To establish a successful Hatchery, the following primary components are usually necessary to create a habitat where brood stock fish and hatchlings can thrive:

• Tanks / Water

  Depending on the species of livestock being spawned, the size and type of tanks may vary from several hundred gallons to a few gallons in a hatching jar.

• Pumps

  Large quantities of water are often moved by pumps into and thru Hatchery tanks or hatching jars to sustain the environment for the fish during their spawning and hatching process.

• Bio-Filtration

  Depending of the stocking densities of fish metabolizing food and the rate of fresh water exchanged with the system, an ecosystem may be needed for the breaking down of ammonia into Hydrogen and a less toxic Nitrite by naturally occurring bacteria. The nitrites will ultimately be broken down into an even less toxic nitrate by yet another naturally occurring bacteria that will thrive in the bio-system. Solid Waste Removal – Solid Wastes are removed by screen filters, swirl separators or sedimentation. Ultra Violet Filtration – To reduce the likelihood of disease, the pumped water of a Hatchery can be passed thru an ultra violet light filter to disinfect the water before being pumped into the spawning and hatching tanks.

• Lighting

  Depending on the type of livestock being spawned in a Hatchery, light can be critical to animal health and maximum growth rate. Also duration of light and darkness often are a vital trigger to the spawning process. If natural light is not employed, wavelength and duration of artificial light must be considered. The spectrum distribution of various artificial light sources can be compared in the June-July 2013 Issue 155 of “Home Power” magazine.(homepower.com)

  Temperature Control – To maximize culture health and readiness to spawn, the water temperature must be controlled at the level necessary for the species being spawned and the eggs being hatched. Heating can be done by natural gas or propane, or the direct conversion of electric energy to heat by resistance coils. However, the most efficient means to heat the waters of a Hatchery is not by creating heat but by the movement of free heat from either the air source or water source, using a heat pump.

  A heat pump also allows the removal of heat from the Hatchery when temperatures are above ideal levels for fish spawning and egg hatching, which is not possible with traditional gas fired combustion systems. Air source heat pumps can provide the needed heat and chilling year-round, dependent upon outdoor temperatures. When air temperatures drop below 50°F, the traditional heat pump has a reduced capacity and efficiency. When air temperatures are routinely below the 50°F mark, a gas heat back- up to the air source is recommended. However the most efficient heat pump system is the geothermal/water source heat pump which harvests heat from the solar energy stored in the ground or bodies of water. Heat pumps routinely deliver heating at 1/4th the cost of burning fossil fuels or electric resistance heating while also offering the capability to cool the culture water.

• Tanks / Water

  Depending on the species of livestock being spawned, the size and type of tanks may vary from several hundred gallons to a few gallons in a hatching jar.

• Pumps

  Large quantities of water are often moved by pumps into and thru Hatchery tanks or hatching jars to sustain the environment for the fish during their spawning and hatching process.

• Bio-Filtration

  Depending of the stocking densities of fish metabolizing food and the rate of fresh water exchanged with the system, an ecosystem may be needed for the breaking down of ammonia into Hydrogen and a less toxic Nitrite by naturally occurring bacteria. The nitrites will ultimately be broken down into an even less toxic nitrate by yet another naturally occurring bacteria that will thrive in the bio-system. Solid Waste Removal – Solid Wastes are removed by screen filters, swirl separators or sedimentation. Ultra Violet Filtration – To reduce the likelihood of disease, the pumped water of a Hatchery can be passed thru an ultra violet light filter to disinfect the water before being pumped into the spawning and hatching tanks.

• Tanks / Water

  Depending on the species of livestock being spawned, the size and type of tanks may vary from several hundred gallons to a few gallons in a hatching jar.

• Pumps

  Large quantities of water are often moved by pumps into and thru Hatchery tanks or hatching jars to sustain the environment for the fish during their spawning and hatching process.

• Bio-Filtration

  Depending of the stocking densities of fish metabolizing food and the rate of fresh water exchanged with the system, an ecosystem may be needed for the breaking down of ammonia into Hydrogen and a less toxic Nitrite by naturally occurring bacteria. The nitrites will ultimately be broken down into an even less toxic nitrate by yet another naturally occurring bacteria that will thrive in the bio-system. Solid Waste Removal – Solid Wastes are removed by screen filters, swirl separators or sedimentation. Ultra Violet Filtration – To reduce the likelihood of disease, the pumped water of a Hatchery can be passed thru an ultra violet light filter to disinfect the water before being pumped into the spawning and hatching tanks.

• Tanks / Water

  Depending on the species of livestock being spawned, the size and type of tanks may vary from several hundred gallons to a few gallons in a hatching jar.

• Pumps

  Large quantities of water are often moved by pumps into and thru Hatchery tanks or hatching jars to sustain the environment for the fish during their spawning and hatching process.

• Bio-Filtration

  Depending of the stocking densities of fish metabolizing food and the rate of fresh water exchanged with the system, an ecosystem may be needed for the breaking down of ammonia into Hydrogen and a less toxic Nitrite by naturally occurring bacteria. The nitrites will ultimately be broken down into an even less toxic nitrate by yet another naturally occurring bacteria that will thrive in the bio-system. Solid Waste Removal – Solid Wastes are removed by screen filters, swirl separators or sedimentation. Ultra Violet Filtration – To reduce the likelihood of disease, the pumped water of a Hatchery can be passed thru an ultra violet light filter to disinfect the water before being pumped into the spawning and hatching tanks.