Patented Clear Flow Aquaponic Systems® with ZDEP®
- Profitable
- Dependable
- Efficient
- Sustainable
Kits, Modules or Complete Packages – Proven Designs
If you are planning a commercial aquaponics venture, our patented Clear Flow Aquaponic Systems® with ZDEP® are the only fully-developed system packages for large scale aquaponic food production – available as kits, modules or complete system packages. They include the equipment, manuals, documentation, and support you need to get into and be successful in the aquaponics business.
Whether you are looking for a DIY aquaponics kit or a complete package, we have what you need.
Planning Your Aquaponics Business?
Check out our Aquaponics Business Planning Tools
Maximize Production
Nelson and Pade, Inc.®’s commercial line of patented Clear Flow Aquaponic Systems® with ZDEP® reduce waste and increase nutrient availability for additional plant growth. In addition to the ZDEP®, All of our commercial systems use the accelerated nursery for faster production and increased income.
Learn more about the patented ZDEP® system
Expandability
Commercial systems come in modules that can be duplicated for expansion, allowing a grower to easily increase size as the business grows.
Continuous Harvests, 365 days per year
The vegetable crops from these systems can be harvested daily to meet market demand. Our systems are designed for continuous vegetable production, 365 days/year. Each commercial system uses multiple fish tanks for staggered harvesting. With tilapia that means you will harvest a tank full of fish every 3, 4 or 6 weeks. If you use two modules, you will harvest a tank full of fish every 2 or 3 weeks. With 3 modules, it is every 1-2 weeks, and so on.
Commercial System Specifications
Commercial Aquaponic Systems
- Small Commercial
- Large Commercial
- Large Commercial w/LFB (with Living Filter Beds)
- Expanding Large Commercial Systems
Small Commercial
The Small Commercial System is a great system to start a full-time aquaponics venture. The primary production is intended for lettuce, grown in raft tanks. There is a living filter bed that allows some production of secondary crops, like kale or swiss chard.
- Lettuce Production:
- 32,250 – 46,350* plants/year (about 88 – 130* lettuce plants/day)
- plus 1,800 – 3,240* leafy green plants (like kale and swiss chard) in the Living Filter Bed
- *depends on lighting plan
- Fish Production:
- 1,900 lbs. whole tilapia/year (harvest just over 237 lbs./every 6 weeks)
- System Dimensions:
- Minimum greenhouse size or area indoors: 30′ x 110′ (3,300 sq. ft.) to accommodate system and optional equipment
- Estimated Labor per day:
- 5 – 8 hours/day in greenhouse
- Small Commercial KIT System Cost:
- $44,995
Large Commercial
The Large Commercial model is a great fit for a serious commercial venture. Start with any number of Large Commercial Modules and continue to expand to meet market demand.
- Lettuce Production:
- 80,000 – 110,000* plants/year (about 220 – 300* lettuce plants/day)
*depends on lighting plan
- 80,000 – 110,000* plants/year (about 220 – 300* lettuce plants/day)
- Fish Production:
- 6,000 lbs. whole tilapia/year (harvest just over 384 lbs./every 4 weeks)
- System Dimensions:
- Minimum greenhouse size or area indoors: 42′ x 140′ (5,880 sq. ft.) to accommodate system and optional equipment
- Estimated Labor per day:
- 12 – 15 hours/day in greenhouse
- Large Commercial KIT System Cost:
- $69,990
Large Commercial w/LFB (with Living Filter Beds) 
The Large Commercial w/LFB (with Living Filter Beds) is the complete Large Commercial model PLUS multiple Living Filter Beds. The Living Filter Beds allow you to grow more produce while utilizing all of the waste from the system.
- Lettuce Production:
- 80,000 – 110,000* plants/year (about 220 – 300* lettuce plants/day)
*depends on lighting plan
- 80,000 – 110,000* plants/year (about 220 – 300* lettuce plants/day)
- Vegetable Production from Living Filter Beds
- 10,000 – 12,000 bunches of greens, -or- a variety of other vegetables
- Fish Production:
- 6,000 lbs. whole tilapia/year (harvest just over 384 lbs./every 4 weeks)
- System Dimensions:
- Minimum greenhouse size or area indoors: 66′ x 136′ (8,976 sq. ft.) to accommodate system and optional equipment
- Estimated Labor per day:
- 15 – 20 hours/day in greenhouse
- Large Commercial with Living Filter Beds KIT System Cost:
- $84,080
Expanding Large Commercial Systems 
You can expand the Large Commercial Systems in a variety of configurations.
- Multiple Large Commercial
- A combination of multiple Large Commercial Plus Large Commercial w/LFB
KIT Price Includes: | |
|---|---|
| Fish tanks | Fish tank wood stand Construction Guides |
| Patented ZDEP® filter: tanks, plumbing, water pump (complete) Filter tank stand Construction Guides | Clear Flow Aquaponic System® Filter tanks Filter tank stand Construction Guides |
| Accelerated Plant Nursery with seedling channel | Accelerated Plant Nursery System Support Stand Construction Guide |
| Water pump(s) and hard-to-find plumbing parts | Air pump or blower and hard-to-find aeration components |
| Detailed Assembly Manual | Custom liners and pad for Raft/LFB frames |
| Detailed Operations Manual | An approximate shopping guide for parts not supplied to complete the system |
| Standard Operating Procedures | Book: Aquaponic Food Production |
There are additional items that some people need and others do not, depending on their climate, crop choices, infrastructure, budget, skill set and willingness to source and build some parts locally. Those additional items offered by Nelson and Pade, Inc® are listed on the system order forms. Starting with the KIT system, you can pick and choose what you want from Nelson and Pade, Inc®, source what you want locally, buy additional components when you are ready, reduce your start up costs and spread those costs out over time. This strategy results in a much lower startup cost because you can do some of the work yourselves, source components locally and save on labor and freight.
Customer Testimonial
“I recently purchased a Nelson and Pade, Inc. system and have been very happy with the entire process, from the planning stages all the way through the build and now into the actual operation. The staff there has been very open to answering any and all of my questions in a timely manner. The system comes with a detailed instruction manual, including pictures, that explains every little piece and exactly where it needs to go. I put the entire system together myself using their plans and had no issues.”
– Tony Stirling, IL
Commercial Aquaponic Systems Features:
- Unlimited Expandability! Start with one or more modules. Add more modules to meet the growing demand
- Modular Design Risk mitigation, Crop diversification, Add modules for expansion, Consistency in operations, efficiency and training
- Excellent Return on Investment
- Advanced science-based design
- Proven system includes manuals and SOP’s
- Efficient design reduces labor and increases profitability!
Contact our Sales Team
Optional Equipment and More:
- Primary Options Available:
Request an order form to see all optional equipment and supplies See more options in the aquaponics.com store
Greenhouses for Aquaponics and Indoor Farming
Determine your Net Profit and ROI for your Commercial Aquaponics Farm
Ok, so…the question everyone asks is, “How much can I earn?” There are a lot of variables in that equation (climate, location, infrastructure, utility costs, labor costs, marketing methods, management abilities, etc), but we can give you some guidance. You can easily determine your estimated gross income by taking the number of heads you’ll grow x the price you will sell at, plus the number of pounds of fish x the price you will sell it at. Our customers around the country typically sell their premium lettuce for $4-6/head retail or $2.75-$4/head wholesale and whole tilapia for $4-5/lb.
As a general rule, when our patented Clear Flow Aquaponic Systems® with ZDEP® are used in a commercial aquaponics farming venture, there is typically an ROI (Return on Investment) of 3-5 years from when the system is started.
We can provide detailed, project-specific start-up cost, operational cost, income and ROI projections for your business in our Project Planning service.
Explanations
- Lettuce Production in raft tanks: The amount of lettuce that you will grow will depend on the amount of light you provide. The low end of the range assumes that you will have 10 hours of light per day. The high end of the range assumes you will have 18 hours of light per day. Aquaponic grow lights are used to extend the hours of light beyond what is available form the sun.
- All plant and fish production numbers assume proper environmental control, good management and following the Nelson and Pade, Inc. Standard Operating procedures and growing recommendations. Results may vary.
- Fish Production: based on raising Nile tilapia, stocked at approximately 100 gram fish and harvested at 1.5 – 2.0 lbs. Results may vary.
- Greenhouse Space: This is the space the standard system configuration fits within, with room for optional equipment, packing and to walk and work. This will be the size of the greenhouse or building that you put the system in. If you have special space requirements, we can design the system to fit, but a custom design fee will apply.
- Estimated labor/day: This is the number of hours we estimate that it will take to maintain the system, feed the fish and seed, transplant and harvest the crops. Single or few crop choices will be on the lower end of the range. A greater number of crop choices will take the higher number of hours listed in the range.
- System price: The base price of our systems includes everything in the system description. It does not include services, sales tax, shipping or optional equipment. Contact us for quote.
- Palleting Fee: This charge covers the cost of time and materials for packaging, palletizing and preparing systems for pick up or freight shipment.
Optional Equipment
We offer all of the supplies you need to keep you system running…fish food, grow cubes, pest controls, etc.
Nelson and Pade Grower Support Program
The Nelson and Pade Grower Support Program helps aquaponic growers get off to a great start, with proven technical support and continuous access to the leaders of the industry, valuable information, and direct access to over 30 years of experience and success. The Nelson and Pade Grower Support Program is available, for an additional fee, to aquaponic growers using Nelson and Pade, Inc.® Clear Flow Aquaponic Systems®.
Nelson and Pade Grower Support Program
“I am greatly enjoying the assembly and watching the system grow. My Dad says the greenhouse feels like heaven when he walks in. I went with Nelson and Pade because I knew my learning curve was steep and wanted to buy a system and have the support of knowledgeable people, without spending days and hours recreating the wheel.”
– Jeff Hafner, Iowa
Questions?
Commercial Systems FAQ
ZDEP® is an acronym for near Zero-Discharge/Extra Production. It is a patented system that drastically increases plant production and reduces or eliminates any waste. Solid fish waste, which is removed from the main system, is processed in the patented ZDEP® filter. Then, clear, nutrient-rich water is returned to the main system to increase plant production. The solid waste can be used to grow additional crops in media beds or outdoor gardens. Learn more about the ZDEP®