Water quality management in aquaponics system

Abstract

The aquaponics system is the culture of fish and vegetable plants in the combined circulatory aquatic environment in that water quality plays an important role in the yield of the system and in the present study important water quality was evaluated to enhance the efficiency of an aquaponics system. This research was conducted in two different treatments which contain rohu and tilapia with tomato plants in 10 replications and simultaneously important water quality parameters including air temperature (C), water temperature (C), pH, dissolved oxygen (mg/l), electrical conductivity (mS/cm-1), total hardness (mg/l), total alkalinity (mg/l), ammonia (mg/l), nitrate (mg/l) and nitrite (mg/l) were analysed. The findings of the present study show the range of air temperature from 25.30 to 29.80 degree C, water temperature from 25.45 – 27.86 °C and 25.85 - 27.83 °C, pH 7.39 – 7.63 and 7.40 – 7.64, dissolved oxygen 5.46 – 6.0 mg/l and 5.45 – 6.0 mg/l), electrical conductivity 222.38 – 229.63 mS/cm-1 and 220.75 – 228.75 mS/cm-1, total hardness 578.25 – 635.75 mg/l and 581.25 - 633 mg/l), total alkalinity 110.5 – 118 mg/l and 107.25 – 119.75 mg/l, ammonia 0.001 – 0.003 mg/l and 0.001 – 0.002 mg/l, nitrate 0.05 – 0.07 mg/l and 0.05 – 0.07 mg/l and nitrite 0.03 – 0.05 mg/l and 0.04 – 0.06 mg/l) in T1 and T2 respectively. These water quality parameters were compared with optimum values referred to by different authors and found suitable for cultivation in the system.