Co‑production and biomass yield of amaranthus (Amaranthus hybridus) and tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in gravel‑based substrate flter aquaponic

Abstract

Purpose Aquaponics combine aquaculture with crop production in a mutual system. In this experiment, the growth of Amaranthus in aquaponics with tilapia fsh was investigated. Methods 500-liter water tanks containing tilapia fsh at four initial stocking densities of100, 150, 200, and 250 fsh/m3 were used in triplicates, with a view to evaluate vegetable yields as infuenced by fsh biomass to water ratio. 1 g of Amaranthus seeds were sown in a 1 m2 planting trough, which contained gravel with a top layer of sandy soil. The pots were fooded with water from fsh holdings by an aquarium pump. Results The germination rate of Amaranthus was not signifcantly diferent across the experimental setup (P>0.05). The growth rate of Amaranthus was signifcantly higher with increasing fsh density (P