This document provides details on the design of components for a carp hatchery complex. It discusses calculating brood fish requirements based on production targets, sizing spawning and incubation pools, and estimating nursery pond area. Brood fish of 1300kg are needed for 50 million spawn production annually. A 5m diameter spawning pool and 2.4m diameter incubation pool are designed to support 30 lakh egg production. A 15,000 liter overhead water tank is sized to supply these units. A 2.5 hectare nursery area is required to rear 50 million fry over 5 crop cycles.

1. DESIGN DETAIL OF DIFFERENT
HATCHERY COMPONENTS
DEPARTMENT OF AQUACULTURE MANAGEMENT & TECHNOLOGY
VIDYASAGAR UNIVERSITY,
MIDNAPORE – 721 102, WEST BENGAL, INdIA
DR. MANOJ KUMAR PATI
Assistant Professor

2. Design & Construction of a Model Carp Hatchery (Chinese Circular Hatchery)
 The most important component in the aquaculture practices is the availability of
quality seed of different species at desirable time.
 The technology of brood stock development, induced breeding, multiple breeding,
fish gamete cryopreservation and seed production of Indian and exotic carps have
been standardized.
 Cost effective standard is a pre-requisite for commercial production of carp seed
in different agro-climatic regions of the country.
 The details of design, estimating, water requirement relating with the unit of carp
seed production have been described here for the construction of different
facilities of a carp seed production complex
 It will be beneficial to decide the appropriate size of different pools and water
tanks etc. while planning of a carp seed production complex, as per the unit
production

3.  A carp hatchery complex would generally have different main units
 The Brood-stock Units (for rearing & management of carp brood stocks with
different size of ponds varying from 0.1 to 1.0 ha)
 The main Hatchery Unit for spawn production
o Spawning chamber
o Egg incubation chamber
o Egg & Spawn Collection chamber
o Water supply system for the above units
 The Nursery Unit (for raising fry from stocked spawn (4 - 5mm to 25 - 30mm))
 The Rearing Unit (for raising fry to fingerlings (50mm and above))
 The packing & Marketing Unit
 Success of a hatchery depends on proper planning, design and site selection

4. SELECTION OF A SUITABLE SITE
The selection of a suitable site for a hatchery is the first criterion for its successful
operation
Demand of fish seed in locality, accordingly size of the fish seed farm may be
decided;
There should not be chances of pouching;
Area used for farm construction should be almost plain of suitable shape and
sufficient size;
Water source, quality and quantity should be adequate;
Water supply to fish farm by gravity reduce the operational cost;
Soil of the area selected should be impervious as far as possible to reduce the
water loss;
The soil for the rearing tank for fry and brood stock has to be impervious type such
as clay or silty clay or clay loam etc;

5. Fish farm located in areas unsuitable for other agricultural uses but soil should be
suitable for fish culture;
Site should be free from frequent deep flooding and should be away from flooding
areas;
The site should be easily accessible by rail and/or road;
There must be availability of cheap labourers;
There must be access to electricity;
There should be a market in the vicinity;
There may be scope for integration of aquaculture with agriculture, horticulture or
floriculture at the site.

6. Types of Soil
There are three basic types of soil: sand, silt and clay. But most soils are composed of a combination of
the different types. How they mix will determine the texture of the soil, or, in other words, how the soil
looks and feels.
 One type of soil is sand. Sand within soil is actually small particles of weathered rock. Sand is fairly
coarse and loose so water is able to drain through it easily. While this is good for drainage, it is not
good for growing plants because sandy soil will not hold water or nutrients.
 Silt is another type of soil. Silt can be thought of as fine sand, and it will hold water better than sand. If
you were to hold a handful of dry silt in your hand, it would feel almost like flour. If you were to add
water to the silt in your hand, it would do a fair job of holding the water and feels slick and smooth.
 Clay is very fine-grained soil. Its particles are even smaller than silt, so there is very little space
between the fine grains for air or water to circulate. Therefore, clay does not drain well or provide space
for plant roots to flourish. If you were a farmer, you would not want your field to be mostly clay.
However, if you were a potter, you would think clay was the best type of soil. When moisture is added
to clay, it can be molded into shapes, such as a pottery bowl or a building brick.
 Now, we can consider loam as our fourth type of soil, even though it is really a combination of sand,
silt and clay. Loam will vary depending on how much of each component is present, but generally if
you are a gardener, this is the type of soil you want because it holds moisture, but also allows for good
drainage. If you were to hold loam in your hand, you could mold it into a ball, but the ball would easily
crumble when disturbed.

7. Mountain Soils:
These soils are formed as a result of the
accumulation of organic matter derived from
forest growth. They are found in Himalayan region
and vary in different regions according to altitude.
Tea is grown in those areas which receive sufficient
rainfall.
Desert Soils:
In the desert regions of Rajasthan, soils are not well
developed. As evaporation is in excess of rainfall, the
soil has a high salt content and saline layer forms a
hard crust. These soils are gen­erally sandy and
deficient in organic matter.
 Soils of India: Six Different Types of Soils Found in India
 Soil is our prime natural and economic resource.
 Soils in India differ in composition and structure.

8. Alluvial Soils: These are formed by the deposition of
sediments by rivers. They are rich in humus and very fertile.
They are found in Great Northern plain, lower valleys of
Narmada and Tapti and Northern Gujarat. These soils are
renewed every year.
Black Soils: These soils are made up of volcanic rocks and lava-flow.
It is concentrated over Deccan Lava Tract which includes parts of
Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh
and Tamil Nadu. It consists of Lime, Iron, Magnesium and also Potash
but lacks in Phosphorus, Nitrogen and Organic matter.
Red Soils: These are derived from weathering of ancient
metamorphic rocks of Deccan Plateau. Its redness is due to
iron composition. When iron content is lower it is yellow or
brown. They cover almost the whole of Tamil Nadu, Andhra
Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and parts of
Orissa.
Laterite Soils:
These soils are formed
due to in­tense
leaching and are well
developed on the
sum­mits of hills and
uplands. They are
commonly found in
Kerala, Tamil Nadu,
Maharashtra,
Chhattisgarh and hilly
areas of Orissa and
Assam.

9. Calculation of Brood fish requirement:
• The total area of brood stock rearing pond shall depend on the number of brood
fish required which in turn depends on the target of seed production
• Suppose the target is 50 million spawn per year
• Then the quantity of brood fish required is calculated as follows:
 The standardized spawn yield of a major carp is 1 lakh/kg body weight
(average)
 So, the female brood required for production of 50 million spawn is
50 million /1 lakh i.e. (50 × 10 lakh)/1 lakh = 500 kg
• Equal number of male are required
so male + female brood fish = 500 + 500= 1000kg
• Risk factor is 30% let i.e. 300 kg
• So total brood fish required is 1000 + 300 = 1300 kg

10. Calculation of the Area required for Brood fish rearing pond
 The optimum stocking density = 1000kg/ha
 So for 1300 kg, area required = (1 × 1300)/1000 = 1.3ha
 Another 1.3 ha is required for the release of the spent brood after each
spawning
 Continuous supply of brood fish shall be ensured for each year
 So, The total area for brood husbandry shall be 1.3+1.3 = 2.6 ha

11. Calculation of dimension of different Hatchery Components for production of
30 lakh eggs in one cycle
1. Calculation of dimension of Spawning/Breeding Pool
• Assume the tank have the capacity for 30 lakh eggs production
• Let spawning fecundity is 1 lakh per kg body weight in average
• 30 kg female & 30kg male required for the purpose
• 6ppm DO in water is required conducive for spawning of fishes
• 1m3 of water is required for 3.5 kg of brood fish
 Total brood fish required = 30+30=60kg
 Total quantity water required = 60/3.5= 17.14m3 i.e. V
 The height of the tank is 1.2 m including 0.2m free board (1.2-0.2=1m water height)
 Volume of circular breeding pool V = r2H
 or V =  × D2/4 × H
 D2 = (V × 4)/ ( ×H)
 D2 = (17.14 × 4)/ (22 × 1m water)/7
 D2 = 21.814
 D = 4.670 ≈ 5.0 m
 Hence the diameter of the breeding tank will be 5m for the production
capacity of 30 lakh eggs

12. 2. Calculation of dimension of Incubation pool
 1 m3 water is required for 7 lakh eggs
 For 30 lakh eggs = 30/7 = 4.3m3 of water
 Depth of chamber is 1.2m (1m water + 0.2m free board)
 The central chamber is provided with 1/80nos. net wrapped around to arrest the
eggs from escaping and regulates circular flow for egg rolling and also allow the
water to drain out during hatching through central outlet. The ratio between
central/inner chamber and outer chamber should be 1:4.
 The eggs are incubated in outer chamber of the incubation pool
 The volume of outer chamber means
the total volume of incubation pool – volume of the inner chamber

13.  Let the radius of inner chamber is ‘r’ and radius of incubation pool is ‘R’
 So, the volume of outer chamber (V ) is R2h - r2h
or, V =  (R2 - r2) × h h= 1m (water depth)
V =  (R2 - r2)
 As we know R/r =4/1 so, R = 4r
 Then V =  [(4r)2 – r2]
 Or, V =  ×(16r2 –r2)
 Or, V =  × 15 r2
 As V = 4.3m3, 4.3 =  × 15 r2, r2 = 4.3 /15 , r2 = 4.3× 7
15 × 22
 r2 = 0.0912 so r ≈ 0.3 m and R= 4 × 0.3 = 1.2m
 So diameter of the pool shall be 2.4 m and height shall be 1+0.2=1.2m

14. 3. Calculation of dimension of over-head water tank
 The most important requirement of an Chinese circular hatchery is the water
supply system
 Let the standard velocity (flow/second) in spawning pool and incubation pool is
0.2 -0.3m/sec
 The water requirement in breeding pool will be 2 Lit/sec and in IP = 4Lit/sec
Flow in BP will be 2x3600=7200lit/hr, 1 cubic meter = 1000L
So flow rate is 7200/1000 =7.2 m3/hour in BP and in IP= 14.4 m3/hour
 Let the over-head tank may be designed for 15m3 (15000 ltr)/hr capacity
 Therefore the dimension of the tank may be 3 x 2.5 x 2m (h) with a minimum
staging height 2.5m to regulate the flow in the spawning and incubation units

15. 4. Estimation of the area required for Nursery Tank
 Average stocking density for nursery pond is 5 million/ha
 For rearing of 50 million spawn, area required is 50/5 = 10ha
 In one season, one pond can be used for 3 -4 times for spawn rearing
 Duration of a crop cycle is 15 -20 days
 If 5 crops are raised in one season for rearing 50 million spawn then area
required shall be 10/4= 2.5 ha