AquaFarm uses an interactive, iterative, three-step procedure to specify, test, and evaluate system designs and management protocols. 

• First, comprehensive specifications of the facility design and management are established, using mapping and design work sheets. 

• Second, the performance of this user-specified system is tested, using engineering-based simulation procedures over designated production periods. 

• Third, predicted facility performance is reviewed and evaluated, using tabular and graphical reports of the physical, biological, and economic performance of the facility.  The figure below illustrates this procedure. 

Step 1: Specification

A design project begins with user specification of facility siting and climate and the components and configuration of the aquaculture facility.  A scaled facility map is built by placing and connecting (1) fish holding and rearing units, (2) water transport units (e.g., water source and discharge, pumps, pipes, and channels), and (3) water treatment units (e.g., gas exchangers, particulate-solid filters, ammonia biofilters, and chemical supplies). 

Following construction, protocols for facility and fish culture management are specified.  This includes culture species, stocking and harvest (or release) schedules, fish lot handling rules, water quality management criteria, and water management strategies (make-up, flow-through, reuse, or recirculation).  User projects can be saved and retrieved as database files.  Pre-built example projects are also available on file.

Step 2: Simulation

Following user specification of the facility, facility operations and fish production are simulated.  Materials and feeds are applied, water flow and quality are managed, and fish lots are stocked, handled, and harvested according to established management criteria and schedules.

Simulations are as realistic as possible, including physical, biological, and management processes.  Biologically infeasible scenarios result in poor fish performance or fish mortality.  AquaFarm handles all simulation procedures, completely relieving the user of this laborious and complicated task.  Simulations processing times range from a few seconds to a minute or so, depending on the size and complexity of the aquaculture facility and computer processing speeds (CPU capacity).

Comprehensive modeling procedures are used.  All facility specifications and model parameters are user accessible.  Major modeling components include:

1. Facility environment:  Climate, optional housing and climate control, water source availability and quality, and facility discharge loading.

2. Water and culture systems:  All physical components of the facility and their linkage and configuration.

3. Aquatic chemistry:  Full consideration of all aquatic chemistry, including water properties, constituents, dissolved gases, and acid-base equilibria.

4. Physical unit-processes:  Water mechanics and pumping, heat and gas transfer, solids removal, and other physical processes.

5. Biological unit-processes:  Finfish, shrimp, micro/macro algae, heterotrophic and nitrifying bacteria, and other biological processes.

6. Operational management:  Methods, criteria, procedures, and strategies of facility operations and fish culture management.

7. Enterprise economics.  Itemized resource consumption, product production, and facility enterprise budgets, using specified unit-costs.

Step 3: Evaluation

Simulation results are examined using tabular and graphical displays.  This includes time-series regimes for facility climate, water flow, water quality, growth and feeding of culture species, and resource use (e.g., water, power, and materials).  Resource use, fish production, and additional user-designated items (e.g., labor and infrastructure) are compiled into economic enterprise budgets.  As needed, iterative design refinements and simulations are used to achieve desired operational, biological, and economic results. 

As shown in the AquaFarm interface screen below, simulations can include various levels of complexity, depending on the type of facility and stage of the design process.