Fish Farm Kirchmayer
From the idea to success - efficiency and sales
After a weekend course on fish farming in 2013 the Kirchmayer family made the innovative decision to enter fish farming full-time. 2019 the couple realized the most modern pond systems, still deliberately kept extensive.
The flow-through system takes water from one on the property located power plant tunnels, optimal for an annual fish production of 180 tons. The Spotmix Fish feeding and management system is the key technology, making the bond extremely economically and labour-saving at the same time.
Company records Thorhof of the Kirchmayer family:
- Fishery manager Christian (30) and wife Marlene (29) hotel expert
- Flow-through pond system with 2 channels and 20 compartments (basins) for an average fish population of 80 tons and an annual production of approx. 180 tons
- 1000 l water supply per second, wastewater is cut off and fed back into the power station tunnel. Lunz char, brook trout, Alsatian char, rainbow and salmon trout swim in the compartments
- Spotmix Fish feeding and management system saves 1 to 2 hours of work per day and amortized in 3 years
- Direct marketing of fresh or smoked/pickled fish fillets to retail chains, restaurants and bars, farm sales. Stocked fish and live ready-to-catch fish for pond owners.
The basins for the flow-through system are 2 m deep and 100 m long. The freshwater supply is 1000 litres per second. Without additionally enriching the pools with oxygen an average population of 80 tons are held, resulting in an annual output of 180 tons. The system is designed to be particularly animal-friendly in terms of both construction and stocking density. The increased pool edge of 50 cm also provides good protection against otters and herons. Also, the feed distribution pipes for the Spotmix Fish feeding system could be installed very well.
The Spotmix Fish feeding and management system is the central heart of the modern flow-through pond system. The requirements for a modern feeding system were high. It should be flexible and labour-saving. Besides, feed losses due to sinking feed should be avoided. That saves money and improves water quality. Repeated feeding of small amounts throughout the day is necessary. And finally, the feeding should automatically take into account the growth and the water temperature. If it is too hot in summer or too cold in winter, the feeding has to be paused.
An average of 500 kg of feed is needed, due to the size of the pond. Moreover, it should be distributed individually to different pools. "Who wants to do it by hand?" asked Christian Kirchmayer himself. Then he found the solution: Spotmix Fish feeding and management system by Schauer Agrotronic. "We have been in operation for a year now, and I can clearly say that all expectations were exceeded"; says a happy Christian Kirchmayer and we are happy with him. The Spotmix Fish feeding system distributes pelleted ready-made feed (sizes between 3 and 6 mm, depending on the fish's size). The brood is currently moved from a second location, but will soon be integrated into the Thorhof facility. Spotmix also works for the smallest quantities from 10 g and the smallest pellet size.
Depending on the number of fish in each tank and individual needs, the fully automated and calculated distribution will take place 5 times a day. It is important to provide the fish with the exact amount that can be absorbed, to prevent sinking feed. This saves feed costs and improves the water quality enormously. The feed intake increases and decreases with changing water temperature. Depending on the water temperature, the amount of feed is automatically adjusted. The feed is distributed via compressed air and controlled by transfer tubes, supplying feed over a wide area.
The feeding system software also offers a perfect overview of the population and is, therefore, an electronic pond book. The personal inspection of the pool to determine the size and thus the growth of the fish and their health is the key to success. If there are target / actual deviations, the feeding strategy can easily be adapted to the Topo Spotmix feeding program.
The marketing of the particularly high quality live fish or fish fillets to retail chains and restaurants is organized by Marlene and Christian Kirchmayer themselves. 70% of the proceeds come from selling stocking fish for his professional colleagues.
According to Christian Kirchmayer, a fish farm like that, can not be run without automatic feeding.