Thread: A Visit to Dalton's Fish Farm.

For many years I have been thinking of doing some fish farming.
I read a lot of literature from the library and the internet, but I never had, nor made the time, to actually visit a fish farm.
We have now been living here in the LOS full time for the last 6 yrs. and are pretty well settled in.
We are doing fine, but the wife is looking to do some business and of course increase our income.
We had discussed fish farming many times but never made any further effort.
After reading the threads here on TD, I contacted Dalton, who invited me over to take a look around.

The wife , son, and I, got in the pick up and headed for Dalton's Fish Farm.
It's a nice easy drive from our place, and when you get off the main highway, you drive along this giant reservoir, which if you didn't know that, looks like a beautiful lake.
My wife asked a cow herder for directions to Dalton's farm but the herder didn't know anything about it. A phone call took care of that, and Dalton informed me to continue to the next village, and he would meet us at the main road.
We continued on and drove to the village where I also saw my first bunch of fish cages, made of PVC ,floating on the reservoir (lake). This was a pretty good size set up and appeared to be well tended.

Dalton showed up on a motorbike, and we followed him to his farm, which was a few minutes away.
Never having seen a recirculating system much less a real fish farm, it was quite an eye opener.
One system uses these giant biofilters, there are 3 or 4 of them in parallel and they shoot up about 5 meters up in the air with dual industrial water pumps, pumping water into them out of the settlement tank.
The water being redistributed to these giant circular cement tanks, which are 3 abreast in a semi enclosed building.
There were about 35 or 40 tanks all lined up in this manner. These tanks are about 3.5 meters across the center by 1.5 meters tall.

I had about a million questions which I wanted to ask Dalton, but they seemed to have escaped me at the moment. Dalton was very good at answering the questions I did put forth though, and another cool part is that the farm is expanding, and therefore I could see the underground pipping system being built along with new tank construction.
I had many questions about this construction phase which were answered quite readily. After the tour we all sat in the shade by the house , ate some ice cream.
I got into some good conversations with Dalton, my wife was chatting with his wife, and my son was running around all over the place.

This was before yesterday, and many aspects of the fish farm have been going through my head. We don't have any intentions of doing anything on the scale of Dalton's project, but would like a to be able to produce about a 1000 fish per month, year round, eventually.
Dalton was very nice to allow us visit him, and to have taken the time to show us around.
He also assured me that he will answer any questions, which I may have in the future, as we put this plan into action.
This is really great for us, having such a source of information, with a real live working model, that is growing and successful.

Thanks Dalton, for the tour and your willingness to share your knowledge. I have been wondering though, how I'm gonna talk the wife into climbing up the biofilters, remove the media, clean it and put it back in place.

Nice post. Dalton's a top bloke. Greens for both.

Hope you have greened him.

Did Dalton eat any ice-cream? I thought he was on a diet.

Great contribution. Thanks!

Yes, he ate ice cream, but it's been very hot.

did you take a translator?

Well where is the fooking pictures??

Where are the photos?

Originally Posted by mellow

Thanks Dalton, for the tour and your willingness to share your knowledge.

It was all my pleassure to show you the farm, it nice when people really are interested in how it all works. Next time I'll show you our feed-mill and nursery-ponds...

Originally Posted by mellow

I have been wondering though, how I'm gonna talk the wife into climbing up the biofilters, remove the media, clean it and put it back in place.

With that one are you all on your own

Originally Posted by blackgang

Well where is the fooking pictures??

They are under one of the fish-farms threads

Originally Posted by obsidian

did you take a translator?

Not needed, Mellows Danish was perfect...

It looks as though I will have to visit Dalton's Fish Farm again. We have been clearing up a piece of land at our place to make room for the recirculating system, which will have 12 circular tanks, measuring 3 meters across the center, approximately 1.5 meters in height. At least that is the current plan. Drafting it on paper, these tanks will fit into a 15x12 meter area nicely, with plenty of room to move around the tanks, without being too crowded to work, etc. The tanks will be lined 3 across and 4 down. We will have to put in cement support beams for the roof also, including footings. The sediment tank and the bio filter will run along one side, although I haven't decided which side yet. Since having visited Dalton, there have been many new questions in my mind about this construction, and I will have to tap into his expertise as well as his experience for this set up. This will hopefully save us from some of the problems he has experienced, as well as to facilitate our labor, once the project is completed. I will also have to get a design for the for the settlement tank and the bio filter. I am also hoping that Dalton will make the time to stop over, and overlook the site to discuss the best location for the settlement tank, and bio filter. Afterwards I will have to get some estimates from several construction companies as to the cost of doing much of the heavy work. Will also have to look into having another bore hole done, to supply water for this system. I am hoping these 12 tanks will be enough to supply my wife with enough fish, to keep her future fish store running, and stoked year round. Dalton's project of course is immense, but then he will be a supplier on a very large scale, and is probably a force to be reckoned with in the industry around here already, especially due to having a high quality product. Anyways, the shrubs and trees have been cleared away for the most part, and so far this is the easiest and cheapest part of the whole thing. Posting a couple of photos of the area, I hope they come out. Had to use my son's phone camera that he got for Xmas, because I don't have one.

^ It looks great, and the setup you have in mind sounds also very good. You're welcome again anytime, just give me a ring first to make sure that I'm home...

^ Thank you Dalton, will give you a ring first.mellow.

Went back to visit Dalton this week. The first visit just generated a lot of questions in my head, and there is so much involved with his systems, that it just isn't possible to take it all in. Anyways, what's been really sticking in my mind all week, is his air pump, which of course has to supply air for this system. I don't mean a few air bubbles here and there, but a lot of air. It takes up very little space, which was very surprising. I was expecting some big expensive commercial pump, and was pleased by this ingenious set up. What it appears to be is a cars air pump hooked up to a manifold and I think it was belt driven by an electric motor, but I'm not certain and I will have to eyeball it again. Maybe Dalton will fill us in on this cool set up, because, I for one would like to use a similar set up to aerate the 2 ponds I have here, maybe make a pretty spray fountain. This thing got a lot of balls and I think one could handle these 2 small interconnected ponds. Anyways this would benefit all who need aeration, and it would be much cheaper than some fancy air pump. Lets see if Dalton will fill us in on this set up, and how he came across it or thought it up. It's called a Super Charger. Maybe he will give us the low down, of how he put it together, and if he used second hand parts or new, and what kind of electric motor he's using. Lets hope he's nice enough and has the time to turn us on, to this pumps construction. Next time I will take my son's phone and take some pictures of it.

Originally Posted by mellow

Next time I will take my son's phone and take some pictures of it.

I would recommend a camera, but each to his own...

^ I already have a camera, its just one which you have to get the film developed, and the pictures printed. My son's phone camera took the pictures above, and I can hook it up to the PC to get the pictures. I try not to buy things I already have, just cause there's a new model out. Can't afford to keep up with the latest gadgets.

Originally Posted by mellow

Maybe Dalton will fill us in on this cool set up, because, I for one would like to use a similar set up to aerate the 2 ponds I have here, maybe make a pretty spray fountain. This thing got a lot of balls and I think one could handle these 2 small interconnected ponds. Anyways this would benefit all who need aeration, and it would be much cheaper than some fancy air pump. Lets see if Dalton will fill us in on this set up, and how he came across it or thought it up. It's called a Super Charger. Maybe he will give us the low down, of how he put it together, and if he used second hand parts or new, and what kind of electric motor he's using. Lets hope he's nice enough and has the time to turn us on, to this pumps construction.

If I didn't happen to know you, then I would think that you were trying to get in to my pants with all that sweet-talk Mellow...
I'll post some pictures and an explanation to...Give me a few days..

Originally Posted by Dalton

Originally Posted by "mellow"

Maybe Dalton will fill us in on this cool set up, because, I for one would like to use a similar set up to aerate the 2 ponds I have here, maybe make a pretty spray fountain. This thing got a lot of balls and I think one could handle these 2 small interconnected ponds. Anyways this would benefit all who need aeration, and it would be much cheaper than some fancy air pump. Lets see if Dalton will fill us in on this set up, and how he came across it or thought it up. It's called a Super Charger. Maybe he will give us the low down, of how he put it together, and if he used second hand parts or new, and what kind of electric motor he's using. Lets hope he's nice enough and has the time to turn us on, to this pumps construction.

If I didn't happen to know you, then I would think that you were trying to get in to my pants with all that sweet-talk Mellow...
I'll post some pictures and an explanation to...Give me a few days..

I'm not really one for much sweet talk, but I do give credit to where credit is do. I think your entire operation is really good. Many people living here in the LOS who have ponds on their land, could benefit from this air pump. Running it a night when the oxygen level is depleted from these ponds, will greatly help the fish who are trying to live there.

Originally Posted by mellow

I already have a camera

Just kidding old bean.

^ I dident know that the English could do that...

Pics please... I always wanted a salmon farm, does Dalton produce salmon?

^ No salmon, he grows Tilapia. I'll be going back again soon, there's much more to see and understand. This time I will take a camera and post the pictures here. Not sure you can farm Salmon this way, might have to use a raceway. Would need to live by a river, to be able to deal with the constant water exchange.

Originally Posted by mellow

^ No salmon, he grows Tilapia. I'll be going back again soon, there's much more to see and understand. This time I will take a camera and post the pictures here. Not sure you can farm Salmon this way, might have to use a raceway. Would need to live by a river, to be able to deal with the constant water exchange.

it is probably possible to raise salmon in tanks, if it is not being done already.
in south africa there is a place that farms saltwater fish, oysters, abalone and lobsters for supply to restaurants, and the farm is about 300km from the sea!