Albay
 Cebu
 Iloilo
 Davao
 Tacloban
 San Visente, Pampangga
 Pond Design
Functionality – Culture and production of
aquaculture
Economy – work within a budget.
Maximum output with minimum input.
Aesthetic – Alignment of dikes.
Acceptable appearance of pond. Bled with
natural topography.
 Pond compartments
 Nursery pond (NP) – smallest compartment
usually 3-5% of total area. Used to culture
“semilya” or “semilyahan”.
 Transition pond (TP) – 20% of the total area.
Known as “Bansutan”.
 Rearing pond (RP) – 70-77% of the total area of
pond.
 Pond design
Conventional – Ideal for sloping
topography
Radiating – ideal for flat topography
Progressive -
Specialized
 Conventional

NP TP RP

Main gate RP

RP RP
 Radiating

TP NP

Main gate RP

TP NP
 Progressive

RP RP TP

Main gate NP

RP RP TP
 Specialized

NP RP
R
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s
Canal
e
r
v
o
i NP RP
r
 Pond Design
 Layout
 Ponds, dikes, gates, canals, and other structures
should be arranged in such a way as to take
advantage of the natural topography and weather
conditions of an area
 A general rule is to minimize the number of gates,
dikes, and canals to lessen expenses for earth work
and maintenance
 Position ponds with the length parallel to the
prevailing winds to reduce dike erosion (due to wave
action) and facilitate natural aeration
 Pond Design

Pond Components
Ponds
Dikes
Canals
Gates
Support structures
 Pond Design
 Ponds
 Nursery ponds
 1-4% of total area, with a preferred size ranging from 1000-5000 sq.
meters
 Situated in the center or near the corner of rearing ponds
 Transition/Stunting Pond (Bansutan)
 10% of total area
 Located adjacent to nursery ponds for easy transfer of fingerlings
 Can be non-existent in some cases (i.e. shrimp farms)
 Rearing pond
 Occupies 80% of total farm area
 Bottom should be lower than the transition or nursery pond but
higher than the tidal zero datum line
 Ranges from 1-10 ha.
Pond Design
Pond Design
 Pond Design
 Dikes
 Perimeter dike
 Retains water for the whole farm and serves as protection
from flooding
 Has a 2 m crown, 1:2 slope, and a freeboard of 0.5-1 m
 Also has a puddle trench o.5m x o.5m at the base to prevent
seepage
 Secondary dike
 Divides the farm into its compartments
 Located on both sides of the main canal
 Has a crown of 1-1.5 m and a 1:1.5 slope
 Tertiary dike
 Divides compartments into smaller ponds
 Has a crown of 0.5 m and a 1:1 slope
 Pond Design
Dikes
 Pond Design
Dikes
Computing for dike volume
Volume = base + crown (m) x height (m) x
length (m)
2

Ex.
Crown = 1 m
Base = 3 m
Height = 1 m
Length = 237 m
 Pond Design
Canals
Main canal
Distributes water from the main gate to the
secondary canals
Secondary and Tertiary canals
Used to distribute water to individual ponds
Spillway/Floodway
Facilitates the removal of excess floodwater or
rainwater
Protects the farm from flooding
Pond Design
 Pond Design
Gates
Main gate
Links pond system to water source
Gate floor is lower than the lowest pond bottom
Can have one to three openings 1 m wide
Located on the central side of the main dike facing
the water source
Secondary and Tertiary gates
Controls flow of water to and from the main canal
into individual ponds
Pond Design
Pond Design
Pond Design
Pond preparation
1. Drain the pond
2. Sundry for 1-2weeks
3. Removed cracked soil and level pond bottom
4. Repair dikes
5. Apply lime
6. Dry for 2-3 weeks
7. Flood pond with water to washout the lime
8. Drain the pond and dry for 1-2 weeks
9. Apply eradicator (rotenone etc.)
10. Flood pond with water
11. Apply fertilizer
12. Fill pond with water
 Engineering equipment

(a) Engineer's transit.

 The cost depends on the model available which

range from the simplest kind to the most
sophisticated model.
 It is a versatile piece of equipment which is used
for measuring vertical and horizontal distances;
vertical and horizontal angles, for prolonging
lines, for levelling operations, and others.
(b) Levels.

 Just like the transit, levels vary from simple or

less accurate models of hand levels up to the
sophisticated and precision models such as
the self-levelling level.
 These are used mainly for measuring vertical
and horizontal distances in levelling
operations.
 Some models are equipped with horizontal
circle to measure horizontal angle.
(c) Magnetic compass.
The essential features of a surveyor's compass
are:
(i) a compass box with circle graduated from 0°
to 90° in both directions from the N and S
points and usually having the E and W points
interchanged:
(ii) (ii) a line of sight in the direction of the SN
points of the compass box: and
(iii) (iii) a magnetic needle supported freely on a
pivot. The whole compass can be attached to
a tripod by a ball and socket joint.
 (d) Leveling rod.
 Also called target rod, this is usually made of
wood graduated either in English or metric units
for measuring vertical distances in conjunction
with the transit or level.
 This comes in lengths of 2 to 4 m.

 (e) Range poles.

 These are slender round poles usually made of
metal or wood painted with alternate bands of
red and white.
 These are stuck along the line of survey in order
to establish a straight line of sight.
 Methods of expressing angles and directions

(a) Bearing.
It is the angle that is referred from the North and South,
whichever is nearest with the added designation of east
or west, whichever applies. A bearing can never be
greater than 90°. Examples of bearing are: N 37° E.
N 45° 50' W, S 54° 15'30" W, S 89° 45' E, N 90° E
or due East.
 (b) Azimuth.
 The azimuth of a line is a clock wise angle measured from a
reference direction usually North.
 The South end of the North-South line is also being used as
reference direction for azimuth in geodetic surveys.
 Azimuths based from the North are called North azimuth; those
referred from the South are South azimuth
(c) Deflection angle.
This refers to the angle between a line and the
prolongation of the preceding line.
Deflection angles are identified as right or left.
Right deflection if the angle measured lies to the right
(clockwise) of the extension of the preceding line.
Left deflection if the angle lies to the left (counter
clockwise) of the extension of the preceding line.
Equipment's in pond
Biosecurity
 Fish Pens and Cages
 Pen and cage culture involve the rearing of fish within
fixed (pens) or floating (cages) net enclosures supported
by frameworks made of bamboo, wood, or metal, and set
in sheltered, shallow portions of lakes, bays, rivers, and
estuaries

 Usually more productive than pond culture with or

without supplemental feeding, depending on the
availability of natural food

 Generally requires supplemental feeding due to higher

stocking densities
 Fish Pens and Cages
 Site Selection for pens
 Protection from high winds or typhoons
 Adequate water exchange that will enable the flow of nutrient-
laden water through the pens/cages.
 Good water quality (high or adequate dissolved oxygen, stable
pH, and low turbidity, and absence of pollution).
 Firm bottom mud to allow pen framework or cage anchors to be
driven deep into substrate for better support. For pens, bottom
should not be exposed during low tide and should be at least 1
m deep.
 Freedom from predators and natural hazards.
 Accessibility to sources of inputs, including labour and markets,
and
 Good peace and order condition.
 Fish Pens and Cages

 Fish Cage
 Fish Pens and Cages

 Fish Pen