10 September 2025
By Aaron Lim Hong Rong
A student-led startup that tackles sudden fish deaths through IoT-powered monitoring devices. These devices alert fish breeders of outage, pH, temperature and oxygen problems for them to take preventive action before the fish dies. The project improves efficiency of aquaculture with a more stable income for fish breeders.
A RM150,000 (35,550 USD) loss came overnight, when a power outage left thousands of fish dead in their ponds. Wan Muhammad Azim Wan Mohamad Zaharuddin, a second-year Electrical Engineering student, recalled his conversation with a middle-aged fish breeder last October who shared this heartbreaking story. A sudden power outage to the water pump cut off oxygen to the fish, killing them all.
In fish farming, the pump is the heart of the pond. If it stops, the fish are wiped out within four hours. For the rural breeders in Johor who juggle between jobs and have limited time to take care of the pond, the blackout haunts them. A blackout can undo months of work in mere hours and turn hope into financial ruin overnight.
Azim realised something had to be done. Together with Sri Prasaad Srighanesan, a part-time Business Administration student, they shaped an idea into reality. Under their startup, AquaTech, they developed a system that eases farmers’ workload and keeps fish alive. This builds lasting economic and ecological resilience for the community.
Their introduction to aquaculture came by chance when their mentors, Dr Mohd Adib Sarijari and Dr Nor Aishah Muhammad invited them to develop an Internet of Things (IoT) project under a social grant in 2023. As the duo from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) was figuring out the next step, Azim came across a senior’s final-year project using a microcontroller camera to prevent fish deaths during power cuts. While the concept worked, the low-resolution images often confused farmers. “If WhatsApp can send clear updates instantly,” he said, “why can’t we do the same for fish breeders?”
As chief technological officer, Azim developed the Pump Management System, equipped with AI-enabled CCTV cameras and automatic alarms. It delivers clear images in real time and alerts breeders immediately through the application on smartphones or at the monitor near the pond if the pump fails or is out of service, giving them precious time to respond before disaster strikes.
Prasaad gave his thumbs up for the idea after Azim explained the concept to him. “He sees ideas through market potential,” Azim chuckles. “Once I told him how this solution could act like a 24-hour security guard for the pond, he was on board. We immediately got the ball rolling.”
While Azim focused on engineering, Prasaad worked closely with farmers. Prasaad who is the chief executive officer, refines the pricing model to be affordable, and gathers feedback from users through the Telegram contact group. He added that since this project is supported by the government and UTM, funding must be spent right where the problem hits. So, the team adopted the “connecting the dots” approach by contacting a rural neighbourhood in Johor and offering the devices for free to fish breeders to get feedback for further product improvement. From the approach , he managed to tailor out value-added services like free routine maintenance and troubleshooting to induce breeder loyalty.
“Azim keeps pushing boundaries and making sure the tech works in real life.Azim is the tech geek, I’m the Coway man,” Prasaad joked.
As the project gained pace, the first challenge came quickly. Farmers were eager to join, but many had limited technical knowledge. The project had to be rolled out under a tight timeline, and there was little room for trial and error.
Azim and Prasaad began making frequent 90-minute trips from campus to the fish farms on weekends and weekdays. They studied how water pump monitoring was done in Thailand and China, then applied the insights to the project. While working alongside breeders, they discovered that power failures weren’t the only danger to the fish. So was water quality.
Fish live or die by pH, oxygen and water temperature. Traditionally, farmers send water samples to a lab, which takes days and costs money they cannot spare. Inexperienced breeders often fail to notice early signs of deteriorating water quality and miss the chance to intervene before the pH spikes and water degrades.
These insights led to the creation of another device, named the Water Monitoring System, that provides continuous pH, oxygen and temperature readings, all stored in the cloud for easy access from the app. By doing so, farmers can make adjustments to maintain water quality.
Their combined effort paid off. Fifteen units were sold in the initial rollout, serving 55 ponds that reared tilapia and kelah across Johor. Farmers began reporting faster growth. Tilapia that once took six months to reach market size were ready in four months, with better weight and quality. One neighbourhood saw monthly income rise by RM2,000, putting more money in the hands of families. For rural communities, AquaTech has brought more than convenience. By keeping fish stocks healthy and predictable, breeders can meet restaurant orders on time without relying on middlemen who take a large share of profits.
UTM and the government have continued helping the team to go further. While the team focuses on benefitting more rural fish breeders for the remaining two years of the social grant, they are now collaborating with the mentors to add more AI-powered features to predict foreign fish invasion and fish health while also monitoring physical pond conditions. The team is also developing a camera to install on the auto feeder system to fix the problem of fish eating less when it rains. They are also working to stabilise the system for further expansion nationwide and the ASEAN region once the social grant is completed.
Ask the duo what motivates them, and their answer is simple: empathy. “We think from the breeders’ perspective, who need a handy solution that solves their headache soon.” They both said “we wake up early, sleep late and keep improving the product. We believe what goes around comes around, and we want to do good for society as proud UTM-ians.”
They believe aquaculture is more than a way to make a living. It is a path to resilience, especially in ASEAN countries where fish is a staple food. They see that inland aquaculture takes up the main role in aquaculture due to climate change that will reduce marine supply. There is high potential for their technology to scale across the region because it is easily adaptable by the aquaculture sector, especially among sites that have high-producing yields with fish breeding sectors in Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam growing steadily.
The team hopes the device can engage youth to join the agriculture sector as the sector faces a shortage of local labour. With accessible videos available on social media and the help of the devices, backyard fish farming enables first-time aquaculture households to produce their own food while generating income.
From two students brought together by mentors to become what some friends jokingly call the ‘Ant and Dec’ of UTM, Azim and Prasaad have shown how a simple, sincere idea can change lives. In the ponds of rural Johor, their work is already making a difference. One fish at a time.
(Edited by Alka Kaur)
AquaTech helps fish breeders monitor their breed to reduce sudden deaths due to power outages and poor water quality. Based in the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, you can reach out to the team via email: Chief Executive Officer, Prasaad at prasaad@graduate.utm.my and Chief Technology Officer, Azim at wanmuhammadazim@graduate.utm.my or via Instagram @p.r.a.s.a.a.d (Prasaad) and @azimzaharuddin21 (Azim).
Aaron is an experienced trilingual journalist from Johor, Malaysia. A writer who loves telling inspiring stories, he has published 9 articles in local newspapers since 2021. He is now serving as a member for Johor youth assembly (Dewan Muda Johor), serving the community with his writing and social engagement work.