Fish Selection for Aquaponics
Chris Hartleb Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility
Department of Biology University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Status of Global Aquaculture: Farmed and Wild
Selection Criteria
• Compatibility – fish, plants, bacteria • Availability – source of fish & regulations • Quantity – how many do you need? • Marketing – will you sell them? To whom?
Compatibility with Plants & Bacteria
• Requirements for germination & growth • Simultaneous fish & plant selection
Plant Requirements (lettuce as an example)
Parameter Range
Temperature 60-80oF / 15-26oC
pH Preferred: 5.8 - 6.2 Maximum: 7.0 - 7.5
Bacteria Requirements
Plants
Compromise: Temperature: 70-80oF / 21 - 26oC pH = 7.0
Bacteria Parameter Optimum Range
Temperature: Nitrosomonas Nitrobacter
68 – 86oF / 20 – 30oC 82 – 100oF / 28 – 38oC
pH: Nitrosomonas Nitrobacter
7.8 – 8.0 7.3 – 7.5
Parameter Range
Temperature 60-80oF / 15-26oC
pH Preferred: 5.8 - 6.2 Maximum: 7.0 - 7.5
Parameter Range
Temperature 60-80oF / 15-26oC
pH 7.0 – 8.0
Fish
Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS)
Fish Tanks
Clarifier
Mineralization tanks
Raft Tank Water Pump
Degassing Tank
Air pump
Why control using RAS?
• Physical control – Temperature – Light intensity, daylength, spectrum – Dissolved gases (oxygen, carbon dioxide)
• Chemical control – Water quality – Feeding – Wastewater
• Biological control – Viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites (pathogens) – Fish
• Low stress = high or optimal survival & growth
Water Quality
• Temperature: poikilotherms • Dissolved oxygen: limited in water • pH: indicator • Ammonia & Nitrite: fish waste products
– pH and temperature determine the proportion – Alkaline pH more NH3 (toxic) – Acidic pH more NH4 (less toxic) – Bacterial nitrification converts ammonia to nitrite
• Fish are sensitive at levels >0.6 mg/L
• Hardness – Influences fish osmoregulation
• CO2: product of fish respiration – Regulated by aeration
Production Water Quality Parameters for Cool-water Fish
Parameter Range
Temperature 72 - 76oF / 22 - 24oC
Dissolved oxygen 7.0 - 8.3 mg/L
Oxygen saturation 85 – 100%
pH 7.0 – 8.0
Unionized ammonia-N Total ammonia-N
<0.01 mg/L <1.0 mg/L
Nitrite-N <0.5 mg/L
Nitrate-N <250 mg/L
Carbon dioxide <10 mg/L
Total alkalinity 50-700 mg/L
Tolerance Ranges
Generalized Fish Categories
Group Temperature DO requirement
Ammonia tolerance
Protein requirement
Coldwater <60oF / <15oC >5 mg/L Low High
Coolwater 60 – 75oF / 15 – 24oC >5 mg/L Low Moderate
Warmwater >75oF / >24oC >2 mg/L Moderate Moderate
Tolerance Ranges for Growth of Tilapia
Culture factor Range
Temperature 64 - 90oF (17 - 32oC)
Dissolved oxygen 3 – 10 mg/L
pH 7 – 8
Ammonia-N 0 – 0.04 mg/L
Nitrite-N 0 – 0.8 mg/L
Hardness 50 - 350 mg/L
CO2 0 – 30 mg/L
• Widely cultured in tropical and sub-tropical regions.
• A favorite for aquaponics.
Growth Rate of Nile Tilapia
• More than tripled in weight during 104 day (3 ½ months) study. • Inverse relationship between density and growth.
Tilapia Production
• Worldwide: – 830,000 tons in 1990 – 1.6 million tons in 1999 – 3.5 million tons in 2008
• China: 1.1 million tons in 2008
Tilapia Imports to U.S.
• Frozen tilapia fillets from China (90% of market)
• Fresh tilapia fillets are a niche market.
2007 2008 2009
China 120.0 119.3 130.4
Indonesia 8.6 9.8 8.8
Taiwan PC 16.1 18.6 15.7
Ecuador 12.5 9.2 10.2
Thailand 0.2 3.7 1.6
Honduras 7.9 8.3 6.5
Costa Rica 4.8 5.6 5.7
Others 3.6 4.9 4.5
Total 173.7 179.4 183.4
Estimated Cost of Production
• Brazil, Ecuador, Cuba: $1.10 / kg • Costa Rica, Jamaica: $1.20 / kg • Colombia, Mexico: $1.25 / kg • USA: $2.00 / kg • Canada: $2.10 / kg
Current Market Trends
• U.S. and European growers will concentrate on live sales. • Latin America and Southeast Asia will be primary U.S. suppliers of fillets and
processed forms. • Latin America, Caribbean and Africa will supply European markets. • U.S. imports are growing, demand is very good and almost all supplies are coming
from imports. • Second most popular fish in U.S. retail stores, behind salmon, and the 5th most
popular fishery product overall. • Tilapia supply will continue to expand from increased Chinese production mainly
directed at U.S. markets.
Tolerance Ranges for Growth of Percidae (Example: Yellow perch)
Culture factor Range
Temperature 70 – 75oF (21-24oC)
Dissolved oxygen 3.5 – 10 mg/L
pH 6.5-9
Ammonia-N 0 – 0.0125 mg/L
Nitrite-N 0 – 1.0 mg/L
Hardness 50 – 400 mg/L
CO2 0 – 6 mg/L
• Widely cultured in Midwest U.S.
• A favorite fish for the Friday-night fish fry.
Growth Rates of Yellow Perch & Pikeperch
• Yellow perch: 19oC RAS, raised for 4 months • Mixed vs monosex (female)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
November December January February March April
Month
Wei
ght (
g)
Lake Mendota mixed sex
Lake Mendota mono sex female
Pikeperch: 2 months in RAS
Growth Rates of Walleye & Hybrids
Weig ht g ain of H ybrid Walleye R eared in R ec yc le S ys tem at 23 C
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
50 66 95 114 159 192 235 270 310 370 430 490 560
Da ys P ost Ha tc h
Gra
ms
F ingerling phas e IID GR =0.5 g/day
Growout phas e III-IVD GR =1.4 g/day
Tolerance Ranges for Growth of Centrarchids (Example: Bluegill)
Culture factor Ranges
Temperature 68 – 85oF (20-29oC)
Dissolved oxygen 4 – 10 mg/L
pH 7 – 8.5
Ammonia-N 0 – 0.01 mg/L
Nitrite-N 0 – 0.8 mg/L
Hardness 50 – 200 mg/L
CO2 0 – 25 mg/L
• Potential as temperate region tilapia.
• Widely cultured in Midwest U.S.
• Broad geographic distribution.
Growth Rates of Bluegill & Hybrids • Bluegill and female green - male bluegill hybrids. • 0.5 lbs (227 g) market-size needed in 10-12 months. • Feed ranges: 32-40% crude protein
Tolerance Ranges for Growth of Channel Catfish
Culture factor Ranges
Temperature 70 – 90oF (21-32oC)
Dissolved oxygen >4 mg/L
pH 7 – 8
Ammonia-N 0 – 0.05 mg/L
Hardness 25 – 100 mg/L
CO2 <10 mg/L
• Hardy and tolerant. • International and national
market saturation. • More economical
production in ponds. • Sub-optimal growth in RAS.
Tolerance Ranges for Growth of Carp (Example: Koi & Goldfish)
Culture factor Ranges
Temperature 65 – 75oF (18-24oC)
Dissolved oxygen 4 – 10 mg/L
pH 6 – 8
Ammonia-N 0 – 0.08 mg/L
Nitrite-N 0 – 0.6 mg/L
Hardness 50 – 350 mg/L
CO2 0 – 25 mg/L
• Ornamental trade and sales. • Hardy & tolerant. • Marketing.
Tolerances Ranges for Growth of Salmonids
Culture factor Ranges
Temperature: Optimal
<71oF / <22oC 53 – 60oF / 12 - 16oC
Dissolved oxygen >6.0 mg/L
pH 6.5 – 8.0
Ammonia-N <0.01 mg/L
Hardness 10 – 400 mg/L
CO2 <10 mg/L
• Most popular retail fish in U.S.
• Well established markets. • Potential in RAS being
documented.
Growth Rate of Rainbow Trout • All female • Continuous light, fed every 1-2 hours
Growth Rate of Atlantic Salmon
• Raised at 13oC • Continuous light vs 12:12 for winter
Growth Rate of Arctic Char
• Triploid vs diploid
Freshwater Species
• Most any fish can be cultured in RAS as long as it does well under medium to high density culture.
• Optimization data needed. – Largemouth bass
• Markets mostly large cities – Barramundi (sea bass)
• Australia to Southeast Asia • 1.5 – 2.0 lbs in a year
– Murray cod • Australia, carnivorous but readily accepts feed • Adaptable to crowding
– Jade perch • Australia, require water temperature >16oC • Can grow to 500 g in under 12 months
– Pacu – Others
Marketing
Fish Feed
• The fish food provides the nutrients to the entire system: Fish – bacteria- plants
• Assimilation and conversion • Fish selection affects diet choice and
nutrient availability: – Herbivorous fish require a diet of 22-
35% protein. – Omnivorous fish require a diet of 32-
38% protein. – Carnivorous fish may require 40-50%
protein.
Fish Nutrition Required Elements in Fish Diet
Essential Amino acids Non-essential Amino acids Vitamins Minerals Elements for Plants Arginine Alanine Thiamine Phosphorus Phosphorus
Histidine Asparagine Riboflavin Manganese* Manganese*
Isoleucine Aspartate Pyridoxine Copper* Copper*
Leucine Cysteine Pantothenate Iron Iron
Lysine Glutamate Biotin Potassium Potassium
Methionine Glutamine Choline Calcium Calcium
Phenylalanine Glycine Folate Magnesium Magnesium
Threonine Proline Ascorbic acid Zinc* Zinc*
Tryptophan Serine Vitamin A Cobalt* Boron*
Valine Tyrosine Vitamin D Selenium* Molybdenum*
Vitamin E Iodine* Sulfur
Vitamin K Nitrogen
Vitamin B12
Nutrient Percent of feed
Protein 45%
Fat 22%
Carbohydrates 25%
Moisture 10%
Ash 2%
*micronutrients
Fate of Nitrogen and Phosphorus in Fish Feed
Food 100% N 100% P
Retained in Tissues 30% N 32% P
Dissolved 87% N 10-40% P
Solids 13% N 60-90% P
Effluent 70% N 68% P
Availability
• Know your national, state, and local Import regulations. http://www.ncrac.org/Info/StateImportRegs/stateregsmain.htm
Source & Receiving Fish
• Know your nursery provider. • Health certificate & Quarantine • Acclimate • Year-round availability
Depuration or Purge
• Removing off-flavor
Conclusions
• More detailed information needed for optimizing culture performance of fish in aquaponics.
• Information can be garnered from studies using recirculating aquaculture. • Tilapia optimization has been done, but other issues arise. • Marketing awareness and consumer education.
• VetMedCE.org – "Fish Health Courses for Producers and Veterinarians" > "Fish Producer Courses“
• [email protected] • http://aquaculture.uwsp.edu