Aquaculture facilities
The aquaculture apparatus with staged, independently circulated tanks addresses growth rate and yield loss by isolating infected organisms, ensuring space and reducing costs.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- WELTEX CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2024-11-05
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-19
AI Technical Summary
Conventional aquaculture systems face challenges in maintaining growth rates and production yields due to pathogenic bacteria, with large tanks required for early stages leading to high equipment costs and risks of reduced yields if infection occurs across multiple tanks.
An aquaculture apparatus with multiple interconnected tanks and a purification system, allowing independent water circulation and controlled transfers based on growth stages, enabling separate handling of infected organisms to minimize yield loss.
Maintains growth rates and reduces production yield loss by ensuring adequate space per organism and isolating infected batches, balancing equipment and operating costs while minimizing environmental stress.
Smart Images
Figure 2026081407000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to an aquaculture device, more specifically, an on-land aquaculture device for aquaculture organisms, particularly relatively large shrimps, which prevents a decrease in the growth rate and reduces the risk of a decrease in production yield due to pathogenic bacteria.
Background Art
[0002] Regarding aquaculture devices for growing aquaculture organisms such as fish, shellfish, or crustaceans in aquaculture tanks constructed on land, various devices have been developed conventionally. In particular, regarding recent aquaculture devices, various technologies have been proposed, focusing on improving taste and removing harmful taste or odor compounds (Patent Documents 1, 2, etc.). Also, although not related to the growth of crustaceans, various proposals have been made regarding technologies for managing the growth environment in an appropriate state and culturing in on-land aquaculture.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0003]
Patent Document 1
Patent Document 2
Patent Document 3
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0004] In aquaculture organisms, particularly, there are risks of a decrease in the growth rate and a decrease in production yield due to pathogenic bacteria. Conventional aquaculture systems cultivate organisms in a single batch tank. As the growth period of the organisms lengthens, the individual organisms grow larger, reducing the volume occupied by each organism and thus lowering the growth rate. To prevent this decline in growth rate, one should prepare a tank that allows for a larger volume per organism at the time of shipment. However, at the start of aquaculture, large tanks are required even though the volume occupied by each organism is small. This not only results in wasted operating costs but also necessitates the custom-made aquaculture equipment, leading to high equipment costs.
[0005] To solve the problem of declining growth rates in farmed organisms, one could consider a multi-stage (continuous) system, as described in Patent Document 3, where organisms are moved to larger tanks depending on their growth stage. However, in the case of a continuous system, since farmed organisms are present in all tanks, if, for example, pathogenic bacteria are introduced in an upstream (upper) tank and the farmed organisms become ill, all the farmed organisms in all the tanks constituting a single farming system will not be shipped and will be discarded, thus creating a risk of reduced production yield.
[0006] Thus, a decrease in the growth rate and production yield are always problems in terms of the balance between equipment costs and operating costs (they are in a trade-off relationship). Therefore, the inventor focused on the fact that these problems could be solved by constructing the aquaculture component using one or more existing (inexpensive) aquaculture tanks to match the growth speed of the cultured organisms. Furthermore, the inventor discovered that by separating the aquaculture water flowing within the aquaculture component, if a cultured organism infected with pathogens is discovered, it is sufficient to discard the cultured organisms in the aquaculture component to which the infected organism belongs, while the cultured organisms in other aquaculture components can continue to grow and be shipped. This led to the completion of the present invention.
[0007] The present invention aims to provide an aquaculture apparatus that reduces the risk of decreased growth rates and reduced production yield due to pathogenic bacteria in cultured organisms. [Means for solving the problem]
[0008] The invention described in claim 1 is an aquaculture apparatus comprising a purification tank for purifying aquaculture water and a cultivation tank for cultivating aquaculture organisms, wherein the purification tank and the cultivation tank are connected by aquaculture member piping, thereby circulating the aquaculture water, the growth period of the aquaculture organisms is divided into n (n>1) equal parts, and at the end of each period, the organisms are transferred to an adjacent aquaculture member that was cultivating them during that period, the aquaculture apparatus comprises n sets of aquaculture members, the aquaculture members are connected by aquaculture member piping to one or more aquaculture tanks capable of storing approximately the volume of aquaculture water in accordance with the growth curve of the aquaculture organisms, the aquaculture members are connected in series by aquaculture apparatus piping, and on / off valves are provided between adjacent aquaculture members.
[0009] The invention described in claim 2 is an aquaculture apparatus comprising a purification tank for purifying aquaculture water and an aquaculture tank for cultivating aquaculture organisms, wherein the purification tank and the aquaculture tank are connected by aquaculture member piping, thereby circulating the aquaculture water, the growth period of the aquaculture organisms is divided into n (n>1) equal parts, and at the end of each period, the organisms are transferred to an aquaculture member adjacent to the aquaculture member in which they were cultivated during that period, the aquaculture apparatus comprises n sets of aquaculture members, the aquaculture members are provided with aquaculture tanks capable of storing the necessary volume of aquaculture water in accordance with the growth curve of the aquaculture organisms, the aquaculture members are connected in series by aquaculture apparatus piping, and on / off valves are provided between adjacent aquaculture members.
[0010] The basic configuration of the aquaculture apparatus in this invention consists of a purification tank for purifying aquaculture water (seawater, freshwater, etc., the appropriate type of water selected depending on the type of aquaculture organism) and an aquaculture tank for cultivating the organisms, connected by aquaculture piping to form one set of aquaculture components. The apparatus has enough aquaculture components to accommodate the number of times the organisms need to be transferred to another aquaculture component as they grow, and these aquaculture components are connected in series by aquaculture apparatus piping. In addition, an on / off valve is provided between adjacent aquaculture components. In this way, multiple aquaculture components can be connected in series, and the flow of aquaculture water within the aquaculture system piping can be controlled by on / off valves. In other words, while aquaculture organisms are being grown in a particular aquaculture component, the aquaculture water is prevented from flowing into the aquaculture system piping, and the water is circulated within the aquaculture component. This means that during the growth period of the aquaculture organisms, each aquaculture component constitutes an independent circulation of aquaculture water. As a result, if aquaculture organisms being grown in an aquaculture component during the growth period are found to be infected with a pathogen, only the organisms in that component need to be stopped from shipment and discarded, while the organisms being grown in other aquaculture components can continue to grow, thus reducing the risk of reduced production yield due to pathogens.
[0011] Furthermore, the growth period of the cultured organisms is divided into n (n>1) equal parts, and at the end of each period, the organisms are transferred to a cultured component adjacent to the one in which they were being cultivated during that period. In this case, the cultured organisms are first moved to a separate tank, and then a valve is used to allow the culture water to flow into the piping of the cultured equipment. After that, the cultured organisms are transferred to the cultured tank of that cultured component. This not only makes it easy to move the cultured organisms, but also allows the same culture water to be used throughout the growth period of the cultured organisms, reducing the burden on the cultured organisms due to environmental changes. If the culture water in the cultured equipment becomes insufficient, additional water can be supplied from an external source.
[0012] Furthermore, each aquaculture component is equipped with a tank capable of storing the necessary volume of aquaculture water in accordance with the growth curve of the cultivated organism. In this case, as in the invention described in claim 1, multiple tanks capable of storing approximately the same volume of aquaculture water may be provided, and the sum of the amounts of aquaculture water stored in these tanks may be the amount required to store the necessary volume of aquaculture water in accordance with the growth curve of the cultivated organism. Alternatively, as in the invention described in claim 2, one tank capable of storing the necessary volume of aquaculture water in accordance with the growth curve of the cultivated organism may be provided. This allows for a single cultivation tank to be used during the early growth stage when the volume occupied by each farmed organism is small, and also enables the construction of a cultivation tank that ensures sufficient volume per organism even at the shipping stage. As a result, a balance is always maintained between the risk of a decrease in growth rate and equipment and operating costs, thereby reducing the risk of a decrease in growth rate. For example, in the invention described in claim 1, if the growth period (cultivation period) of 300 cultured organisms is divided into three equal parts (initial, middle, and final stages), and at the end of the initial stage the cultured organisms are divided into two equal parts and transferred to two cultivation tanks so that they are evenly distributed (150 organisms in each tank), and at the end of the middle stage the cultured organisms are divided into three equal parts and transferred to three cultivation tanks so that they are evenly distributed (100 organisms in each tank), then a total of six cultivation tanks would need to be prepared. Furthermore, if the invention described in claim 2 is correct, and the growth period (cultivation period) of the cultured organism is divided into three equal parts (initial, middle, and final stages), and at the end of the stage the organism is transferred to a cultivation tank with twice the volume of the cultivation tank in which it is currently being cultivated, then if the initial tank contains 1 m 3 When using the volume, the intermediate tank is 2m 3 A tank of this volume was used, and the final tank was 4 m 3 We will be using a substance of that volume. [Effects of the Invention]
[0013] According to the present invention, a set of aquaculture components is formed by connecting a purification tank for purifying aquaculture water and an aquaculture tank for cultivating aquatic organisms with aquaculture component piping. The system has enough aquaculture components to accommodate the number of times the cultivated organisms need to be transferred to another aquaculture component as they grow, and these aquaculture components are connected in series by aquaculture device piping. In addition, an on / off valve is provided between adjacent aquaculture components. This reduces the risk of reduced production yield due to pathogens. Furthermore, the growth period of the cultured organisms is divided into n (n>1) equal parts, and at the end of each period, the organisms are transferred to an adjacent cultured component to the one they were being cultivated in during that period. At this time, not only is the movement of the cultured water between cultured components made easy by simply operating an on / off valve, but the burden on the cultured organisms due to environmental changes can also be reduced.
[0014] Furthermore, in each aquaculture member, an aquaculture tank capable of storing the required volume of aquaculture water is installed in accordance with the growth curve of the aquaculture organisms. At this time, as in the invention described in claim 1, a plurality of aquaculture tanks capable of storing aquaculture water of substantially the same volume may be prepared, and the total amount of the stored aquaculture water may be set as the amount capable of storing the required volume of aquaculture water in accordance with the growth curve of the aquaculture organisms. Alternatively, as in the invention described in claim 2, one aquaculture tank capable of storing the required volume of aquaculture water in accordance with the growth curve of the aquaculture organisms may be provided. By adopting this configuration, in the early growth stage where the volume occupied per aquaculture organism is small, it can be completed in one aquaculture tank, and even at the shipping stage, an aquaculture tank can be configured to sufficiently secure the volume occupied per aquaculture organism. Therefore, the risk of a decrease in the growth rate and the balance between equipment costs and operating costs are always maintained, and it becomes possible to reduce the risk of a decrease in the growth rate.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0015] [Figure 1] It is a schematic diagram showing the basic configuration (aquaculture member) of the aquaculture device according to the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the aquaculture device according to Example 1 of the present invention. [Figure 3] It is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the aquaculture device according to a modification of Example 1 of the present invention. [Figure 4] It is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the aquaculture device according to Example 2 of the present invention.
Modes for Carrying Out the Invention
[0016] Embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings with reference to examples. As shown in FIG. 1, an aquaculture member 10G, which is the basic configuration of the aquaculture device according to the present invention, connects a purification tank 11 for purifying aquaculture water and an aquaculture tank 12 for culturing aquaculture organisms 100 with an aquaculture member pipe 13 to enable the circulation of the aquaculture water in the aquaculture member 10G.
[0017] The septic tank 11 is made of a commercially available plastic container with a capacity of 1 m³. Since the aquaculture water within the aquaculture components 10G is circulated, a large volume septic tank 11 is not necessary. However, if the concentration of necessary components in the aquaculture water decreases due to circulation, the system is configured to allow for the addition of necessary components to the septic tank 11 from an external source as needed. Furthermore, a commercially available filter for removing feces and pseudofeces generated from the aquaculture organisms is installed in the septic tank, and water quality improvement agents are added as necessary. Furthermore, the septic tank 11 may be equipped with a dissolved oxygen concentration sensor, an ammonia concentration sensor, a temperature sensor, etc., to check the water quality of the aquaculture water and to detect any abnormalities.
[0018] The aquaculture tank 12 is made of a commercially available plastic container (general-purpose product). The volume of the container differs between Example 1 and Example 2, and will be described later. The aquaculture tank 12 may be equipped with a dissolved oxygen concentration sensor, an ammonia concentration sensor, a temperature sensor, etc., to check the water quality of the aquaculture water, similar to the storage tank 11, and may be configured to detect abnormalities. Furthermore, it is preferable that one side of the aquaculture tank 12 be made of a colorless transparent resin plate or glass, or that the top be open, so that abnormalities in the aquaculture organisms 100 can be checked from the outside. It is also possible to configure the system so that abnormalities in the aquaculture organisms 100 can be detected using a computer in combination with a camera and AI.
[0019] The aquaculture piping 13 uses commercially available plastic piping. The aquaculture piping 13 has a diameter of approximately 5 to 10 cm, and is installed using commercially available plastic fittings so that its length can be adjusted. The septic tank 11 and the aquaculture tank 12 are connected using aquaculture component piping 13. In this configuration, the aquaculture water is arranged to circulate within the aquaculture components by aquaculture component piping 13A, through which the aquaculture water flows from the septic tank 11 to the aquaculture tank 12, and aquaculture component piping 13B, through which the aquaculture water flows from the aquaculture tank 12 to the septic tank 11. Furthermore, pumps (not shown) are installed in necessary locations to enable the circulation of the aquaculture water.
[0020] Up to this point, the basic configuration (common configuration) of the aquaculture component 10G according to the present invention has been described. From here, we will describe the aquaculture apparatuses 10 and 20 in Example 1 and Example 2. The aquaculture apparatuses 10 and 20 in Example 1 and Example 2 will be described using the cultivation of Pacific white shrimp as an example. The growth period (cultivation period) of Pacific white shrimp is 3 months, and 300 Pacific white shrimp will be cultivated, and they will be transferred from one cultivation member 10G to another every month.
[0021] (Example 1) As shown in Figure 2, the aquaculture apparatus 10 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is approximately 1 m 3 The system is constructed using six aquaculture tanks 12 capable of storing aquaculture water, and three sets of aquaculture components 10GA to 10GC are connected in series by aquaculture equipment piping 14. In addition, an on / off valve 15 is installed between adjacent aquaculture components, that is, in the middle of the aquaculture equipment piping 14.
[0022] The aquaculture apparatus piping 14 is the same as the aquaculture component piping 13 and is routed to extend from the septic tank 11. Specifically, as shown in Figure 2, a portion of the aquaculture apparatus piping 14 that is directly connected to the septic tank 11 is shared with the aquaculture component piping 13A, and from there it branches into the aquaculture component piping 13A which is connected to the aquaculture tank 12 and the aquaculture apparatus piping 14 which is connected to the septic tank 11 of the adjacent aquaculture component 10G. An on / off valve 15 is provided between the branching point and the connection to the septic tank 11 of the adjacent aquaculture component 10G. Note that the on / off valve 15 can be installed by setting up a switching valve at the branching point between the aquaculture apparatus piping 14 and the aquaculture component piping 13A.
[0023] The three sets of aquaculture components 10GA to 10GC are classified as follows: initial aquaculture component 10GA, which promotes the growth of aquaculture organisms from the start of cultivation to one month later; mid-term aquaculture component 10GB, which promotes the growth of aquaculture organisms from one to two months into cultivation; and final-term aquaculture component 10GC, which promotes the growth of aquaculture organisms from two months into cultivation until the end of cultivation. The initial aquaculture member 10GA uses one aquaculture tank 12A, the mid-stage aquaculture member 10GB uses two aquaculture tanks 12B, and the final stage aquaculture member 10GC uses three aquaculture tanks 12C. When multiple aquaculture tanks 12 exist in aquaculture members 10GA to 10GC, the arrangement of the aquaculture tanks 12 is arbitrary. As shown in Figure 2, they may be overflowed from upstream to downstream, connected in series using piping, or connected in parallel as shown in Figure 3.
[0024] Using the aquaculture apparatus 10 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, configured as described above, 300 Pacific white shrimp are farmed. For the first month from the start of farming, the Pacific white shrimp are farmed in the aquaculture tank 12A of the initial aquaculture member 10GA. During this time, the on / off valve 15 is kept closed. One month after the start of cultivation, 300 Pacific white shrimp being cultivated in the initial tank 12A are temporarily transferred to a temporary cultivation tank outside the apparatus (not shown). Then, the on / off valve 15 is opened, and the cultivation water present in the initial cultivation component 10GA flows into the intermediate cultivation component 10GB. After that, the on / off valve 15 is closed, and the Pacific white shrimp are evenly distributed from the temporary cultivation tank to the cultivation tanks 12B of the intermediate cultivation component 10GB, and growth is resumed. In other words, 150 shrimp are placed into each of the two cultivation tanks 12B of the intermediate cultivation component. Note that because the cultivation water is insufficient, it is necessary to add cultivation water from an external source through the purification tank of the intermediate cultivation component 10GB. Two months after the start of cultivation, 300 Pacific white shrimp being cultivated in the cultivation tank 12B of the mid-term cultivation component 10GB are temporarily transferred to a temporary cultivation tank outside the apparatus (not shown). Then, the on / off valve 15 is opened, and the cultivation water present in the mid-term cultivation component 10GB is flowed into the final-term cultivation component 10GC. After that, the on / off valve 15 is closed, and the Pacific white shrimp are evenly distributed from the temporary cultivation tank to the cultivation tanks 12C of the final-term cultivation component 10GC and growth is resumed. In other words, 100 shrimp are added to each of the three cultivation tanks 12C of the final-term cultivation component. Note that because there is a shortage of cultivation water, it is necessary to add cultivation water from an external source through the purification tank 11 of the final-term cultivation component 10GC. Three months after the start of cultivation, 300 Pacific white shrimp being cultivated in the cultivation tank 12C of the final stage cultivation component 10GC are removed and shipped.
[0025] By configuring the tank in this way, it is possible to always ensure the area necessary for the growth of Pacific white shrimp, thereby preventing a decrease in the growth rate. Furthermore, for example, if disease infection of Pacific white shrimp is confirmed in one of the two intermediate tanks 12B of the intermediate aquaculture component 10GB, in the configuration shown in Figure 2, only the Pacific white shrimp being cultivated in the intermediate aquaculture component 10GB can be excluded from shipment (discarded), while the Pacific white shrimp being cultivated in the remaining tank can continue to grow. This helps to suppress the degree of decrease in production yield. Furthermore, in the configuration shown in Figure 3 (a configuration in which the aquaculture tanks in the aquaculture component are connected in parallel), among the Pacific white shrimp being cultivated in the mid-term aquaculture component 10GB, only the Pacific white shrimp being cultivated in the tanks where disease-infected shrimp are found are excluded from shipment (discarded), while the Pacific white shrimp being cultivated in the remaining tanks can continue to grow. This makes it possible to suppress the degree of decline in production yield even more than in the configuration shown in Figure 2.
[0026] (Example 2) As shown in Figure 4, the aquaculture apparatus 20 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention is approximately 1 m 3The initial tank 22A, approximately 2m, is a farming tank capable of storing the farming water. 3 A cultivation tank capable of storing aquaculture water is called the medium-term tank 22B, approximately 3m 3 The aquaculture tank capable of storing the aquaculture water is designated as the final tank 22C. In other words, the cultivation tank for the initial cultivation member 20GA is the initial tank 22A, the cultivation tank for the intermediate cultivation member 20GB is the intermediate tank 22B, and the cultivation tank for the final cultivation member 20GC is the final tank 22C. The other configurations are the same as in Example 1, so their explanation is omitted.
[0027] By configuring it in this way, as in Example 1, it is possible to always secure the area necessary for the growth of Pacific white shrimp, thereby preventing a decrease in the growth rate and suppressing a decrease in production volume. Furthermore, for example, if disease infection of Pacific white shrimp is confirmed in the mid-term tank 22B, only the Pacific white shrimp being farmed in that tank can be excluded from shipment (discarded), while the Pacific white shrimp being farmed in the remaining tanks can continue to grow. This makes it possible to suppress the degree of decrease in production yield, similar to Example 1. [Explanation of Symbols]
[0028] 10,20 Aquaculture equipment 10A, 10B Aquaculture components (basic components) 11. Septic tank 12A~12C,22A~22C Aquaculture tank 13 Aquaculture component piping 14 Aquaculture equipment piping 15. On / off valve
Claims
1. A septic tank for purifying aquaculture water, It has aquaculture tanks for cultivating aquatic organisms, The septic tank and the aquaculture tank are connected by aquaculture member piping, thereby providing an aquaculture member through which the aquaculture water is circulated. The growth period of the cultured organisms is divided into n (n > 1) equal parts, and at the end of each period, the organisms are transferred to a cultured member adjacent to the cultured member in which they were being cultured during that period. The aforementioned aquaculture member has n sets, The aquaculture member is connected by piping to one or more aquaculture tanks, each capable of storing approximately the volume of aquaculture water in accordance with the growth curve of the aquaculture organisms. The aquaculture components are connected in series by aquaculture piping, and an on / off valve is provided between adjacent aquaculture components in the aquaculture apparatus.
2. A septic tank for purifying aquaculture water, It has aquaculture tanks for cultivating aquatic organisms, The septic tank and the aquaculture tank are connected by aquaculture member piping, thereby providing an aquaculture member through which the aquaculture water is circulated. The growth period of the cultured organisms is divided into n (n > 1) equal parts, and at the end of each period, the organisms are transferred to a cultured member adjacent to the cultured member in which they were being cultured during that period. The aforementioned aquaculture member has n sets, The aquaculture member is provided with an aquaculture tank capable of storing the necessary volume of aquaculture water in accordance with the growth curve of the aquaculture organism, The aquaculture components are connected in series by aquaculture piping, and an on / off valve is provided between adjacent aquaculture components in the aquaculture apparatus.