Radu Mihai Filep, Stefan Diaconescu, Adrian Turek Rahoveanu, Monica Marin, Carmen Georgeta Nicolae
Full Text PDF | aquaponics, construction, cost, soilless.

Building a small scale aquaponic system can be considered as a source of profit. On the same floor area two products could be yield: fish and plants (herbs, vegetables, salads, ornamentals). The small scale aquaponic system was built in the laboratory of Fisheries and Aquaculture of the Faculty of Animal Science of the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine in Bucharest. It has two components, namely component of aquaculture and hydroponics component. The aquaculture component is represented by a tank with a volume of 450 l and the hydroponic component that is composed of a parallelepipedic box lined with PVC foil of 0.5 mm. PVC film’s purpose is to retain water in the hydroponic component. The parallelopipedic box was made of OSB with reinforcements made of pine timber. The substrate chosen for plant growth was river gravel with dimensions between 8 and 16 mm. The surface obtained for the plant growth was 1 m2. Water recirculation was done with a pump with adjustable flow of 300 to 1000 l / h. An aerator with two diffusers was used to assure the fish respiration and the nitrification processes. Construction costs, initialization and use of such a system are small and do not require special knowledge, tools or skills. This system can be built and used in spaces where there is no possibility of using soil for plant growth (balconies, terraces, etc.). This way one can have available herbs, vegetables and fresh fish, even in an apartments building. 

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ISSN (online) 2284-953X
ISSN (CD-ROM) 2284-9521
ISSN-L 2284-9521
Publisher University of Pitesti, EUP