When Craig and Traci Bell were researching opportunities in aquaculture, they learned about a new recirculating raceway system proposed by researchers at Cornell University.

The system, which uses rectangular tanks, sounded like it would be efficient to operate and less expensive to build than a conventional system using round fiberglass tanks. However, when the couple asked the researchers if they could see the system in operation, they found out it had not yet been built or commercially tested. That turned out to be the opportunity the Bells were looking for. They worked with the researchers and applied for a grant from USDA to build and test the system.

The original grant application was 100 pages long, and initially they were turned down, Traci says. But finally, after revising the application, they were approved for a grant to help build and test the system. Now, after proving the effectiveness of the design, they are developing construction and operations manuals to help other fish farmers duplicate the system.

A farming background isn’t necessary for someone to be successful at fish farming, Craig says. He and Traci both grew up in Los Angeles. They settled in Muskingum County, Ohio, near Frazeysburg 11 years ago with their four children. The location let them enjoy a rural area while remaining near a major airport, Craig explains. Before starting the fish farm, he traveled frequently for his job overseeing facilities management for college campuses in several states.

Setting the course
Eventually, Craig’s traveling got to be too much for the family, Traci says. “We felt like he was missing out.” They started looking for business opportunities that would let Craig remain at home and began experimenting with aquaculture in 2011.

First, they tried raising goldfish in two 55-gallon drums in their garage, and then expanded to a 3,000-gallon system in their barn, where they raised about 2,500 pounds of tilapia. In 2015, Craig retired from his off-farm career to work full time on the aquaculture enterprise, called Ripple Rock Fish Farms. It has expanded into a new 6,000-square-foot building and includes four 11,000-gallon recirculating raceways, as well as additional tanks for fry and fingerlings.

To get started, the Bells participated in the Ohio State University South Centers Aquaculture Boot Camp, as well as an aquaculture short course at Cornell. The OSU boot camp helped them with business planning, and the Cornell course put them in touch with researchers Michael Timmons and James Ebeling, who proposed the recirculating raceway system. The system uses rectangular tanks with water circulating in three cells within each tank. The direction of circulation alternates from one cell to the next, helping remove waste efficiently.

Fish production
Their production cycle starts with tilapia fry they buy from a breeder in New Mexico. They arrive by plane in boxes lined with plastic bags. “It’s like coming home from the fair with your goldfish, except the bags are a whole lot bigger, and there are more fish,” Craig says. Those inch-long fry spend six to eight weeks growing in a 110-gallon tank that has a filter system to remove waste. The water is also cycled through an ultraviolet light treatment system that kills pathogens.

Next, the fish are sorted and moved into 900-gallon fingerling tanks, where they grow for about 14 weeks. About 10% of the fry are culled during the move to the fingerling tanks because they are not growing efficiently, Traci says. The fish are moved from the fingerling tanks to the raceways when they reach about 100 grams, or about 3 inches long. The Bells finish growing out the fish in their four raceways. Each 12-by-36-foot raceway is 4 feet deep and holds about 11,000 gallons. The system has a capacity to produce 35,000 to 50,000 pounds of fish per year.

The water in the raceways automatically recirculates every half hour, and waste is removed with a filter system that uses tiny plastic beads to trap the waste. Once a day, the Bells run a backwash to remove the waste from the filters. Daily chores also include checking water ammonia levels, alkalinity and pH. The filtering system keeps the water clean, so there is no need to treat the water with antibiotics or chemicals to keep the fish healthy, Craig explains.

The water comes from their well, and the only chemical added is sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) to adjust pH. They use a heat transfer system to maintain the water temperature between 75 and 80 degrees F and continually pipe oxygen into all the tanks. If they lost power, they’d likely lose fish because of poor water conditions within 20 minutes, so they have a backup generator that comes on automatically. Craig can also monitor and adjust water temperature and oxygen levels remotely using a phone app.

Biosecurity paramount
As with any livestock operation, biosecurity is important. They avoid putting hands into the water to keep pathogens out. Also, after a fish or any water leaves the farm, it does not come back.

The controlled indoor environment offers several advantages over outdoor aquaculture systems, says Traci. One is space savings. “We’d need 7 or 8 acres for this many fish in outdoor ponds,” she explains. The indoor system uses 1% of the water that would be required in an outdoor system, and feed conversion is better, she adds. “It’s nearly 1 to 1.”

The Bells chose tilapia, which originally came from the Nile River, for their farm because they are hardy and adaptable, says Craig. Some other species, such as bass, don’t get along as well in aquaculture systems. “If you have a big bass and a little bass, you end up with one bigger bass,” he explains. “Tilapia tend to leave each other alone.”

At first, the Bells intended to set up each raceway to hold three groups of fish of different sizes, so they could have a continuous flow of fish ready for harvest. However, as they operated the system, they found that fish naturally grow at various rates, so it made more sense to simply take out fish as they grew large enough and add more as space allows. The tilapia are typically harvested at 1 to 1.5 pounds.

Marketing opportunities
The Bells are exploring a variety of markets for their fish. Most are sold live to specialty grocery stores. Others are sold live for stocking ponds. Tilapia can help control growth of pond algae through the summer, and then pond owners can catch them and eat them at the end of the season, Craig explains. Several golf courses are using them to manage algae without chemicals.

Ripple Rock Fish Farms also opens to the public for “fillet day” on the first Saturday of each month. Customers can buy live fish, and Craig will help fillet them at the farm. “They’re swimming the same day they’re on your plate,” he notes. The next step for the Bells is to connect with a processor who can process, package and ship fish for retail sale.

In addition to selling the fish, the Bells offer jars of dried fish waste as “Fish Magic” fertilizer for houseplants and gardens. They also offer tours for groups and individuals interested in aquaculture.

Within the next few months, they expect to complete their construction and operations manuals. They are also producing how-to videos to help other fish farmers get started.

Aquaculture has tremendous potential for expansion in Ohio and the rest of the country, Traci says. “It’s the fastest-growing segment of agriculture in the U.S.” Over 90% of the seafood consumed in the U.S. is imported, and demand is growing. However, most retailers want more fish than one small farm can provide, Craig adds. “We would be better positioned in the market if we had others with us.”

More information on Ripple Rock Fish Farms is available at ripplerockfishfarms.com