Hydroponics Aquaculture Integration

Setup:






My experiment will be using Macrobrachium rosenbergii or the giant river prawn and common lettuce L. sativa. River prawns were chosen since they are a commonly aqua cultured freshwater species that is easily maintained and disease resistant. Lettuce was chosen because it is commonly grown hydroponically so it would be a good test case. My experimental design is to have 3 setups plant only, shrimp only, and the combined setup of shrimp and plants and each setup will have 2 replicates. General tank design would be separate containers for plants and shrimp set on racks one above the other the water from the shrimp tank will be pumped up to the filter and will then drain into the lettuce tank (or empty tank). This is shown in the diagram below. To determine results I will be measuring several things. I will be measuring growth rates of both shrimp and lettuce. For water quality check I will be measuring nitrate, nitrite, pH, and ammonia levels of the water. The levels of these different waste products will be used to determine the effectiveness of integration as well as a raw weight of organisms


Hydroponic section:

The lettuce is grown in rock-wool which provides a stable start area for the seeds and stabilizer in the hydroponic set up.



The plants were put into their hydroponic holders and put into the systems On Thursday 6/23/11.











Tank Cycling

One of the major parts in determining the effectiveness

Date Ammonia Nitrite Nitrate pH