Fish farmers advised to add plants

The aquaponics concept seems very interesting! But, is it possible to use ONLY the bacteria to digest the fish waste and then clean the water environment? Could anyone be kindly have your comments? From Lewis based in Asia.

This aquaponic is interesting, can it be called recycling system? I want to know, what kinds of vegetable best used? Ediwarman, from Jambi Freshwater Aquaculture Development Centre in Indonesia. Thank you.

Aquatic plants are a natural part of the aquatic environment and provide filtration, cleansing and re-oxygenation as a matter of course. Aquaculture without plants is a pretty impoverished place were waste has to be removed and re-oxygenation equipment used to improve the water quality, this machinery costs money and makes aquaculture more expensive than it should be, let alone the feed costs. Plants also provide a natural habitat for aquatic invertebrates, part of the food requirements for fish. This would not be the case in aquaponic units which are by definition much more sterile. Depending on the type and species of aquatic plants that are selected to perform these water quality improvement operations they will also be and provide another revenue stream, making aquaculture a much more profitable enterprise. For me aquaculture without plants does not work efficiently. Laurence Hutchinson CEO

It is advisable to add plants to ponds but there some factors to put in to consideration; >The chemical composition of the kinds of plants we want to introduce to the ponds(obnoxious or not) >To know the quantities of plants to present in a particular ponds so as not to cause over oxygenation of the ponds. >To know the mode of nutrition of aquatic life presents in the pond whether they are;herbivorous,omnivorous or carnivorous so as to be able to determine the quantity of plants to present in the ponds that can brings effective usage. Haruna Akeem CEO

wild aquatic plants can be fed to livestock animals to decresae the costs of getting rid of it.

Thank you, your explanation. Ediwarman

plants could be seeded or implanted around fish farms or on the slope of dikes and as an ulternatve crop betweenn fishing cycles (a method of maximising the input of land, a freindly way to break cycles of many parasitic diseases and indirectly supplies natural fish food; phyto and zoo planktons.) Dr. M. Tag

for furher experience about integrated and/or ulternative aquculture contact me on my cell phone : ++0119745999.t

Read: Ecological Aquaculture a sustainable solution ISBN 1-85623-032-5