Integrated production of Nile tilapia juveniles and lettuce using biofloc technology
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Integrated production of Nile tilapia juveniles and lettuce using biofloc technology Sara M. Pinho 1 & Luiz Henrique C. David 1 & Simon Goddek 2 Maurício G. C. Emerenciano 3,4,5 & Maria Célia Portella 1,6
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Received: 30 March 2020 / Accepted: 22 September 2020/ # Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the use of the technology we have named for the first time as FLOCponics (biofloc + hydroponic) (FP) and conventional aquaponics (AP) systems in producing Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) juveniles and lettuce (Lactuca sativa). The experiment was carried out for 46 days and consisted of two cycles of lettuce production (23 days each) and one cycle of juvenile production. The physical– chemical variables of the water, zootechnical performance of the fish, growth performance and visual characteristics of the plants, nutrient dynamics, and characterization of the planktonic community were evaluated in both systems. The results showed better fish productive performance in FP, with a mean final weight of 36.7 g compared with 34.9 g in AP. For plants, the Cycle 2 in the AP system showed the best plant growth and visual results (98% of the plants received the highest scores—grades A (excellent) and B (good)—on the plant quality index), whereas in FP only 37% achieved these grades in the same cycle. The results suggest that the integrated production of tilapia juveniles and lettuce using FP might be technically feasible if specific fertilization management or mechanisms are developed to refine the critical points of the system (e.g., nutrient imbalance and solids accumulation in the plant roots) to improve plant production. Keywords Aquaponics . FLOCponics . Nursery . Aquaculture . Hydroponic
Introduction Biofloc technology (BFT) has recently been used for the intensification of low-density aquaculture production (Emerenciano et al. 2017; Kotzen et al. 2019). Within BFT, the growth of specific microbial communities is fomented by the use of minimal water exchange and manipulation of the carbon and nitrogen ratio (C/N) by the addition of external carbon sources This article is part of the Topical Collection on Aquaponics and Biofloc
* Maria Célia Portella [email protected] Extended author information available on the last page of the article
Aquaculture International
(Martínez-Córdova et al. 2016). These microorganisms—mainly microalgae, rotifers, protozoa, and nitrifying and heterotrophic bacteria—are important for the maintenance of water quality (Martínez-Córdova et al. 2014; Ray et al. 2010). Besides their key role in the recycling of organic matter and residual nitrogen compounds, these microbiota are in situ protein synthesizers that are utilized as supplementary feed and therefore contribute to improving the zootechnical performance of the aquacultured species (Avnimelech 2015; Crab et al. 2012). BFT was initially employed in aquaculture as an alternative way to solve several disease outbreaks in shrimp farming due to its biosecurity and beneficial
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