Abstract
Aquaponics is the combined culture of fish and plants in recirculating aquaculture systems, an ecologically sustainable horticultural production technique with long traditions.
 The objective of this study is to compare flood-and- drain, and the water crossflow system and examine the differences in the water quality, fish yield and plant growth parameters for Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and basil (Ocimum basilicum). During the study, water quality parameters of two treatments were compared in temperatures, pH, EC and NO3¯N were significantly different (p <0.05). Leaf area of the basil plants grew to an average of 20.37 cm2 (± 9.02 cm2). The plants’ biomass production was significantly different (p< 0.05) in the two systems. The biomass production showed lower yield, 458.22 g (± 214.59 g) in the constant flow system that in the flood- and- drain system 692.9 g (± 175.82 g). Fish Growth parameters were better in constant flow system (FCR 5.48 g/g ± 0.19). However, the specific growth rate (SGR) demonstrated that fish grew faster in flood- and- drain system 1.38 %/day (± 0.29).
Highlights
Aquaponics is an ecological horticultural production technique that is integrating aquaculture and hydroponic systems, which is a sustainable food production method. Diver (2006) believed that in aquaponics, the production of plants in a soilless medium, where all of the nutrients supplied to the crop are dissolved in water
Wang et al, (2015) demonstrated ORP is related to the decrease of dissolved oxygen (DO)
DO level of the aquaculture suggested to be 5 mg L−1. (Boyd, 1982) The nitrifying bacteria have an optimal range of DO (4– 8 mg L−1) which is suitable to promote nitrification (Tyson et al, 2008)
Summary
Aquaponics is an ecological horticultural production technique that is integrating aquaculture and hydroponic systems, which is a sustainable food production method. Diver (2006) believed that in aquaponics, the production of plants in a soilless medium, where all of the nutrients supplied to the crop are dissolved in water. Diver (2006) believed that in aquaponics, the production of plants in a soilless medium, where all of the nutrients supplied to the crop are dissolved in water. These water soluble nutrients are nitrogen forms which derived from ammonia nitrogen excreted by fish, provides nitrogen source for plants growth (Rakocy et al, 2006). The two genera of chemoautotrophic nitrifying bacteria are Nitrosomonas sp, which oxidise ammonia (NH3+) to nitrite (NO2-), and Nitrobacter sp that further oxidise nitrites (NO2-) to nitrates (NO3-) that are the usable for plants (Rakocy, 2007; Graber and Junge, 2009; Endut et al, 2014)
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