Introduction First of all, what is Aquaponics? Aquaponics refers to any system that combines conventional aquaculture (raising aquatic animals such as snails, fish, crayfish or prawns in tanks) with hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) in a symbiotic environment. In normal aquaculture, excretions from the animals being raised can accumulate in the water, increasing toxicity. In an aquaponic system, water from an aquaculture system is fed to a hydroponic system where the by-products are broken down by nitrifying bacteria initially into nitrites and subsequently into nitrates, which are utilized by the plants as nutrients, and the water is then recirculated back to the aquaculture system. In short, the plants will provide…show more content… Tilapias are tolerant to a wide range of water quality parameters, they eat a lot of stuff that is considered undesirable in many aquaculture settings, and they grow and reproduce a lot quicker than other species. Maintaining the temperature of a tank is a big factor in taking care of a Tilapia.
Tilapias are filter feeders, and they are generally plankton and detritus feeders. In other words, they eat all the funky stuff that is suspended in the water column. They can be raised on almost any commercial fish feed, and can even eat things like dog and cat food. Allowing algae and other aquatic plants to grow in a tank, often a big no-no in other aquaculture endeavors, can provide a free source of supplemental feed for your tilapia.
What we plan to do is examine the difference of growth rate between Tilapia that is grown Via an Aquaponic Aquarium setup vs. a Standard or Regular Aquarium setup…show more content… Different strains grow at a different pace at a different location or environment. This means that a strain that is growing fast in one location can be slower than others. The growth rate of Tilapia is affected by a number of different factors that acts all together to decide the growth rate of the tilapia. Growth rate factors include: the water quality, water temperature, the health of the fish, food supply, and oxygen level. The amount and type of food you will give to your Tilapia will have the most dramatic effect or will be the biggest factor that can affect the growth of your Tilapia. But overall, all of the factors will have an impact to the growth. The type of farming you use can also affect the growth rate significantly and so can stock density. As mentioned earlier, different strain of tilapia will grow at different rates at different environment. Some strains are for instance fast growing in brackish water while some are not very good choices for pure freshwater ponds. It is therefore important to pick a good strain for your particular fish-raising environment. Tilapia fishes will only grow at a good rate only if the farm or the fish-raising environment you are using suits