Monitoring of the Physico-Chemical Parameters of Water in a Small Scale Aquaponic System | ||
| Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries | ||
| Article 53, Volume 28, Issue 2, March and April 2024, Pages 871-882 PDF (650.02 K) | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/ejabf.2024.351923 | ||
| Author | ||
| Haytam Rharrhour et al. | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Climate change, water scarcity, soil degradation and food security threaten the Moroccan agricultural production. Aquaponics is an approach that can offer an alternative sustainable solution for covering local food demand, offering inhabitants arid regions access to both animal and vegetable proteins. However, this technique was never performed in Morocco. This study aimed to contribute to the development of economically feasible aquaponics systems in Morocco. For this, 46 individuals of the Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) were raised and likewise three varieties of leafy vegetables (Lactuca sativa and Basil Ocimum basilicum) were grown in order to assess the impact of nutrients contained in aquaculture effluent on plant growth. Temperature, pH, electro-conductivity (E.C), and total dissolved solids (TDS) were daily measured using a multiparameter instrument “Hanna HI9814”, while dissolved oxygen (DO), ammonia (NH3), nitrite (NO2-), nitrate (NO3-), phosphorus (PO43-), and potassium (K+) were measured twice a week utilizing specific spectrophotometer HI801 of Hanna instruments. The Pearson coefficient, two-way ANOVA, principal component analysis (PCA), and cluster analysis were applied to test the correlation between different water quality parameters. Good adaptation of fish and plants was observed, with zero mortality of fish and commercial plant yields after only 30 days of introduction to the system. Results have shown that fish excrements are enough to grow lettuce and basil in aquaponics. Strong and significant correlation under 95% of confidence was obtained between DO, phosphorus and pH, while temperature recorded a significant correlation with both DO and nitrates. With regard to this experience, it was concluded that the installation of aquaponic systems is highly feasible and that the water circulating in aquaponics has an acceptable nutrient potential in order to ensure good plant growth. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Aquaponics; Aquaculture; Biodiversity; Climate change; Food security | ||
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