Aquaponics Balance Calculator
Don’t guess !
Use our expertise
Design and build a balanced farm
A small car engine can't power a big truck. A truck engine is oversized for a small car.
Similarly, your aquaponics fish engine should be sized to your growing area.
Ceres-calculator provides a smart sizing recommendation for your fish engine based on the dimensions of your farm’s growing area.
Compute the perfect fish engine size for your vegetable target.
Ceres-Calculator
Cost less than two coffees a Starbucks!!!
Features
Optimize production by growing at different densities.
Size the ideal fish engine for your farm.
Plant the right amount of seeds weekly.
Understand your expected monthly production.
Continous plants in trays
This module calculates the production and size of fish engines for plants produced continuously in a specified area.
Define the number of trays, their area, and the monthly production per tray.
Ceres-Calculator provides monthly production, daily feeding rate, fish requirement, and tank size.
Upgrade to Ceres-Production for accurate production details for many plants.
Ceres Calculator continous plants module
Batch plants in pots
This module calculates the production and size of fish engines for potted plants, such as lettuce.
Inputs (in the yellow cells)
The farming process involves three major steps:
• Germination (7 days)
• Nursery (usually 14 days) in high-density spacing where the pots are next to each others
• Production lines: 3 to 6 weeks depensing on the plant
To maximize the farm production, we need to utilize all available growing space. In the production lines, the plant density should be adapted to the plant size.
• Period 1: 100% of the board slots are used
• Period 2: 50% of the board slots are used, providing more growing space to the plants.
• Period 3: 25% of the board slots are used at the end of the growing process.
As plants grow larger than their nursery pots, they’re moved to a production line growing at 100% density. When they touch again, the 100% density boards are split into two 50% density boards. Some lettuce varieties, like cos, can be harvested at 100% or 50% density, while others, like Oak, need an additional period at 25% density.
Very large plants like Oak lettuce may need a board split again to 25% density.
If you need advise for over 50 plants, get Ceres-Production.
If you desice to grow your vegetables at a single density, enter the number of days at that density, and leave the other fields at 0 days.
Ceres Calculator batch plants module
The number of slots available on your growing boards
Our AHAboards have 60 holes, designed to host 60 nursery plants until they outgrow their pots. As they grow, the 30-plant board is split into two 30-plant boards, increasing the growing density.
This process significantly impacts monthly production and must be considered. Find more details in our Production Planning learning section and our Plant Care section
The calculator offers three density options.
• 100% plants density
• 50% plants density
• 25% plants density
Number of growing boards in your farm
Enter the number of growing boards available in your farm production lines.
Take into account the additional space required for the nursery.
Find more details in our Production Planning learning section and our Plant Care section
Your targeted harvesting plant weight
Enter your targetted harvesting plant weight
Germination efficiency
Germination usually takes seven days.
Germination efficiency depends on the quality of the seeds you use. We usually use the rijkzwaan seeds and we get a 99% germination efficiency.
Nursery efficiency depends on timing you move the seedlings our of the germinator. Once the seedlings have a strong first root, they will continue to grow. Our lab and farms operate at 97% nursery efficiency.
Density Growing Schedule
Grow cos lettuce at 100% density and harvest them at 60g each after 3 weeks in the germinator, 2 weeks in the nursery, and 3 weeks in production. They can grow to 90g if given 10 more days at 50% density.
Cos lettuce are growing vertically, but other lettuce like Oak requires more area. We usually move them a 50% density sooner than cos, and they need a period at 25% to grow to 150g and lower density to grow larger.
Try different density options to evaluate your best productivity.
Your farm design
The calculator provides:
• Expected growing area density split (boards and plants at each growing density)
• Expected daily and monthly production
• Weekly seeding requirement
• Size of the required nursery
• Quantity of daily fish food and number of fish needed
• Size of the fish tank required
Production
Find your daily and monthly plant production and expected monthly weight.
Germination
The weekly seeding requirement necessary to achieve your targeted production is detailed there.
Ceres-Calculator also provides a number of nursery slot required. Our AHAtrays can hold 160 pots in a 60x90 cm area.
Fish engine
Daily fish food
The fish enginee must have enough power to feed all the plants. It is fueled by fish food containing proteins and minerals. The fish process these proteins to grow and reject ammonia, which bacteria convert into Nitrate fertilizer (NPK).
The fish food also provides a few other minerals like Potassium, Magnesium, and Calcium.
Therefore, it is crucial to design your farm with the right number of fish for your growing area.
Number of fish required
The estimated number of fish needed daily for fish food processing.
Fish tank volume
The amount of water needed for the fish to thrive.
Do you need a more advanced calculator?
Advanced Aquaponics farm production prediction design app
With Ceres-Production, you enter the desired product and selling price for up to 19 plant individually.
Then, Ceres-Production provides you with:
Sizes the required farm area
Sizes the fish engine
Design your weekly seeding plan according to your production targets
Advises on mineralization supplement
Provides a summary of the farm vegetables and fish production and revenue expectations
Ceres-Production takes into account growlight duration and water temperature
