Aquaculture system, connection unit, and method for manufacturing the aquaculture system

Abstract

To provide a scalable aquaculture system for land-based aquaculture. [Solution] The aquaculture system 1 comprises one or more aquarium units 10 having aquariums 11 for cultivating aquatic products, one or more filtration units 20 having filtration equipment 12 that treats wastewater discharged from the aquarium units 10 to produce treated water, one or more connection units 30 having drainage conduits 31, 32 through which wastewater flows and treated water conduits 41, 42 through which treated water flows, a pump 14 that transports water between the aquarium units 10 and the connection units 30, and a pump 24 that transports water between the filtration units 20 and the connection units 30, the drainage conduits 31, 32 of the connection units 30 having four or more connections, and the treated water conduits 41, 42 of the connection units 30 having four or more connections, and the aquarium units 10 and filtration units 20 are each connected to the connection units 30.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an aquaculture system for land-based aquaculture. [Background technology]

[0002] While natural marine resources are limited, global consumption of marine products is expanding. Therefore, a shift from fishing to raising fish is essential, and land-based aquaculture is attracting attention as a safe and secure production method (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-040950 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in conventional land-based aquaculture, equipment is custom-designed, so changes in the scale of aquaculture require redesign, posing challenges to flexibility in the scale of aquaculture.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a scalable aquaculture system for land-based aquaculture. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, an aquaculture system according to one aspect of the present invention comprises one or more aquarium units having aquariums for cultivating aquatic products, one or more filtration units having a filtration facility for treating wastewater discharged from the aquarium units to produce treated water, one or more connection units having a drainage conduit through which the wastewater flows and a treated water conduit through which the treated water flows, and at least one of a pump for transferring water between the aquarium units and the connection units and a pump for transferring water between the filtration units and the connection units, wherein the drainage conduit and the treated water conduit of the connection units each have four or more connections, and is two or more connection units, the drainage conduits of the two or more connection units are connected by detachably connecting their connection parts, the treated water conduits of the two or more connection units are connected by detachably connecting their connection parts, the aquarium unit further has a drainage connection part detachably connected to the connection part of the drainage conduit and a treated water connection part detachably connected to the connection part of the treated water conduit, and the filtration unit further has a drainage connection part detachably connected to the connection part of the drainage conduit and a treated water connection part detachably connected to the connection part of the treated water conduit.

[0007] With this configuration, by connecting one or more aquarium units, one or more filtration units, and one or more connection units, a land-based aquaculture system of any size can be configured, making the aquaculture system scalable.

[0008] In the aquaculture system according to one aspect of the present invention, the treated water conduit may be a treated water pipe.

[0009] With this configuration, the treated water produced by the filtration unit can be sent through the treated water conduit of the connection unit.

[0010] Furthermore, in an aquaculture system according to one aspect of the present invention, the one or more connection units may be four or more connection units, and at least one of the four or more connection units may be detachably connected to three connection units.

[0011] This configuration allows the connection units to be connected in a planar manner, allowing the aquaculture system to be configured with greater freedom.

[0012] In addition, an aquaculture system according to one embodiment of the present invention may further include one or more denitrification units that denitrify the treated water, and the denitrification units may have a first connection that is detachably connected to a connection portion of the treated water conduit and through which the treated water flows from the treated water conduit toward the denitrification unit, and a second connection that is detachably connected to a connection portion of the treated water conduit or the wastewater conduit and through which the treated water after denitrification flows from the denitrification unit toward the treated water conduit or the wastewater conduit.

[0013] With this configuration, the denitrification unit can also denitrify the treated water.

[0014] In addition, in an aquaculture system according to one aspect of the present invention, the treated water conduit has a first treated water conduit and a second treated water conduit, the first treated water conduit has three or more connection parts, and the second treated water conduit has four or more connection parts. When the one or more connection units are two or more connection units, the first treated water conduits of the two or more connection units are connected by detachably connecting the connection parts, and the second treated water conduits of the two or more connection units are connected by detachably connecting the connection parts. The connection parts for the treated water of the filtration unit having a nitrification function but not a denitrification function are the connection parts for the first treated water conduit. The treated water connection part of the filtration unit, which is detachably connected to the first treated water conduit and has nitrification and denitrification functions, is detachably connected to the connection part of the second treated water conduit, and the treated water connection part of the aquarium unit is detachably connected to the connection part of the second treated water conduit, and further includes one or more denitrification units that denitrify the treated water, and the denitrification unit may have a first connection part that is detachably connected to the connection part of the first treated water conduit and through which the treated water flows from the first treated water conduit toward the denitrification unit, and a second connection part that is detachably connected to the connection part of the second treated water conduit and through which the treated water after denitrification flows from the denitrification unit toward the second treated water conduit.

[0015] With this configuration, the treated water before denitrification and the treated water after denitrification can be transported through separate conduits, and the treated water after denitrification can be made to flow into the aquarium unit.

[0016] In addition, in the aquaculture system according to one aspect of the present invention, the denitrification unit may have a denitrification tank in which denitrification is carried out using at least one of plants and algae.

[0017] With this configuration, denitrification can be carried out using, for example, plants or algae.

[0018] In addition, in an aquaculture system according to one aspect of the present invention, the drainage conduit and the treated water conduit of the connection unit each have first to fourth connection parts, and the drainage conduit of the connection unit includes a first conduit having an on-off valve connecting the first connection part and the second connection part, a second conduit having an on-off valve connecting the third connection part and the fourth connection part, a third conduit having an on-off valve connecting a part of the first conduit on the first connection part side of the on-off valve and a part of the second conduit on the fourth connection part side of the on-off valve, and a part of the first conduit on the second connection part side of the on-off valve and a part of the second conduit on the fourth connection part side of the on-off valve. and a fourth conduit provided with an on-off valve connecting the first and second connection portions, and the treated water conduits of the connection unit may include a first conduit provided with an on-off valve connecting the first connection portion and the second connection portion, a second conduit provided with an on-off valve connecting the third connection portion and the fourth connection portion, a third conduit provided with an on-off valve connecting the first conduit at a location on the first connection portion side of the on-off valve to the second conduit at a location on the third connection portion side of the on-off valve, and a fourth conduit provided with an on-off valve connecting the first conduit at a location on the second connection portion side of the on-off valve to the second conduit at a location on the third connection portion side of the on-off valve.

[0019] With this configuration, various connection states can be realized in the connection unit.

[0020] In addition, in an aquaculture system according to one embodiment of the present invention, the drainage conduit of the connection unit may further include a fifth conduit equipped with an on-off valve that connects a location on the first connection side of the on-off valve of the first conduit to a location on the third connection side of the on-off valve of the second conduit, and a sixth conduit equipped with an on-off valve that connects a location on the second connection side of the on-off valve of the first conduit to a location on the third connection side of the on-off valve of the second conduit, and the treated water conduit of the connection unit may further include a fifth conduit equipped with an on-off valve that connects a location on the first connection side of the on-off valve of the first conduit to a location on the fourth connection side of the on-off valve of the second conduit, and a sixth conduit equipped with an on-off valve that connects a location on the second connection side of the on-off valve of the first conduit to a location on the fourth connection side of the on-off valve of the second conduit.

[0021] Such a configuration allows the connection unit to realize even more connection states.

[0022] Furthermore, a connection unit according to one aspect of the present invention is a connection unit that constitutes an aquaculture system.

[0023] Furthermore, a conduit structure according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises first to fourth connection parts connectable to other conduits, a first conduit having an on-off valve connecting the first connection part and the second connection part, a second conduit having an on-off valve connecting the third connection part and the fourth connection part, a third conduit having an on-off valve connecting a portion of the first conduit closer to the first connection part than the on-off valve to a portion of the second conduit closer to the fourth connection part than the on-off valve, and a fourth conduit having an on-off valve connecting a portion of the first conduit closer to the second connection part than the on-off valve to a portion of the second conduit closer to the fourth connection part than the on-off valve.

[0024] With this configuration, various connection states can be realized for the first to fourth connection parts by opening and closing the on-off valves of the respective conduits.

[0025] In addition, the conduit structure according to one aspect of the present invention may further include a fifth conduit equipped with an on-off valve connecting a portion of the first conduit closer to the first connection than the on-off valve and a portion of the second conduit closer to the third connection than the on-off valve, and a sixth conduit equipped with an on-off valve connecting a portion of the first conduit closer to the second connection than the on-off valve and a portion of the second conduit closer to the third connection than the on-off valve.

[0026] With this configuration, it becomes possible to realize even more connection states for the first to fourth connection portions.

[0027] Furthermore, a method for manufacturing an aquaculture system according to one aspect of the present invention includes one or more aquarium units having aquariums for cultivating aquatic products, one or more filtration units having a filtration facility for treating wastewater discharged from the aquarium units to produce treated water, one or more connection units having a drainage conduit through which the wastewater flows and a treated water conduit through which the treated water flows, and at least one of a pump for conveying water between the aquarium units and the connection units and a pump for conveying water between the filtration units and the connection units, wherein the drainage conduit and the treated water conduit of the connection units each have four or more connection parts, and when the one or more connection units are two or more connection units, the drainage conduits of the two or more connection units are connected by detachably connecting the connection parts. a method for manufacturing an aquaculture system in which the treated water conduits of two or more connection units are connected by detachably connecting connection parts, the aquarium unit further has a drainage connection part detachably connected to the connection part of the drainage conduit and a treated water connection part detachably connected to the connection part of the treated water conduit, and the filtration unit further has a drainage connection part detachably connected to the connection part of the drainage conduit and a treated water connection part detachably connected to the connection part of the treated water conduit, and when the one or more connection units are two or more connection units, the method includes the steps of connecting two or more connection units, connecting the aquarium unit and the connection unit, and connecting the filtration unit and the connection unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0028] According to an aspect of the aquaculture system of the present invention, a scalable aquaculture system for land-based aquaculture can be configured. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an example of the configuration of an aquaculture system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a front view showing an example of a water tank unit, a filtration unit, and a connection unit connected together in the embodiment; [Figure 3]FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing another example of the aquaculture system according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] A flowchart showing a method for manufacturing an aquaculture system according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing another example of the aquaculture system according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing another example of the aquaculture system according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of the connection unit in the embodiment; [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing another example of the aquaculture system according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of the connection unit in the embodiment; [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing another example of the aquaculture system according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing another example of the water tank unit, the filtration unit, and the connection unit connected in the embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing another example of the aquaculture system according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] The aquaculture system, connection unit, conduit structure, and manufacturing method of the aquaculture system according to the present invention will be described below using embodiments. Note that in the following embodiments, components and steps with the same reference numerals are the same or equivalent, and repeated description may be omitted. The scalable aquaculture system according to this embodiment has one or more aquarium units, one or more filtration units, and one or more connection units having a drainage conduit through which wastewater flows and a treated water conduit through which treated water flows, and the aquarium units and filtration units are each connected to the connection units.

[0031] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an example of the configuration of an aquaculture system 1 according to this embodiment. The aquaculture system 1 according to this embodiment is for land-based aquaculture and may include three aquarium units 10a-10c, three filtration units 20a-20c, and four connection units 30a-30d, as shown in FIG. 1. When no distinction is made between the aquarium units 10a-10c, they may be referred to as aquarium units 10. The same applies to other configurations. The aquaculture system 1 may further include at least one of a pump that transfers water between the aquarium unit 10 and the connection unit 30 and a pump that transfers water between the filtration unit 20 and the connection unit 30. This pump will be described later. 1 shows the aquaculture system 1 including three aquarium units 10, three filtration units 20, and four connection units 30, but the aquaculture system 1 may include one or more aquarium units 10, one or more filtration units 20, and one or more connection units 30, and the number of each component included in the aquaculture system 1 is not limited. The number of aquarium units 10 and the number of filtration units 20 may be independently the same as the number of connection units 30, or may be less as shown in FIG. 1, or may be more as shown in FIG. 6, which will be described later.

[0032] The water tank unit 10 is connected to the connection unit 30. The filtration unit 20 is also connected to the connection unit 30. Therefore, when wastewater or treated water flows between the water tank unit 10 and the filtration unit 20, it flows through one or more connection units 30.

[0033] Fig. 2 is a schematic front view of an example showing the connected aquarium unit 10a, filtration unit 20a, and connection units 30a and 30b. Fig. 2 also shows a perspective view of the interior of aquarium 11 and filtration equipment 21. Note that Fig. 2 omits the depiction of marine products inside aquarium 11, and omits the depiction of filter media and the like inside filtration equipment 21.

[0034] Aquarium unit 10 may include aquarium 11 for cultivating aquatic products, conduit 12 for introducing treated water treated in filtration unit 20 to aquarium 11, conduit 13 for discharging wastewater from aquarium 11 to connection unit 30, pump 14 for delivering treated water from connection unit 30 to aquarium unit 10 via conduit 12, on-off valve 15 provided in conduit 13, treated water connection 16 detachably connected to any of connections 61-64 of treated water conduits 41, 42 which are treated water conduits of connection unit 30, and drainage connection 17 detachably connected to any of connections 51-54 of drainage conduits 31, 32 of connection unit 30. The drainage conduits 31, 32, the treated water conduits 41, 42, and their connections will be described later.

[0035] The aquarium 11 may contain, for example, freshwater or seawater. The aquatic products to be cultivated may be, for example, seafood, seaweed, etc. The seafood may be, for example, fish, cephalopods such as squid and octopus, shellfish, crustaceans such as shrimp and crab, echinoderms such as sea urchins and sea cucumbers, etc.

[0036] Conduit 12 is for flowing treated water from connection unit 30 into water tank 11. Connection 16 for treated water at a first end of conduit 12 may be detachably connected to any of connections 61-64 of conduits 41, 42 for treated water of connection unit 30. A second end of conduit 12 may be connected to water tank 11. Conduit 12 may, for example, allow treated water to flow into water tank 11 from above the water surface of water tank 11.

[0037] Here, the detachable connection of the two conduits may be achieved, for example, by connecting the connection parts of the two conduits. The connection parts may be, for example, flanges, or may be a connection mechanism other than flanges. When connecting the two connection parts that are flanges, for example, the two flanges may be connected via a sealant to prevent water leakage from between the two flanges. The connection of the two flanges may be achieved, for example, by fastening them together using bolts and nuts.

[0038] Furthermore, the detachable connection between the connection portion of aquarium unit 10 and the connection portion of connection unit 30, the detachable connection between the connection portion of filtration unit 20 and the connection portion of connection unit 30, and the detachable connection between the connection portions of connection unit 30 may be achieved by directly detachably connecting the two connection portions, or by detachably connecting the two connection portions via other conduits. For example, as in the connection between aquarium unit 10c and connection unit 30d in Figure 1, the two units may be connected via conduits 101 and 102.

[0039] Conduit 13 is used to drain water from water tank 11 to connection unit 30. Drainage connector 17 at the first end of conduit 13 may be detachably connected to any of connectors 51-54 of drainage conduits 31, 32 of connection unit 30. The second end of conduit 13 may be connected to water tank 11. As shown in FIG. 2, for example, the second end of conduit 13 may be an overflow pipe that takes in water above a predetermined level and flows it toward connection unit 30 so that the water level in water tank 11 remains constant. Note that if water from water tank 11 is taken into conduit 13 by a method other than overflow, water tank unit 10 may further include, for example, a water level adjustment mechanism for maintaining a constant water level in water tank 11. This water level adjustment mechanism may be, for example, a butterfly-type float valve for adjusting the water level, and may include a water level sensor that detects the water level in water tank 11 and an adjustment means for adjusting the amount of drainage so that the detected water level remains constant.

[0040] The pump 14 may send treated water from the connection unit 30 connected to the aquarium unit 10 to the aquarium unit 10 via the conduit 12. It is preferable that the flow rate of the pump 14 is adjustable. By adjusting the flow rate of the pump 14, for example, it is possible to adjust the flow rate of wastewater discharged from the aquarium 11. For example, if a large number of fish are kept in the aquarium 11 and the water quality of the aquarium 11 is likely to deteriorate, the flow rate of the pump 14 may be increased. Note that, for example, an on-off valve may be provided upstream or downstream of the pump 14 in the conduit 12. In this case, when the pump 14 is stopped, the on-off valve can be closed to more reliably stop the flow of water in the conduit 12.

[0041] The on-off valve 15 may open and close the drainage flow path from the aquarium unit 10 to the connection unit 30 connected to that aquarium unit 10. FIGS. 1 and 2 show a case where the drainage flow path through the conduit 13 is opened and closed by the on-off valve 15. The on-off valve 15 may, for example, be capable of adjusting the flow rate, or may not be capable of adjusting the flow rate. For example, if a disease occurs in the marine products of a certain aquarium unit 10 and it is desired to completely separate that aquarium unit 10 from the filtration unit 20 and other aquarium units 10, the on-off valve 15 of that aquarium unit 10 may be closed. In this case, for example, the pump 14 that supplies treated water to the diseased aquarium unit 10 may also be stopped.

[0042] In the water tank unit 10, treated water flows into the water tank 11 from the connection unit 30 via the treated water connection part 16. Also, wastewater flows out from the water tank 11 to the connection unit 30 via the drainage connection part 17.

[0043] The filtration unit 20 may include a filtration equipment 21 that treats wastewater discharged from the water tank unit 10 to produce treated water, a conduit 22 that leads the wastewater discharged from the water tank unit 10 to the filtration equipment 21, a conduit 23 that leads the treated water from the filtration equipment 21 to the connection unit 30, a pump 24 that transports the wastewater from the connection unit 30 to the filtration equipment 21 via the conduit 22, an on-off valve 25 provided on the conduit 23, a drainage connection part 26 that is detachably connected to one of the connection parts 51 to 54 of the drainage conduits 31, 32 of the connection unit 30, and a treated water connection part 27 that is detachably connected to one of the connection parts 61 to 64 of the treated water conduits 41, 42, which are the treated water conduits of the connection unit 30.

[0044] Filtration equipment 21 is equipment for filtering wastewater discharged from aquarium unit 10. Treated water that has been filtered by filtration equipment 21 is more suitable for aquaculture than wastewater. The filtration process by filtration equipment 21 may be a process for purifying wastewater. While FIG. 2 shows a case where filtration equipment 21 has the same configuration as aquarium 11, this is just one example. Filtration equipment 21 may be, for example, one or more pieces of equipment for performing filtration connected in series.

[0045] The filtration process may include, for example, physical filtration, which physically removes floating debris from the water; biological filtration, which uses the activity of organisms such as bacteria to convert substances harmful to seafood, such as ammonia, into other substances such as nitrites and nitrates that are safer for seafood; chemical filtration, which chemically adsorbs substances harmful to seafood; or other processes. The filtration equipment 21, for example, has a nitrification function that converts ammonia into nitrites and nitrates, but does not necessarily have a denitrification function that removes nitrites and nitrates, or may have both a nitrification function and a denitrification function. If the filtration equipment 21 also has a denitrification function, the filtration equipment 21 may include, for example, a denitrification tank, as described below. The filtration process in the filtration equipment 21 is already known, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0046] Conduit 22 is for allowing drainage water from aquarium unit 10 to flow to filtration equipment 21. Connection 26 on the first end side of conduit 22 may be detachably connected to any of connections 51 to 54 of drainage conduits 31, 32 of connection unit 30. A second end of conduit 22 may be connected to filtration equipment 21.

[0047] Conduit 23 is for flowing treated water from filtration equipment 21 to connection unit 30. Connection 27 on the first end side of conduit 23 may be detachably connected to any of connections 61 to 64 of treated water conduits 41, 42 of connection unit 30. A second end of conduit 23 may be connected to filtration equipment 21.

[0048] The pump 24 may deliver wastewater from the connection unit 30 connected to the filtration unit 20 to the filtration unit 20 via the conduit 22. The pump 24 preferably has an adjustable flow rate. By adjusting the flow rate of the pump 24, for example, the flow rate of the wastewater taken into the filtration equipment 21 can be adjusted. For example, if the filtration equipment 21 is capable of treating a larger amount of wastewater per unit time, the flow rate of the pump 24 may be increased. Furthermore, for example, if the number of aquarium units 10 included in the aquaculture system 1 is small, the flow rate of the pump 24 may be decreased. Note that, for example, an on-off valve may be provided upstream or downstream of the pump 24 in the conduit 22. In this case, by closing the on-off valve when the pump 24 is stopped, the flow of water in the conduit 22 can be more reliably stopped.

[0049] The on-off valve 25 may open and close the flow path of the treated water from the filtration unit 20 to the connection unit 30 connected to the filtration unit 20. Figures 1 and 2 show a case where the flow path of the treated water through the conduit 23 is opened and closed by the on-off valve 25. Note that the on-off valve 25 may or may not be capable of adjusting the flow rate, for example.

[0050] In the filtration unit 20, wastewater flows into the filtration equipment 21 from the connection unit 30 via the drainage connection 26. Treated water flows out from the filtration equipment 21 to the connection unit 30 via the treated water connection 27.

[0051] The connection unit 30 includes drainage conduits 31, 32 through which drainage water flows and treated water conduits 41, 42 through which treated water flows. The drainage conduits 31, 32 have four connectors 51-54. The treated water conduits 41, 42 have four connectors 61-64. Here, the connection unit 30 will be described primarily for a case in which the treated water conduit has one type of treated water conduit 41, 42. However, as described below, the treated water conduit may have, for example, two types of treated water conduits. Here, the connection unit 30 will be described primarily for a case in which the connection unit 30 has four drainage connectors 51-54 and four treated water connectors 61-64. However, the connection unit 30 may have, for example, five or more drainage connectors or five or more treated water connectors. That is, the connection unit 30 may have, for example, four or more connections for drainage conduits, or four or more connections for treated water conduits. The number of drainage connections and the number of treated water connections in the connection unit 30 may be the same or different. While the connection unit 30 will be described here primarily as having two drainage conduits 31, 32 and two treated water conduits 41, 42, the connection unit 30 may have, for example, one or three or more drainage conduits or one or three or more treated water conduits. The number of drainage conduits and treated water conduits in the connection unit 30 is not important. The number of drainage conduits and the number of treated water conduits in the connection unit 30 may be the same or different.

[0052] The four drainage connections 51-54 of the connection unit 30 are connected to one another via drainage conduits 31 and 32. The four treated water connections 61-64 are connected to one another via treated water conduits 41 and 42. Therefore, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, it is preferable that all of the drainage conduits 31 and 32 of the connection unit 30 are directly or indirectly connected, and it is also preferable that all of the treated water conduits 41 and 42 of the connection unit 30 are directly or indirectly connected.

[0053] Each of the drainage connectors 51-54 of the connection unit 30 may be detachably connected to the drainage connector 17 of the water tank unit 10, the drainage connector 26 of the filtration unit 20, or the drainage connectors 51-54 of other connection units 30. Some of the drainage connectors 51-54 of the connection unit 30 may not be connected to the drainage connectors of the water tank unit 10, the filtration unit 20, or other connection units 30. In this case, it is preferable to attach a plug member 91 to the connector to prevent water leakage from the connector. This also applies to the treated water connectors that are not connected to other connectors. For example, plug members 91 are attached to the connectors 51a and 51b of the drainage conduits 31a and 31b and the connectors 61a and 61b of the treated water conduits 41a and 41b shown in FIG. 1. It should be noted that, instead of the plug member 91, for example, an on-off valve may be used to prevent water leakage from the connection portion of the conduit.

[0054] In this manner, the connection unit 30 is connected to at least one of the aquarium unit 10, the filtration unit 20, and another connection unit 30. When the aquaculture system 1 includes two or more connection units 30, the drainage conduits 31, 32 of the two or more connection units 30 may be connected by detachably connecting drainage connectors, and the treated water conduits 41, 42 of the two or more connection units 30 may be connected by detachably connecting treated water connectors. A drainage flow path is formed by connecting the drainage conduits 31, 32 of the two or more connection units 30. Furthermore, a treated water flow path is formed by connecting the treated water conduits 41, 42 of the two or more connection units 30. The two or more connection units 30 may be connected in a mesh or planar manner, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, or may be connected in a linear manner, as will be described later with reference to FIG. 5. The connection of the two or more connection units 30 shown in FIG. 1 may also be referred to as a matrix, for example. 1, for example, four connection units 30 are connected in a 2 x 2 matrix. Furthermore, as will be described later with reference to FIG. 6, a connection unit 30 does not have to be connected to other connection units 30, for example.

[0055] When at least some of the multiple connection units 30 are connected in a matrix, the aquaculture system 1 may include at least N×M connection units 30 connected in an N×M matrix, where N and M may each be any integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0056] When the connection units 30 are connected in a mesh, planar, or matrix pattern, the aquaculture system 1 may include, for example, four or more connection units 30. At least one of the four or more connection units 30 may be detachably connected to two or more other connection units 30. As an example, in the aquaculture system 1 shown in FIG. 1, the connection unit 30a is detachably connected to two other connection units 30b and 30c. As another example, in the aquaculture system 1 shown in FIG. 3, the connection unit 30a is detachably connected to three other connection units 30b, 30c, and 30e.

[0057] In addition, when two conduits are connected or joined, they are considered to be connected or joined in such a way that water flowing through the two conduits can flow between the two conduits at the point of connection or joining.

[0058] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the case will be mainly described where aquarium unit 10 has pump 14 that transfers water between aquarium unit 10 and connection unit 30, and filtration unit 20 has pump 24 that transfers water between filtration unit 20 and connection unit 30. The pump that transfers water between aquarium unit 10 and connection unit 30 may be, for example, included in connection unit 30, or may be provided in a conduit between aquarium unit 10 and connection unit 30. The pump that transfers water between filtration unit 20 and connection unit 30 may be, for example, included in connection unit 30, or may be provided in a conduit between filtration unit 20 and connection unit 30.

[0059] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the case where the aquarium unit 10 and the filtration unit 20 each have pumps 14, 24 will be mainly described, but this is not necessarily the case. As an example, if the filtration unit 20 is placed at a higher position than the aquarium unit 10, treated water from the filtration unit 20 may flow naturally into the aquarium unit 10. The natural flow of water may mean that water flows according to gravity. In this case, the aquaculture system 1 may not have, for example, a pump that transfers water between the aquarium unit 10 and the connection unit 30. Note that in this case, the aquaculture system 1 may have, for example, a flow control valve for adjusting the flow rate of treated water flowing from the connection unit 30 into the aquarium unit 10. As another example, if the aquarium unit 10 is placed at a higher position than the filtration unit 20, wastewater from the aquarium unit 10 may flow naturally into the filtration unit 20. In this case, the aquaculture system 1 may not have, for example, a pump that transfers water between the filtration unit 20 and the connection unit 30. In this case, the aquaculture system 1 may have, for example, a flow control valve for adjusting the flow rate of wastewater flowing from the connection unit 30 to the filtration unit 20. In this way, the aquaculture system 1 may have, for example, a pump that transfers water between the aquarium unit 10 and the connection unit 30, or a pump that transfers water between the filtration unit 20 and the connection unit 30, or may have both of these pumps.

[0060] Furthermore, the drainage conduits 31, 32 and the treated water conduits 41, 42 of the connection unit 30 may each be provided with an on-off valve. By opening and closing these on-off valves, a specific aquarium unit 10 or filtration unit 20 may be separated from the other aquarium units 10 or filtration units 20. As an example, in the aquaculture system 1 of FIG. 1, the aquarium unit 10a and filtration unit 20a may be separated from the aquarium units 10b, 10c and filtration units 20b, 20c by opening and closing on-off valves (not shown) of the connection units 30a to 30d. In this case, for example, the drainage water and treated water may flow only between the aquarium unit 10a and the filtration unit 20a, and the drainage water and treated water may flow only between the aquarium units 10b, 10c and the filtration units 20b, 20c. For example, if fish being cultured in aquarium unit 10a become sick, as described above, by separating aquarium unit 10a and filtration unit 20a from aquarium units 10b, 10c and filtration units 20b, 20c, the spread of the fish disease to other aquarium units 10b, 10c can be prevented. Note that the on-off valves provided in drainage conduits 31, 32 of connection unit 30 and in treated water conduits 41, 42 do not necessarily have to be capable of adjusting the flow rate.

[0061] In the aquaculture system 1 shown in FIG. 1, for example, if each filtration unit 20 can provide 100 liters of treated water per minute, aquarium unit 10a may take in 150 liters of treated water per minute, aquarium unit 10b may take in 100 liters of treated water per minute, and aquarium unit 10c may take in 50 liters of treated water per minute. For example, if large fish are cultivated in aquarium unit 10a, medium-sized fish are cultivated in aquarium unit 10b, and small fish are cultivated in aquarium unit 10c, the flow rates may be set accordingly. On the other hand, if the filtration capacity becomes insufficient as the fish in aquarium units 10b and 10c grow larger, the filtration capacity can be easily increased, for example, by adding a filtration unit 20 to the aquaculture system 1. The new filtration unit 20 may be connected, for example, to the connection parts 51a and 61a of the connection unit 30a or the connection parts 51b and 61b of the connection unit 30b. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, it is possible to increase not only the filtration unit 20d but also the aquarium unit 10d and the connection units 30e and 30f. Furthermore, when grown fish are shipped, for example, it is possible to prevent treated water from being taken into the aquarium unit 10a, or to remove the aquarium unit 10a from the aquaculture system 1. Furthermore, when the number of aquarium units 10 is reduced, for example, the number of filtration units 20 may also be reduced. Thus, the aquaculture system 1 according to this embodiment can provide a scalable aquaculture system 1, that is, an aquaculture system 1 in which the number of aquarium units 10, the number of filtration units 20, and the number of connection units 30 can be easily increased or decreased. Furthermore, in the aquaculture system 1 of FIG. 1, for example, if the flow rate of treated water taken into each of the aquarium units 10a to 10c is acceptable to be low, the amount of treatment in the filtration units 20a to 20c may be reduced, or some of the filtration units 20 may not be operated.

[0062] Each of water bath unit 10, filtration unit 20, and connection unit 30 may have a support portion (not shown) for supporting, for example, a conduit, a pump, an on-off valve, etc. Furthermore, for example, each of the components included in water bath unit 10, filtration unit 20, and connection unit 30 may be disposed in a predetermined vessel such as a container.

[0063] The arrangement of the connection parts 16 and 17 of the aquarium unit 10, the connection parts 26 and 27 of the filtration unit 20, and the connection parts 51-54 and 61-64 of the connection unit 30 in each unit, as well as the detachable connection mechanisms at these connection parts, may be standardized. In such cases, the aquaculture system 1 can be configured by arbitrarily combining aquarium units 10, filtration units 20, and connection units 30 whose connection parts are standardized. If the connection parts of the aquarium units 10, filtration units 20, and connection units 30 are standardized, it becomes possible to configure the aquaculture system 1 by combining aquarium units 10, filtration units 20, and connection units 30 manufactured by different manufacturers, for example.

[0064] Furthermore, when the aquaculture system 1 includes two or more aquarium units 10, the two or more aquarium units 10 may be, for example, the same or different. When the aquaculture system 1 includes two or more filtration units 20 or two or more connection units 30, the same applies to the two or more filtration units 20 or two or more connection units 30.

[0065] 4 is a flowchart showing a manufacturing method of the aquaculture system 1 according to this embodiment. This manufacturing method may be, for example, a manufacturing method used when initially manufacturing the aquaculture system 1, or a manufacturing method used when manufacturing an expanded aquaculture system 1 by adding units to an existing aquaculture system 1.

[0066] (Step S101) Two or more connection units 30 are connected. For example, when an aquaculture system 1 is initially manufactured, if the aquaculture system 1 to be manufactured includes two or more connection units 30, the processing of step 101 may be executed, whereas if the aquaculture system 1 to be manufactured includes only one connection unit 30, step 101 may be skipped. For example, when expanding the aquaculture system 1, if the number of connection units 30 included in the aquaculture system 1 is to be increased, a new connection unit 30 may be connected to an existing connection unit 30 in step S101. When connecting a new connection unit 30, for example, the plug members 91 attached to the connection portions of the drainage conduits 31, 32 and the treated water conduits 41, 42 of the existing connection units 30 may be removed, and the connection portions of the new connection unit 30 may be connected to the connection portions from which the plug members 91 were removed.

[0067] (Step S102) Connect the aquarium units 10 and the connection units 30. For example, when expanding the aquaculture system 1, a new aquarium unit 10 may be connected to the newly connected connection unit 30, or a new aquarium unit 10 may be connected to the existing connection unit 30.

[0068] (Step S103) Connect the filtration unit 20 and the connection unit 30. For example, when expanding the aquaculture system 1, a new filtration unit 20 may be connected to the newly connected connection unit 30, or a new filtration unit 20 may be connected to the existing connection unit 30.

[0069] When expanding the aquaculture system 1, for example, only one of the aquarium unit 10 and the filtration unit 20 may be newly connected to the connection unit 30. In this case, for example, one of steps S102 and S103 may be skipped.

[0070] Furthermore, after the water tank unit 10, filtration unit 20, and connection unit 30 are connected, plug member 91 may be attached to a connection part that is not connected to other connection parts. The order of the processes in the flowchart of Figure 4 is merely an example, and the order of the steps may be changed as long as the same results are obtained. For example, after the connection unit 30 is connected to the water tank unit 10 or the filtration unit 20, multiple connection units 30, each connected to a water tank unit 10 or the filtration unit 20, may be connected.

[0071] Here, the case of manufacturing or expanding the aquaculture system 1 has been described. However, when downsizing the aquaculture system 1, at least one of the aquaculture tank units 10 and the filtration units 20 may be removed from the existing aquaculture system 1. Furthermore, if the removal of the aquaculture tank units 10 or the filtration units 20 results in a connection unit 30 where both the aquaculture tank units 10 and the filtration units 20 are not connected and wastewater or treated water does not circulate between the aquaculture tank units 10 and the filtration units 20, the connection unit 30 may also be removed. In this way, the aquaculture system 1 can be downsized to a scale suitable for cultivating marine products. Furthermore, after the aquaculture tank units 10, the filtration units 20, and the connection units 30 are removed, plug members 91 may be attached to the connection parts that are not connected to other connection parts.

[0072] Next, a method for manufacturing the aquaculture system 1 and a method for using the aquaculture system 1 will be described. When manufacturing the aquaculture system 1 shown in FIG. 1, for example, the drainage conduits 31 and 32 and the treated water conduits 41 and 42 of the multiple connection units 30a to 30d may be connected as shown in FIG. 1 (step S101). Thereafter, the water tank units 10a to 10c may be connected to the connection units 30b and 30d, respectively (step S102). The water tank unit 10c may be connected to the connection unit 30d via conduits 101 and 102. The filtration units 20a to 20c may be connected to the connection units 30a and 30c, respectively (step S103). The filtration unit 20c may be connected to the connection unit 30c via conduits 103 and 104. Thereafter, the plug members 91 may be attached to the connection portions 51a, 51b, 61a, and 61b of the connection units 30a and 30b that are not connected to other connection portions, respectively. In this manner, the aquaculture system 1 can be manufactured.

[0073] Thereafter, water and marine products may be placed in each of the water tanks 11 of the water tank units 10a to 10c, and the on-off valves may be opened and the pumps operated to circulate water between the water tank units 10 and the filtration unit 20. In this way, land-based aquaculture of marine products can be realized.

[0074] Next, a method for expanding the aquaculture system 1 will be described. When expanding the aquaculture system 1 shown in FIG. 1 to the aquaculture system 1 shown in FIG. 3, first, the plug members 91 attached to the connection portions 51a, 51b, 61a, and 61b of the connection units 30a and 30c in the aquaculture system 1 shown in FIG. 1 may be removed. At this time, an on-off valve (not shown) of the connection unit 30 may be closed as appropriate to prevent water from flowing out from the removed ends of the plug members 91. Thereafter, new connection units 30e and 30f may be connected to the connection units 30a and 30b, respectively, and the connection units 30e and 30f may also be connected to each other (step S101). Furthermore, a new aquarium unit 10d may be connected to the new connection unit 30f, and a new filtration unit 20d may be connected to the new connection unit 30e (steps S102 and S103). Finally, in the connection units 30e and 30fb, plug members 91 may be attached to the connection parts 51e, 51f, 61e, and 61f that are not connected to other connection parts, and water or marine products may be poured into the aquarium 11d of the added aquarium unit 10d, and the closed on-off valve may be opened. In this way, the aquaculture system 1 can be expanded.

[0075] As described above, according to the aquaculture system 1 of this embodiment, the aquaculture system 1 can be configured by detachably connecting one or more aquarium units 10, one or more filtration units 20, and one or more connection units 30, making the aquaculture system 1 scalable. Furthermore, by appropriately opening and closing the on-off valves provided in each unit, some units can be separated from the other units. Therefore, for example, if a disease occurs in one aquarium unit 10, the aquarium unit 10 can be separated from the other aquarium units 10 to prevent the disease from spreading to the other aquarium units 10. Furthermore, when the aquaculture system 1 includes two or more filtration units 20, even if the pump 24 of one of the filtration units 20 fails, treated water from the other filtration units 20 can be supplied to each aquarium unit 10. Therefore, even if a pump 24 fails, the impact on marine products can be reduced. Furthermore, when multiple connection units 30 are connected in a planar or matrix configuration, even if a malfunction occurs in one flow path, the aquaculture system 1 can continue to operate via the other flow paths. For example, in the aquaculture system 1 of Figure 1, even if a malfunction occurs at the connection point between connection unit 30c and connection unit 30d, making it impossible to supply water through connection parts 53d, 54c or through connection parts 63d, 64c, aquarium units 10b, 10c can still take in treated water and discharge wastewater through connection unit 30b, allowing the aquaculture of marine products to continue.

[0076] In this embodiment, the case where multiple connection units 30 are connected in a mesh or matrix as shown in FIG. 1 and other figures has been described. However, multiple connection units 30 may also be connected in a linear fashion, as shown in FIG. 5. In this case, for example, the drainage conduits 31 and the treated water conduits 41 of two or more connection units 30 may be detachably connected in series. In this case, the multiple connection units 30 connected in a linear fashion form one drainage conduit connected in series and one treated water conduit connected in series. Note that FIG. 5 shows the case where both the aquarium unit 10 and the filtration unit 20 are connected to each connection unit 30. However, at least one of the aquarium unit 10 and the filtration unit 20 may be detachably connected to each of the multiple linearly connected connection units 30. In this way, in the aquaculture system 1, each aquarium unit 10 is connected to one of the connection units 30, and each filtration unit 20 is connected to one of the connection units 30, and wastewater and treated water are transported between the aquarium units 10 and the filtration units 20 via the connection units 30.

[0077] In this embodiment, two or more aquarium units 10 or two or more filtration units 20 may be connected to one connection unit 30. FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view showing an example of an aquaculture system 1 in which three aquarium units 10a-10c and three filtration units 20a-20c are connected to one connection unit 30. When two or more aquarium units 10 or two or more filtration units 20 are connected to one connection unit 30, it is preferable that the connection unit 30 have a corresponding number of connections. The connection unit 30 shown in FIG. 6 may have, for example, directly or indirectly connected drainage conduits 31-33, directly or indirectly connected treated water conduits 41-43, drainage connections 51-56, and treated water connections 61-66. Furthermore, the aquaculture system 1 can be scalably expanded by detachably connecting two or more connection units 30 shown in Figure 6, or by detachably connecting the connection unit 30 shown in Figure 6 with the connection unit 30 shown in Figure 1.

[0078] The connection unit 30 may also have the configuration shown in FIG. 7. The connection unit 30 shown in FIG. 7 may have, for example, first to fourth connection portions 51-54 for drainage and first to fourth connection portions 61-64 for treated water. That is, the drainage conduit of the connection unit 30 may have first to fourth connection portions 51-54, and the treated water conduit of the connection unit 30 may have first to fourth connection portions 61-64. The drainage conduit of the connection unit 30 may have first to fourth drainage conduits 31-34, and the treated water conduit of the connection unit 30 may have first to fourth conduits 41-44 for treated water. The first to fourth drainage conduits 31-34 may be considered to be the first to fourth drainage conduits, and the first to fourth treated water conduits 41-44 may be considered to be the first to fourth treated water conduits. The same applies to fifth and sixth conduits 35, 36 for wastewater and fifth and sixth conduits 45, 46 for treated water, which will be described later.

[0079] In the drainage conduit, the first conduit 31 may be a conduit connecting the first connection 51 and the second connection 52. The first conduit 31 may be provided with an on-off valve 71. The second conduit 32 may be a conduit connecting the third connection 53 and the fourth connection 54. The second conduit 32 may be provided with an on-off valve 72. The third conduit 33 may be a conduit connecting a portion of the first conduit 31 closer to the first connection 51 than the on-off valve 71 to a portion of the second conduit 32 closer to the fourth connection 54 than the on-off valve 72. The third conduit 33 may be provided with an on-off valve 73. The fourth conduit 34 may be a conduit connecting a portion of the first conduit 31 closer to the second connection 52 than the on-off valve 71 to a portion of the second conduit 32 closer to the fourth connection 54 than the on-off valve 72. The fourth conduit 34 may be provided with an on-off valve 74 .

[0080] In the treated water conduit, the first conduit 41 may be a conduit connecting the first connection 61 and the second connection 62. The first conduit 41 may be provided with an on-off valve 81. The second conduit 42 may be a conduit connecting the third connection 63 and the fourth connection 64. The second conduit 42 may be provided with an on-off valve 82. The third conduit 43 may be a conduit connecting a portion of the first conduit 41 closer to the first connection 61 than the on-off valve 81 to a portion of the second conduit 42 closer to the third connection 63 than the on-off valve 82. The third conduit 43 may be provided with an on-off valve 83. The fourth conduit 44 may be a conduit connecting a portion of the first conduit 41 closer to the second connection 62 than the on-off valve 81 to a portion of the second conduit 42 closer to the third connection 63 than the on-off valve 82. The fourth conduit 44 may be provided with an on-off valve 84 .

[0081] Use of the connection unit 30 shown in FIG. 7 allows for more flexible connection between the aquarium units 10 and the filtration units 20. FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view showing an example of an aquaculture system 1 in which four aquarium units 10a-10d and four filtration units 20a-20d are detachably connected using four connection units 30a-30d shown in FIG. 7. For ease of illustration, reference numerals for the components of the connection unit 30 are omitted in FIG. 8. In the aquaculture system 1 shown in FIG. 8, wastewater and treated water can be circulated between the four filtration units 20 and the four aquarium units 10 by opening the on-off valves 71-74 and 81-84 of the connection unit 30. On the other hand, if a disease occurs in the aquarium unit 10a, for example, the aquarium unit 10a and the filtration unit 20a can be separated from the other aquarium units 10b-10d and the filtration units 20b-20d by closing some of the on-off valves as shown in FIG. 8. In Figure 8, the black valves indicate that they are closed, and the other white valves indicate that they are open. The same applies to Figure 10, which will be described later. In this case, for example, wastewater and treated water are allowed to flow only between aquarium unit 10a and filtration unit 20a, and wastewater and treated water are allowed to flow only between aquarium units 10b-10d and filtration units 20b-20d. This prevents a disease that occurs in aquarium unit 10a from spreading to the other aquarium units 10.

[0082] The connection unit 30 may also have the configuration shown in Fig. 9. In the connection unit 30 shown in Fig. 9, compared to the connection unit 30 shown in Fig. 7, for example, the drainage conduit may further include fifth and sixth drainage conduits 35, 36, and the treated water conduit may further include fifth and sixth treated water conduits 45, 46.

[0083] In the drainage conduit, the fifth conduit 35 may be a conduit connecting a portion of the first conduit 31 on the first connection 51 side of the on-off valve 71 to a portion of the second conduit 32 on the third connection 53 side of the on-off valve 72. An on-off valve 75 may be provided in the fifth conduit 35. The sixth conduit 36 ​​may be a conduit connecting a portion of the first conduit 31 on the second connection 52 side of the on-off valve 71 to a portion of the second conduit 32 on the third connection 53 side of the on-off valve 72. An on-off valve 76 may be provided in the sixth conduit 36.

[0084] In the conduit for treated water, the fifth conduit 45 may be a conduit connecting a portion of the first conduit 41 on the first connection 61 side relative to the on-off valve 81 to a portion of the second conduit 42 on the fourth connection 64 side relative to the on-off valve 82. An on-off valve 85 may be provided in the fifth conduit 45. The sixth conduit 46 may be a conduit connecting a portion of the first conduit 41 on the second connection 62 side relative to the on-off valve 81 to a portion of the second conduit 42 on the fourth connection 64 side relative to the on-off valve 82. An on-off valve 86 may be provided in the sixth conduit 46.

[0085] Use of the connection unit 30 shown in FIG. 9 allows for more flexible connection between the aquarium units 10 and the filtration units 20. FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing an example of an aquaculture system 1 in which four aquarium units 10a-10d and four filtration units 20a-20d are detachably connected using four connection units 30a-30d shown in FIG. 9. In FIG. 10, reference numerals for the components of the connection unit 30 are omitted for ease of illustration. In the aquaculture system 1 shown in FIG. 10, wastewater and treated water can be circulated between the four filtration units 20 and the four aquarium units 10 by opening the on-off valves 71-76 and 81-86 of the connection unit 30. On the other hand, if a disease occurs in the aquarium unit 10a, for example, the aquarium unit 10a and the filtration unit 20a can be separated from the other aquarium units 10b-10d and the filtration units 20b-20d by closing some of the on-off valves as shown in FIG. 10. In this case, for example, wastewater and treated water flow only between aquarium unit 10a and filtration unit 20a, and also between aquarium units 10b-10d and filtration units 20b-20d. This prevents a disease that breaks out in aquarium unit 10a from spreading to other aquarium units 10. In addition, in the aquaculture system 1 shown in Fig. 10, when wastewater and treated water flow between aquarium units 10b-10d and filtration units 20b-20d, there is also a flow path via connection unit 30a.

[0086] The conduit structure having the first to fourth conduits 31-34 for drainage, or the conduit structure having the first to fourth conduits 41-44 for treated water, which are included in the connection unit 30 shown in FIG. 7, and the conduit structure having the first to sixth conduits 31-36 for drainage, or the conduit structure having the first to sixth conduits 41-46 for treated water, which are included in the connection unit 30 shown in FIG. 9, may be used in systems other than the aquaculture system 1. In these conduit structures, fluids such as liquids and gases may flow through each conduit. The fluid flow from one connection to another may be controlled by opening and closing each opening / closing section. Furthermore, the connection section of each conduit included in these conduit structures may be connectable to, for example, another conduit. The connection section of the conduit structure to the other conduit may or may not be detachable, for example.

[0087] In this embodiment, water tank unit 10 and filtration unit 20 may not have pumps, and connection unit 30 or a conduit connected between the units may have a pump. In this case, for example, as shown in Fig. 11, pump 111 may be provided in conduit 105 connected between connection portion 16 of conduit 12 in water tank unit 10, which does not have a pump or on-off valve, and connection portion 64 of treated water conduit 42 in connection unit 30, and on-off valve 112 may be provided in conduit 106 connected between connection portion 17 of conduit 13 in water tank unit 10 and connection portion 54 of drainage conduit 32 in connection unit 30. Furthermore, a pump 113 may be provided in a conduit 107 connected between the connection portion 26 of the conduit 22 in the filtration unit 20, which does not have a pump or an on-off valve, and the connection portion 53 of the drainage conduit 32 in the connection unit 30, and an on-off valve 114 may be provided in a conduit 108 connected between the connection portion 27 of the conduit 23 in the filtration unit 20 and the connection portion 63 of the treated water conduit 42 in the connection unit 30. In this manner, treated water may be taken from the connection unit 30 to the aquarium unit 10 by the pump 111, and wastewater may be taken from the connection unit 30 to the filtration unit 20 by the pump 113. The pumps 111 and 113 may be, for example, capable of adjusting the flow rate. The on-off valves 112 and 114 may or may not be, for example, capable of adjusting the flow rate.

[0088] As an example, if filtration unit 20 is placed at a higher position than aquarium unit 10 and treated water from filtration unit 20 flows naturally into aquarium unit 10, pump 111 may not be provided in conduit 105. As another example, if aquarium unit 10 is placed at a higher position than filtration unit 20 and wastewater from aquarium unit 10 flows naturally into filtration unit 20, pump 113 may not be provided in conduit 107.

[0089] In this way, a pump for transporting wastewater or treated water may be provided in at least one of the aquarium unit 10, the filtration unit 20, the connection unit 30, and the conduits connected between the units. That is, at least one of the aquarium unit 10, the filtration unit 20, the connection unit 30, and the conduits connected between the units may have a pump for transporting water between the aquarium unit 10 and the filtration unit 20 via the connection unit 30.

[0090] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the connection unit 30 has been mainly described as a case where the treated water conduit through which the treated water flows is a treated water conduit, but this is not necessarily the case. As in the connection unit 30 of the aquaculture system 1 shown in Fig. 12, the treated water conduit through which the treated water flows may have first treated water conduits 141, 142 and second treated water conduits 241, 242. As shown in Fig. 12, the first treated water conduits 141, 142 may have, for example, three connectors 161-163. Furthermore, the second treated water conduits 241, 242 may have, for example, four connectors 261-264. 12, the aquarium unit 10 and the drainage conduits 31, 32 of the connection unit 30 are the same as those in FIG. 1, except that the treated water connection 16 of the aquarium unit 10 is detachably connected to one of the connections 261-264 of the second treated water conduits 241, 242 in the treated water conduits, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. Furthermore, the drainage connection 26 of the filtration unit 20 may be detachably connected to one of the connections 51-54 of the drainage conduits 31, 32, and the treated water connection 27 may be detachably connected to one of the connections 161-163 of the first treated water conduits 141, 142 in the treated water conduits, or may be detachably connected to one of the connections 261-264 of the second treated water conduits 241, 242. 12, the connection unit 30 may have, for example, four or more connection parts for the first treated water, or five or more connection parts for the second treated water. Also, the connection unit 30 may have, for example, two first treated water conduits 141, 142 and two second treated water conduits 241, 242. However, the connection unit 30 may have, for example, one or three or more first treated water conduits, or one or three or more second treated water conduits.

[0091] It is preferable that all of the first treated water conduits 141, 142 in the connection unit 30 are directly or indirectly connected, and it is preferable that all of the second treated water conduits 241, 242 in the connection unit 30 are directly or indirectly connected. However, it is assumed that the first treated water conduits 141, 142 and the second treated water conduits 241, 242 are not connected in the connection unit 30. This is to prevent the first treated water flowing through the first treated water conduits 141, 142 and the second treated water flowing through the second treated water conduits 241, 242 from mixing in the connection unit 30.

[0092] When the aquaculture system 1 has two or more connection units 30, the first treated water conduits 141, 142 of the two or more connection units 30 may be connected by detachably connecting the connection parts, and the second treated water conduits 241, 242 of the two or more connection units 30 may be connected by detachably connecting the connection parts.

[0093] 12, the filtration unit 20a has a nitrification function but does not have a denitrification function. The treated water connection 27a of this filtration unit 20a may be detachably connected, for example, to the connection 163a of the first treated water conduit 142a, which is the treated water conduit of the connection unit 30a. The drainage connection 26a of the filtration unit 20a may be detachably connected, for example, to the connection 53a of the drainage conduit 32a of the connection unit 30a.

[0094] 12, filtration unit 20b is a filtration unit having a nitrification function and a denitrification function. Treatment water connection 27b of filtration unit 20b may be detachably connected to connection 263b of second treatment water conduit 242b, which is a treatment water conduit of connection unit 30b. Drainage connection 26b of filtration unit 20b may be detachably connected to connection 53b of drainage conduit 32b of connection unit 30b.

[0095] 12, the treated water connection 16 of the water tank unit 10 may be detachably connected to, for example, the connection 264 of the second treated water conduit 242, which is the treated water conduit of the connection unit 30. The drainage connection 17 of the water tank unit 10 may be detachably connected to, for example, the connection 54 of the drainage conduit 32 of the connection unit 30.

[0096] 12 may further include a denitrification unit 120 that denitrifies the treated water. The denitrification unit 120 may include, for example, a denitrification tank 121 that performs denitrification, a conduit 122 that guides the first treated water to the denitrification tank 121, a conduit 123 that guides the second treated water from the denitrification tank 121 to the connection unit 30, a pump 124 that delivers the first treated water from the connection unit 30 to the denitrification unit 120 via the conduit 122, an on-off valve 125 provided on the conduit 123, a first connection part 126 that is detachably connected to one of the connections 161 to 163 of the first treated water conduits 141 and 142 of the connection unit 30, and a second connection part 127 that is detachably connected to one of the connections 261 to 264 of the second treated water conduits 241 and 242 of the connection unit 30. 12 illustrates a case in which the first connector 126 is detachably connected to the connector 163c of the first treated water conduit 142c, and the second connector 127 is detachably connected to the connector 263c of the second treated water conduit 242c. In this case, the first treated water flows from the first treated water conduit 142c toward the denitrification unit 120 through the first connector 126, and the second treated water after denitrification flows from the denitrification unit 120 toward the second treated water conduit 242c through the second connector 127. Here, the first treated water may be treated water that has been subjected to nitrification but not denitrification. Alternatively, the second treated water may be treated water that has been subjected to both nitrification and denitrification.

[0097] In the denitrification tank 121, for example, denitrification of the first treated water may be performed using at least one of plants and algae. The plants may be, for example, terrestrial plants or aquatic plants. In addition, in the denitrification tank 121, for another example, denitrification of the first treated water may be performed using denitrifying bacteria. The denitrifying bacteria that reduce nitrites and nitrates to nitrogen gas may be, for example, aerobic or anaerobic.

[0098] The conduits 122, 123, pump 124, on-off valve 125, and first and second connection parts 126, 127 are the same as the conduits 22, 23, pump 24, on-off valve 25, and connection parts 26, 27 of the filtration unit, except that the first and second connection parts 126, 127 are connected to different destinations, and therefore their description will be omitted.

[0099] In the aquaculture system 1 shown in FIG. 12, wastewater from each aquarium unit 10 flows into the filtration unit 20 via drainage conduits 31, 32 of the connection unit 30. First treated water from the filtration unit 20a, which does not have a denitrification function, flows into the first treated water conduits 141, 142 of the connection unit 30. The first treated water flows into the denitrification unit 120 from the first treated water conduits 141, 142. Second treated water after denitrification in the denitrification unit 120 flows into the second treated water conduits 241, 242 of the connection unit 30. Second treated water from the filtration unit 20b, which has a denitrification function, also flows into the second treated water conduits 241, 242 of the connection unit 30. The second treated water flows into the aquarium unit 10 from the second treated water conduits 241, 242. In this way, in the aquaculture system 1 shown in Figure 12, it is possible to supply second treated water that has undergone nitrification and denitrification to the aquarium unit 10, making the water in the aquarium 11 more suitable for marine products.

[0100] Note that Figure 12 shows a case where multiple connection units 30 are connected in a straight line, but even in connection units 30 where the treated water conduit has first and second treated water conduits, multiple connection units 30 may be connected in a shape other than a straight line, such as a mesh shape, a surface shape, a matrix shape, etc.

[0101] Furthermore, the aquaculture system 1 including the connection unit 30 whose treated water conduit has one type of treated water conduit may further include one or more denitrification units that denitrify the treated water. When the aquaculture system 1 shown in FIG. 1 further includes a denitrification unit, the denitrification unit may have a first connection part that is detachably connected to one of the connection parts 61-64 of the treated water conduits 41, 42, through which the treated water flows from the treated water conduits 41, 42 toward the denitrification unit, and a second connection part that is detachably connected to one of the connection parts 61-64 of the treated water conduits 41, 42 or one of the connection parts 51-54 of the discharge water conduits 31, 32, through which the denitrified treated water flows from the denitrification unit toward the treated water conduits 41, 42 or the discharge water conduits 31, 32. This denitrification unit is similar to the denitrification unit 120 described above, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0102] In this embodiment, the one or more pumps and one or more on-off valves included in the aquaculture system 1 may be operated, for example, manually or via a control unit. In the latter case, the control unit may control the pumps and on-off valves via, for example, a wired or wireless communication line. The on-off valves may also be electrically driven valves, such as solenoid valves.

[0103] In this embodiment, an on-off valve may or may not be provided in each unit or in the conduit between units. For example, if it is not necessary to stop the wastewater discharged from aquarium unit 10 or to adjust the flow rate of the wastewater, aquarium unit 10 may not have on-off valve 15, and conduit 106 shown in FIG. 11 may not have on-off valve 112. For example, if it is not necessary to stop the treated water flowing out of filtration unit 20 or to adjust the flow rate of the treated water, filtration unit 20 may not have on-off valve 25, and conduit 108 shown in FIG. 11 may not have on-off valve 114. For example, if it is not necessary to separate some of the aquarium units 10 in aquaculture system 1, connection unit 30 may not have an on-off valve.

[0104] Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are merely examples for specifically implementing the present invention, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention. The technical scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the description of the embodiments, and is intended to include modifications within the literal scope of the claims and within the scope of equivalent meanings. [Explanation of symbols]

[0105] 1. Aquaculture system 10, 10a~10d Aquarium unit 14, 14a-14d, 24, 24a-24d, 111, 113, 124 Pumps 20, 20a-20d Filtration unit 30, 30a~30f connection unit 120 Denitrification Unit

Claims

1. one or more aquarium units having aquariums for cultivating aquatic products; one or more filtration units having a filtration facility for treating wastewater discharged from the water tank unit to produce treated water; one or more connection units having a wastewater conduit through which wastewater flows and a treated water conduit through which treated water flows; a pump for supplying water between the water tank unit and the connection unit, or a pump for supplying water between the filtration unit and the connection unit; The drainage conduit and the treated water conduit of the connection unit each have four or more connections, When the one or more connection units are two or more connection units, the drainage conduits of the two or more connection units are connected by detachably connecting the connection parts, and the treated water conduits of the two or more connection units are connected by detachably connecting the connection parts, The water tank unit further includes a drainage connection part detachably connected to the drainage conduit connection part, and a treated water connection part detachably connected to the treated water conduit connection part, An aquaculture system wherein the filtration unit further has a drainage connection portion that is detachably connected to the drainage conduit connection portion, and a treated water connection portion that is detachably connected to the treated water conduit connection portion.

2. The aquaculture system according to claim 1 , wherein the treated water conduit is a treated water pipe.

3. the one or more connection units are four or more connection units; The aquaculture system according to claim 2 , wherein at least one connection unit of the four or more connection units is detachably connected to three of the connection units.

4. Further comprising one or more denitrification units for denitrifying the treated water; 3. The aquaculture system of claim 2, wherein the denitrification unit has a first connection portion that is detachably connected to a connection portion of the treated water conduit, through which treated water flows from the treated water conduit toward the denitrification unit, and a second connection portion that is detachably connected to a connection portion of the treated water conduit or the wastewater conduit, through which denitrified treated water flows from the denitrification unit toward the treated water conduit or the wastewater conduit.

5. the treated water conduit includes a first treated water conduit and a second treated water conduit; the first treated water conduit has three or more connections; the second treated water conduit has four or more connections; When the one or more connection units are two or more connection units, the first treated water conduits of the two or more connection units are connected by detachably connecting the connection parts, and the second treated water conduits of the two or more connection units are connected by detachably connecting the connection parts, the connection portion for the treated water of the filtration unit having a nitrification function but not a denitrification function is detachably connected to the connection portion of the first treated water conduit; the connection part for the treated water of the filtration unit having a nitrification function and a denitrification function is detachably connected to the connection part of the second treated water conduit; the treated water connection portion of the water tank unit is detachably connected to the connection portion of the second treated water conduit; Further comprising one or more denitrification units for denitrifying the treated water; 2. The aquaculture system of claim 1, wherein the denitrification unit has a first connection portion that is detachably connected to a connection portion of the first treated water conduit, through which treated water flows from the first treated water conduit toward the denitrification unit, and a second connection portion that is detachably connected to a connection portion of the second treated water conduit, through which denitrified treated water flows from the denitrification unit toward the second treated water conduit.

6. The aquaculture system according to claim 5 , wherein the denitrification unit has a denitrification tank that performs denitrification using at least one of plants and algae.

7. the drainage conduit and the treated water conduit of the connection unit each have first to fourth connection parts; The drainage conduit of the connection unit is a first conduit provided with an on-off valve, the first conduit connecting the first connection portion and the second connection portion; a second conduit provided with an on-off valve, connecting the third connection portion and the fourth connection portion; a third conduit provided with an on-off valve, connecting a portion of the first conduit on the first connection side with a portion of the second conduit on the fourth connection side with the on-off valve; a fourth conduit provided with an on-off valve, connecting a portion of the first conduit on the second connection side with a portion of the second conduit on the fourth connection side with the on-off valve; The treated water conduit of the connection unit is a first conduit provided with an on-off valve, the first conduit connecting the first connection portion and the second connection portion; a second conduit provided with an on-off valve, connecting the third connection portion and the fourth connection portion; a third conduit provided with an on-off valve, connecting a portion of the first conduit on the first connection side with a portion of the second conduit on the third connection side with the on-off valve; 3. The aquaculture system of claim 2, further comprising: a fourth conduit provided with an on-off valve that connects a portion of the first conduit closer to the second connection portion than the on-off valve and a portion of the second conduit closer to the third connection portion than the on-off valve.

8. The drainage conduit of the connection unit is a fifth conduit provided with an on-off valve, connecting a portion of the first conduit on the first connection side with a portion of the second conduit on the third connection side with the on-off valve; a sixth conduit provided with an on-off valve, connecting a portion of the first conduit on the second connection side with a portion of the second conduit on the third connection side with the on-off valve; The treated water conduit of the connection unit is a fifth conduit provided with an on-off valve, connecting a portion of the first conduit on the first connection side with a portion of the second conduit on the fourth connection side with the on-off valve; 8. The aquaculture system of claim 7, further comprising a sixth conduit provided with an on-off valve that connects a portion of the first conduit closer to the second connection than the on-off valve and a portion of the second conduit closer to the fourth connection than the on-off valve.

9. A connection unit constituting the aquaculture system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. a water tank unit having a water tank for cultivating marine products; a filtering unit having a filtering facility for treating wastewater discharged from the water tank unit to produce treated water; a connection unit having a drainage conduit through which the wastewater flows and a treated water conduit through which the treated water flows; and at least one of a pump for transferring water between the water tank unit and the connection unit, and a pump for transferring water between the filtering unit and the connection unit, wherein the drainage conduit and the treated water conduit of the connection unit each have four or more connections, and when the one or more connection units are two or more connection units, the two or more a method for manufacturing an aquaculture system, wherein the drainage conduits of the upper connection unit are connected by detachably connecting the connection parts, the treated water conduits of the two or more connection units are connected by detachably connecting the connection parts, the aquarium unit further has a drainage connection part detachably connected to the connection part of the drainage conduit and a treated water connection part detachably connected to the connection part of the treated water conduit, and the filtration unit further has a drainage connection part detachably connected to the connection part of the drainage conduit and a treated water connection part detachably connected to the connection part of the treated water conduit, When the one or more connection units are two or more connection units, the two or more connection units connecting the connecting the water tank unit and the connection unit; and connecting the filtration unit and the connection unit. Construction method.

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