Aquaponic System Research Articles

Commercial aquaponic system prototype, University of the Virgin Islands

This datasheet on Commercial aquaponic system prototype, University of the Virgin Islands covers Identity, Overview, Environmental Requirements, Growout Systems, Related Content, Further Information.

Direct Greenhouse Gas Emissions From a Pilot-Scale Aquaponics System

Highlights Direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were measured in a decoupled aquaponics system. Solids concentration predicted methane emissions in the clarifier system. Lower pH in the plant system increased N2O emissions. Higher fish feeding rate increased CO2 and N2O emissions in the plant production system. Roughly half of direct GHG emissions were offset by carbon uptake during plant growth. Abstract. Agricultural production systems are known to be large contributors to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and many studies have focused on the mitigation of GHG emissions from open-field and other traditional crop production practices. Little attention has been given to direct emissions from non-traditional production systems such as aquaponics. Here we determine direct GHG emissions (CO2, CH4, N2O) from a pilot-scale biofloc, decoupled aquaponics facility. We also determine how emissions from unit operations differ based on a set of environmental and operational parameters e.g. temperature, feeding rate, suspended solids, plant height, water flow rate, and nitrate levels. Major unit operations included a biofloc fish tank stocked with tilapia, a solids settling clarification system, and a climate-controlled greenhouse in which cucumber plants were grown in substrate culture. The study was separated into three seasons. In the summer of 2019, different pH treatments for cucumber irrigation water were tested. In the fall of 2019 and winter of 2020, emissions from perlite versus pine bark substrates were tested during cucumber production. Measurements indicated that aerial GHG emissions in intensively aerated areas of the fish tank were 4.7 to 46.8 times higher than those in areas with low-intensity aeration. High methane emissions (up to 44.8 g m-2 d-1) from the clarification system indicated anaerobic activity. Results from plant production showed a negative relationship between pH and N2O efflux (p=0.0001) while the choice of plant growth substrate had no significant effect on direct GHG emissions. Overall, carbon sequestration in plants could offset 40% to 62% of direct GHG emissions from the aquaponics system. This study provides insight into operational parameters that affect direct GHG emissions from aquaponics systems and provides data to support life cycle assessments. Keywords: Aquaculture, Carbon dioxide, Hydroponics, Methane, Nitrous oxide.

Assessing the Utilization of Waste from Aquaponics System as Nutrients Contributing to the Growth of Water Spinach and Tank Fish

Due to having plentiful water resources, Bangladesh offers significant potential for fish farming. Aquaponicsas a bio-integrated multi-trophic system that combines hydroponics (the growing of soilless plants) and re-circulate aquaculture (the culture of fish) to create a symbiotic relationship between fish, microorganisms and plants. This study was carried out for 95 days at the aquaponic laboratory of Khulna Agricultural University (KAU) to access the utilization of waste from tank water as nutrients affecting the growth of both water spinach and fish using two different medias-only bricklets (𝑇1)and mixture of bricklets and used tea leaves(𝑇2). For the purpose of growing vegetables and raising fish, six 20-liter plastic containers and a 750-liter water tank were employed respectively. Fish and water spinach samples were taken every two weeks. Electric conductivity (EC), carbonate (CO3), hydrogen carbonate (HCO3), total nitrogen (Total-N), phosphorous (P), potassium (K), sulphur (S), and sodium (Na) were measured in the soil testing Laboratory at KAU. Bacterial activity in the media and roots of plants was found to be higher in influent water than effluent water, indicating that plants were properly utilizing. "Microsoft Excel 2010" and Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) were used to analyze the descriptive statistics and determine the significance level as well. The greatest average plant measurements for 𝑇1were 36.40±3.55 cm in height, 58.81±23.35 in weight, and 93.90±38.52 in terms of leaves. In 𝑇1and 𝑇2, a total of 1.57 kg and 1.21 kg of water spinach was harvested respectively. The length and weight gain percentages were 61.45 and 155.51 at the conclusion of the trial, while the survival rate and FCR were found to be 100% and 1.51, respectively and at the end of the study average fish production was estimated 9.91 kg. The technique actually produced more fish and vegetables while using less water causing no adverse effects on the environment. Through a symbiotic link between the fish and plants, the system effectively used fish waste in plant development and fish production as well. In order toaddress the environmental issues, the system might be placed in densely populated urban areas to grow fish and vegetables on rooftops and in backyards.

PV-based greenhouse system: modelling and analysis of aquaponics in Pakistan

An aquaponics system is an emerging technology and an effective practice for competent land-use efficiency, reducing electricity consumption, and providing food security. The study provides a practical framework of PV-based greenhouse energy four-layer set up that synergises fish farming plants productivity and provides a rigid structure embedded in wooden support with the electric system. The smart aquaponics system was designed using MATLAB software and ENERGY-3D for optimum energy steadiness. The physical data for our designated location has been received from NASA's website. Solar radiation variability influx was calculated using different sun angle equations and the optical properties of the greenhouse wall and vegetation. Using mathematical equations, the proposed system can continuously monitor water temperature, air temperature, and heat fluctuation. These energy balance equations were applied to various sites across the Greenhouse where the sum of all conceivable flows is zero. The unknown temperatures were also determined using these equations in any closed-loop.

Growth and yield of cucumber and tilapia fish in aquaponics under UAE climatic condition

The healthiest and most effective method of producing food is aquaponics, particularly in arid regions. In comparison to conventional crop production, aquaponics uses less than 90% of the water, produces crops that grow more quickly, and does not employ pesticides. With an average weight of 17g, fish Oreochromis niloticus tanks were stocked with 120 fish per m2. Three times per day, Nile tilapia were fed a floating commercial tilapia diet until they were full. Three cucumber plants were planted per square meter in plant culture raceways. Water, feed, and electricity usage are all tracked in aquaponics systems. The growth characteristics and monthly production of the fish and cucumber were noted. Environmental aspects of the system, including light intensity, temperature, and water quality parameters, were assessed. Six months were spent conducting the experiment in a two-time cultivation. Three months were needed from one seedling to harvest; the first month was spent growing and flowering the plant, and the second and third months were used to harvest the cucumbers. With an input of 992.67 tons of feed, 12110.13 K.Wh of electricity, and 59.20 m3 of water consumption, each aquaponics system produced on average 3.2 tons of cucumber in a 120 m2 area and 0.5 tons of fish in a 15 m3 area.

Valorization of Reverse Osmosis Concentrate in the Production of Litopenaeus Vannamei and New Zealand Spinach in an Aquaponic System

Valorization of Reverse Osmosis Concentrate in the Production of Litopenaeus Vannamei and New Zealand Spinach in an Aquaponic System

Performance improvement of aquaponics systems when using microbiological strains in them

The essence of the method of operation of the aquaponic system is to use the vital waste of aquatic animals as food for plants. At the first stage, the fish produces waste products. Then, in the second stage, microbes and worms convert the waste into fertilizers for plants. During the process, at the third stage, plants consume the necessary products of excretion of living organisms. Aquaponics is an artificial ecosystem in which three types of living organisms are key: aquatic animals (usually fish or shrimp), plants and bacteria. This technology works on the principle of an ecosystem of fish and plants: fish provides food to plants, and plants purify water and are environmentally friendly. The essence of this method is to use the vital waste of aquatic animals (fish, shrimp) as a nutrient medium for plants. These are chemicals such as nitrogenous, potassium, phosphorus compounds, carbon dioxide. Thanks to aquaponic farms, the costs of water and other natural resources, soil pollution and the use of insecticides are already being reduced in different places of our planet. Such systems are a sustainable ecosystem capable of producing organic matter that does not contain toxic substances often present in vegetables grown by traditional methods.

순환여과식 양어시스템에서 관상어와 식물의 성장 및 수질환경변화

The purpose of this study is to investigate the growth of fancy carp and plants and variation of water quality using recirculating aquaculture system for application of aquaponic system. The concentrations of DIN and T-N at FCP(Fancy carp + Plant) condition were lower than that of FCO(Fancy carp only), because the nutrients was absorbed to the plants. However the other items of water quality were almost same regardless of plants because of water exchanging of 20 %. In this study we conclude that the exchanging of water is very important to maintain water quality for keeping ornamental fish. The length of fancy carp was grown to 7.9 % and 6.7 % at FCO and FCP condition and the weight was increased to 25.3 % and 21.7 % at each conditions. However there was not the significant differences between the existence and nonexistence the plants. The leaf height, root length, leaf number and weight of Scindapsus were grown to 3.3 cm, 11.9 cm, 2.2 pieces and 7.9 g. On the other hand, the lettuce was grown to two times as 13.7 cm, 16.1 cm, 10.2 pieces and 8.6 g Therefore, this study provide emotional stability by rearing fancy carp, breath clean air by keeping air purification plant such as Scindapsus and eat fresh vegetable such as lettuce by application of plants to recirculating aquaculture system.

Effects of Selenium on the Chlorophylls, Gas Exchange, Antioxidant Activity and Amino Acid Composition of Lettuce Grown under an Aquaponics System

Aquaponics is a sustainable technique that is respectful to the environment, as it reuses products and minimizes the consumption of new materials. The combination of this technique with the foliar application of selenium (as Na2SeO4) could lead to healthier and more sustainable products, which are increasingly requested by consumers. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) plants were grown in an aquaponics system (fish water) as compared with a control (conventional soilless fertigation), and sprayed with different concentrations of selenium (0, 4, 8, and 16 µmol L−1). The results showed a reduction in the dry weight and N content of lettuce plants irrigated with the fish water mixture treatment. However, the application of Se relieved this stress, increasing the photosynthetic rate and ABTS, and reducing the content of chlorophylls, β-carotene, and several of the measured amino acids. The best results were observed with the highest concentration of Se (16 µmol L−1), as an increase in nitrogen content was observed, as shown by a greater weight of the plant. Furthermore, this treatment produced the greatest increase in ABTS and the least reduction in amino acid content. This novel study highlights the possibility of improving the efficiency of N utilization in lettuce by applying foliar selenium in combination with an aquaponics system.

Potential Carbon Thickness on Ammonia Content in Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) Aquaponics System with Water Spinach (Ipomoea aquatica)

The application of aquaponics aquaculture is needed to improve water quality, especially the addition of filtration materials which act as absorbent planting mediums for ammonia nitrogen content in toxic water. The purpose of the current study was to determine the effect of the carbon thickness on ammonia levels in Nile tilapia in aquaponics systems with Water spinach. The study used an experimental method with a completely randomized design consisting of four treatments and five replications. The main parameter was ammonia level. Supporting parameters in this study included initial and final growth of Water spinach, fish survival rate, specific growth rate, and water quality which included temperature measurement, dissolved oxygen, and pH. Each treatment consisted of variations of carbon thicknesses at P0 (control), P1 (5 cm), P2 (7 cm), and P3 (9 cm). The results revealed that ammonia levels were significantly different at P1, P2, and P3 in the third and fourth weeks. Ammonia levels during the study decreased from 0.3969 ppm to 0.1741 ppm. The reported value of 7.2 was for acidity degree, 29.3°C for the temperature, 5.94 ppm for dissolved oxygen, 8.42 cm for the growth of Water spinach, 0.44% for the specific growth rate, and 90% for the survival rate. Carbon thickness caused a decrease in ammonia levels in Nile tilapia with aquaponics systems through the medium of Water spinach.

Pemberdayaan Santri Melalui Penerapan Akuaponik (Studi Di Ponpes Anwarul Huda Malang)

The empowerement of santri is an important aspect in the improvement of the quality of santri resources. Pondok Pesantren Anwarul Huda Kota Malang committed to improve the quality of santri resources through entrepreneurship programm to all santris in addition learn about Islam. Considering geographical location of the Pesantren, which in the downtown with high population and buildings. Application of the aquaponics system in Pesantren can be an option to increase the empowerement of santri. The aquaponics system is an agricultural innovation that integrate two products, hydrophonics and fish tank. This programs aim is to optimize the distribute interest of santri and become an option to increase entrepreneurship programm in line with Pesantren. Furthemore, santri become more empowered, and have a bigger role so it could improve the quality of santri resources. Keywrods: Empowerement, Santri Resources, Aquaponic

EDUKASI TEKNOLOGI PANEL SURYA SEBAGAI SUMBER ENERGI LISTRIK AQUAPONIK DI KELURAHAN TANJUNG PALAS KOTA DUMAI

The source of electrical energy is one of the main components in everyday life. The development of technology today requires all people to be able to take advantage of renewable energy, one of which is solar energy. The solar panel is an energy conversion machine that can produce electrical energy. Coastal communities have an abundance of solar energy sources that can be utilized by solar panels as alternative electrical energy in the aquaponics system that has been built. The majority of the people of Tanjung Palas Village, Dumai City, are fishermen. So that there is a need for additional economic income besides being a fisherman. On the other hand, the community still does not understand the operation and maintenance of solar panels due to knowledge problems. Therefore education and the installation of solar panels as a source of aquaponic electricity are alternative solutions offered to the community. The educational activity of solar panels as a source of aquaponic electricity is carried out in collaboration with CSR PT Pertamina RU II Dumai with the Dumai Marine and Fisheries Polytechnic. The result of this activity is that the level of understanding of participants from per category always increases. The knowledge category increased from 39% of participants to 93% of participants, the operating category increased from 14% of participants to 94% and the care category increased from 14% of participants to 95% of participants. In addition, the level of satisfaction of the participants shows that 25% of participants are very satisfied and 75% of participants are satisfied with this activity. Recommendations for the results of activities that have been carried out are that there is a need for follow-up activities so that the community can better utilize solar panels as alternative electrical energy.

An ontology model to represent aquaponics 4.0 system’s knowledge

Aquaponics, one of the vertical farming methods, is a combination of aquaculture and hydroponics. To enhance the production capabilities of the aquaponics system and maximize crop yield on a commercial level, integration of Industry 4.0 technologies is needed. Industry 4.0 is a strategic initiative characterized by the fusion of emerging technologies such as big data and analytics, internet of things, robotics, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence. The realization of aquaponics 4.0, however, requires an efficient flow and integration of data due to the presence of complex biological processes. A key challenge in this essence is to deal with the semantic heterogeneity of multiple data resources. An ontology that is regarded as one of the normative tools solves the semantic interoperation problem by describing, extracting, and sharing the domains’ knowledge. In the field of agriculture, several ontologies are developed for the soil-based farming methods, but so far, no attempt has been made to represent the knowledge of the aquaponics 4.0 system in the form of an ontology model. Therefore, this study proposes a unified ontology model, AquaONT, to represent and store the essential knowledge of an aquaponics 4.0 system. This ontology provides a mechanism for sharing and reusing the aquaponics 4.0 system’s knowledge to solve the semantic interoperation problem. AquaONT is built from indoor vertical farming terminologies and is validated and implemented by considering experimental test cases related to environmental parameters, design configuration, and product quality. The proposed ontology model will help vertical farm practitioners with more transparent decision-making regarding crop production, product quality, and facility layout of the aquaponics farm. For future work, a decision support system will be developed using this ontology model and artificial intelligence techniques for autonomous data-driven decisions.

Sustainable Marine Aquaponics: Effects of Shrimp to Plant Ratios and C/N Ratios

Integrated aquaponic food production systems are capable of producing more food on less land using less water than conventional food systems, and marine systems offer the potential of conserving freshwater resources. However, there have been few evaluations of species combinations or operational parameters in marine aquaponics. The goal of this experiment was evaluation of stocking density ratio of Pacific whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) to three edible halophytes (Atriplex hortensis, Salsola komarovii, and Plantago coronopus) with two C/N ratios in a 3 × 2 factorial design. There were three stocking density ratios (shrimp: plant), 2:1, 3:1, and 5:1; and two C/N ratios, 12 and 15. The results indicated that stocking density ratio exerted a significant impact on shrimp growth. Shrimp reared in 2:1 and 3:1 treatments had better growth performance. In contrast, plants were affected by both stocking density ratio and C/N ratio. Halophytes grown in stocking density ratios of 3:1 and 5:1 with a C/N ratio of 15 had better growth performance and nutrient content. The concentrations of TAN and NO2– were below 0.2 mg/L throughout the experiment, including the higher stocking density ratio treatments. In conclusion, the stocking density ratio of 3:1 with a C/N ratio of 15 was suggested as the optimal condition for the operation of marine aquaponics in which whiteleg shrimp and the three halophytes are target crops.

Benefits in the Tilapia Growth, by Vetiver Grass in an Aquaponics System

Tilapia aquaculture has growing vertiginously in the world, reaching 7.02 million tons in 2020. In Mexico, the same year reached 72.6 thousand tons. This production values have increased environmental impact and production costs. In Mexico there is a pre-Hispanic aquaponics system, where people culture corn, bean fishes and other organisms. Taken this system as basis, the aim this work was demonstrate the benefits in tilapia aquaculture, by Vetiver grass. Three mini-ponds make up by tilapia juveniles and Vetiver in aquaponics system, and one mini-pond without Vetiver, were cultured during ten weeks. The ammonia, nitrates, dissolved O2, pH etc., and also tilapia weights were recorded along experiment. Results indicated that, ammonia decreased, nitrate increased and tilapia weight increased significantly in mini-ponds with Vetiver than without Vetiver. A von Bertalanffy simplified model was used to calculate time required for tilapias reached 500 g (commercial size) with Vetiver and without Vetiver; it was 48.6 and 54.4 weeks respectively. An extrapolation to commercial tilapia aquaculture, will decreased production cost, due to lower amount of feed and water in tilapia hatcheries; also, a lower environmental impact by wastes discharged to coastal ecosystems, e.g., the amount of ammonia produced in mini-ponds with Vetiver was 4.56 times less than mini-pond without Vitier at week ten. Moreover, tilapia culture with Vetiver, have an aggregated value, because Vetiver is used in perfumes production, reaching 45.2 billons US dollars in 2020.

Aplikasi Teknologi Akuaponik Dengan Kombinasi Subtrat yang Berbeda Terhadap Kualitas Air dan Pertumbuhan Ikan Nila (Oreochromis niloticus)

Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) is a type of freshwater fish that is widely cultivated by Indonesians. The problem that often arises in cultivation is lack of water quality. One of the ways to improve water quality is by using aquaponics technology, which can help to overcome lack of water quality by using a combination of different sub-extracts. This study was aim to determine the effect of different substrate combinations on water quality, growth of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and lettuce vegetables. This study used an experimental method with a completely randomized design (CRD) with 4 treatments and 3 replications. That was control, rockwool and sawdust, rockwool and charcoal, rockwool and husk charcoal. The results showed that the use of different substrate combinations had no significant effect on water quality and fish growth. The best water quality was found in treatment D (rockwool and husk charcoal) with ammonia content of 0.09 mg / L, nitrate 13.45 mg / L, temperature 28.84 0c, pH 7.29 and DO 5.75 mg / L.Keywords: aquaponic system, substrate, tilapia, water quality.

Sustainability of urban aquaponics farms: An emergy point of view

Aquaponics is a food production system that aims higher sustainability by integrating advantages gained from aquaculture and hydroponic production. Aquaponics aims to mimic the biological process that happens in the natural environment in a controlled production system. As it can be applied to small scales, aquaponics is considered an important alternative for urban regions, which have low availability of agricultural land and water resources. Furthermore, the advantage is that it is located close to final consumers. Aquaponics has been labeled as an environmentally friendly food production system, but its demand for energy and materials cast doubt on its sustainability. A systemic understanding of aquaponics production systems is needed to determine the magnitude and balance between its potentialities and constraints, in which emergy synthesis appears as a powerful tool for this purpose. This study applies emergy synthesis to assess the sustainability of two different (scale and marketable products) urban aquaponics farms in Brazil, but differently from other emergy studies, ecosystem services and disservices are included in the analysis as an attempt to represent the system performance holistically. Results show that the type of materials used in aquaponics infrastructures has the highest influence on total emergy demand. Surprisingly, electricity and fish feed showed a low influence on the total emergy, reinforcing the idea that aquaponics systems have a more efficiency feeding management than traditional aquaculture systems. Besides producing vegetables and fish, the inclusion of ecosystem services highlights the importance of aquaponics for educational and tourism purposes. Finally, the obtained indicators from modeling scenarios revealed that replacing the water source and some materials deserves priority attention to increase the sustainability of urban aquaponics farms.

Growth and yield of tilapia hybrid (red tilapia) in aquaponics system

An aquaponics system was studied through the integrated culture of tilapia hybrid (Red Tilapia) and lettuce var. Estrosa in a recirculating system for 100 days. Red Tilapia with an Average Body Weight (ABW) of 36.99g were stocked in two treatments, 80 fish/m3 (Treatment I) and 100 fish/m3 (Treatment II), to assess the fish growth, survival, yield and production of lettuce. Specific Growth Rate (SGR) in Treatment I was 1.03 and Treatment II, 1.14. Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) varies from 1.83 to 1.90, associated with stocking density. Treatment II incurred the highest survival rate of 92.85% while Treatment I has 90.19%. Biomass production of red tilapia was significantly higher in Treatment I with 1,761.00 g than in Treatment II with 1,341.00 g (p = 0.012). Highest yield of lettuce was obtained during the second cropping with 250.00g for Treatment I and 202.00g for Treatment II, but no significant difference was observed between the two treatments. Correlation analysis showed no significant relationship between red tilapia weights and water quality parameters such as ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, temperature, pH, Total Dissolved Solids, and DO. However, a significant positive relationship was revealed between the biomass of lettuce and nitrite during the first cropping in Treatment II. This study demonstrated the stocking density of 80 fish/m3 had better effect on the growth, FCR, and biomass production of red tilapia under an aquaponics system.

The effectiveness of using a microbiological strain in the aquaponics system

Aquaponics is an artificial ecosystem in which three types of living organisms are key: aquatic animals (usually fish or shrimp), plants and bacteria. This technology works on the principle of an ecosystem of fish and plants: fish provides food to plants, and plants purify water and are environmentally friendly. The essence of this method is to use the vital waste of aquatic animals (fish, shrimp) as a nutrient medium for plants. The essence of the method of operation of the aquaponic system is to use the vital waste of aquatic animals as food for plants. At the first stage, the fish produces waste products. Then, in the second stage, microbes and worms convert the waste into fertilizers for plants. During the process, at the third stage, plants consume the necessary products of excretion of living organisms. These are chemicals such as nitrogenous, potassium, phosphorus compounds, carbon dioxide. Thanks to aquaponic farms, the costs of water and other natural resources, soil pollution and the use of insecticides are already being reduced in different places of our planet. Such systems are a sustainable ecosystem capable of producing organic matter that does not contain toxic substances often present in vegetables grown by traditional methods.

Application of aquaponics technology with different substrate combinations on water quality and growth of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) is a type of freshwater fish that is widely cultivated by Indonesians. The problem that often arises in cultivation is lack of water quality. One of the ways to improve water quality is by using aquaponics technology, which can help to overcome lack of water quality by using a combination of different sub-extracts. This study was aim to determine the effect of different substrate combinations on water quality, growth of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and lettuce vegetables. This study used an experimental method with a completely randomized design (CRD) with 4 treatments and 3 replications. That was control, rockwool and sawdust, rockwool and charcoal, rockwool and husk charcoal. The results showed that the use of different substrate combinations had no significant effect on water quality and fish growth. The best water quality was found in treatment D (rockwool and husk charcoal) with ammonia content of 0.09 mg / L, nitrate 13.45 mg / L, temperature 28.84 0c, pH 7.29 and DO 5.75 mg / L.Keywords: aquaponic system; substrate; tilapia; water quality.