COMPONENTS AND LAYOUT DESIGNS LLCLAVERIA, ABE

LAYOUT DESIGNS
Fish farm layouts that are properly
engineered should strike a balance
considering economy, functionality and
aesthetics. Within a prescribed
production management scheme, the
layout must be economical.
Fishponds should be planned in such a
way that the length of the pond is
positioned parallel to the prevailing
wind direction.
 COMPONENTS OF FISH FARMS
Fish farm is an establishment which is composed of pond system and support facilities.
I. Pond System
1. Nursery
2. Fry pond
3. Transition or holding stunting pond
4. Production or rearing ponds
5. Other features (catching, desilting food-growing ponds, etc.).
6. Also a part of the system are the water control structure or gates, pipes or culverts and
water supply or drainage canals.

Each of these units should be properly located and fitted in the system in order to have ease in
water management and manipulation of cultured stock.
COMPONENTS OF FISH FARMS
II. Support facilities
1. Farm buildings Fish farms are located at convenient distance from
the sea or river.
2. Farm roads and road dikes
In the Philippines, a sanctioned buffer zone of at least
3. Bridges 100 m from the sea to the main perimeter dike and
4. Fish tanks 20 m along river banks is spared for ecological
5. Storage shed (for feed and equipment) consideration as well as physical protection against
6. Chilling tanks flooding and wave action.
7. Other ancillary structures.

Efficient organization of support facilities in relation to

the pond system is of paramount significance in the
overall developmental planning and operation of the
farm.
TYPES OF POND COMPARTMENT
Fry acclimatization pond
Sometimes called fry box this is the smallest
unit in a pond system usually 4 to 8 m2. Fry
are first stocked in this pond for 1 to 4 days
and then allowed passage to the nursery
pond proper by just cutting open the small
dike partition (Djajadiredja and Daulay,
1982).
 TYPES OF POND COMPARTMENT
Nursery pond
The nursery pond is small in size, about 1 to 4 percent of
total production area and usually square or rectangular in
shape. It may be a single pond unit or made up of two, four,
six, etc. sub-compartments which form the whole nursery
unit. A manageable area ranges from 500 to 10 000 m2
per compartment, although 1 000 to 5 000 m2 is preferred
(BFAR-UNDP/FAO, 1982).
The nursery is used for rearing the fry for at least 30 days
(in the case of milkfish) before transferring into another
larger pond. Rearing the fish in small area is more
convenient and safer as it can be watched more closely and
taken cared of more adequately.
TYPES OF POND COMPARTMENT
Nursery pond
Nursery pond should be located in elevated portion of the
farm in the central or near the corner of a rearing pond
compartment (Djajadiredja and Daulay, 1982). The most
suitable place is where it can be easily supplied with new
unpolluted water at all times when necessary and at
elevation where it can readily be drained even during
ordinary low tides (Alcantara, 1982).
Avoid locating nursery ponds directly adjacent to perimeter
dikes. Crab holes and leaks that might occur during the
rearing period will serve as exits of fry from the nursery
pond to the river. These can also serve as entrance for
predators and unwanted species into the nursery pond,
causing further loss of stock.
From the nursery pond the fry is moved into the transition
pond or directly into the rearing or production ponds
 TYPES OF POND COMPARTMENT
Transition pond
The transition, holding or stunting pond is located adjacent to the
nursery pond in order to have efficient and quick transfer of
fingerlings. Depending on the management scheme, close to 10
percent of the total production area is usually allocated for this
purpose.
The fingerlings or post-fingerlings are reared here for varying
periods before finally stocking them in the production or rearing
ponds. The fish can be retained in the transition pond longer or up
to a few months especially when the number of fry stock is
sufficient for several cropping within the year. A manageable area
for transition ponds ranges from 1 000–20 000 m2 per
compartment but 5 000–15 000 m2 is preferred (BFAR-UNDP FAO,
1981).
 TYPES OF POND COMPARTMENT
Production or rearing pond
This is also called grownout pond. It is the largest compartment in
the pond system occupying about 80 percent of the total farm
area.
The bottom elevation of the rearing pond should be about 0.2 m
lower than that of the transition pond but slightly higher than the
Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW) or zero tidal datum. The pond
bottom slopes toward the catching pond or water supply canal to
facilitate harvesting of marketable-sized fish. A manageable size
ranges from 1.0 to 10 ha per compartment although 2.0 to 5.0 ha
is preferred. Production ponds for milkfish of 15 to 20 ha per
compartment is common in the Philippines.
TYPES OF POND COMPARTMENT
Catching pond Food growing pond
This pond serves as a concentration area This pond is optional and may be built, if
or basin for the fish during harvest. It is deemed necessary. Named “kitchen
constructed adjacent to the gate inside a pond”, it is a compartment set aside for
bigger pond compartment. Catching growing live food organisms at high
ponds may be provided also for nursery
ponds, transition ponds, and rearing density. this is a recent innovation and is
ponds. The catching pond for the nursery intended to augment the availability of
and transition ponds is usually about 2 food in fishpond areas where natural
percent of the respective compartments' food organisms does not grow well or in
water surface area; for rearing pond, it farm set-up where high density stocking
is usually 1–1.5 percent. of cultured fish is used.
LAYOUT OF POND SYSTEM
Pond layouts may be grouped into:
1. Conventional
2. Radiating
3. Modular or progression
4. Multiple stock/harvest pond system
Source: (BFAR-UNDP/FAO, 1981 and Denila, 1976).
LAYOUT OF POND SYSTEM
CONVENTIONAL POND SYSTEM
RADIATING POND SYSTEM
MODULAR OR PROGRESSION POND SYSTEM
MULTIPLE STOCK/HARVEST POND SYSTEM
OTHER FACILITIES/FEATURES IN POND
SYSTEM
Peripheral, central or diagonal ditch
The desirable temperature for milkfish and shrimp ranges from 27 to 32°C and 28 to
30°C, respectively. During the dry season, the water temperature may increase,
especially in the shallower part of the pond. Providing canals inside pond
compartments deeper than the general pond bottom remedies the situation and
serves as a hiding place for shrimp during critical pond condition. These canals are
also suitable in milkfish ponds with generally shallow water, where polyculture with
shrimp is desired. The ditches can vary from 0.5 to 1.0 m in depth (Fig. 4.15).
OTHER FACILITIES/FEATURES IN POND
SYSTEM
Division pond
The use of division pond is popular in Indonesia. this compartment distributes the tidal
inflow to the various ponds and provides independence in the operation of individual
pond compartment. It is a common feature for rearing ponds (Fig. 4.5) and even in
nursery farm systems (Fig. 4.16).
Reservoir pond
This is appropriate for the flow through system in shrimp culture. The pump raises the
level of water in the reservoir even during low tide so that gravity flow through in the
rearing pond of shrimp can be effected.
OTHER FACILITIES/FEATURES IN POND
SYSTEM
Sedimentation basin
This may be located near the water source before incoming tide enters the ponds. It is
intended to settle suspended solids carried by the inflowing water.
Chilling tank
Wooden or concrete tanks with capacity of 1 to 5 tons are usually constructed near
the catching pond. Newly harvested milkfish are dumped and immediately covered
with crushed ice to chill them to preserve their quality and freshness. This serves also
to wash the fish and reduce bacterial growth.
OTHER FACILITIES/FEATURES IN POND
SYSTEM
Road system
It is advisable to have road system which should reach at least the main gate and
catching ponds for easy and cheap transportation. This can reduce marketing cost.
Housing site
some space is to be set aside for houses of persons employed and as storehouses for
feeds, equipment and other fish farm materials.