Aquaponics System

Aquaponics is an integrated fish and plant production technology, essentially comprising of

two sub-systems, viz., ‘Aquaculture’ and ‘Hydroponics’. The underlying principle is to
efficiently utilize water to produce two crops rather than one and to partition and share nutrient
resources between fish and plants. This farming system is commonly used in resource limited
and urban areas to raise both fish and vegetable in an integrated system. Aquaponics involves
culture of horticulture plants along with fishes. Many plants are suitable for aquaponics
systems, though which ones work for a specific system depends on the maturity and stocking
density of the fish.

Green leafy vegetables with low to medium nutrient requirements are well adapted to
aquaponics systems, including capsicum, tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage, lettuce, basil, spinach,
chives, herbs, and watercress. It is basically a Recirculation Culture System, wherein fish are
fed with quality floating pellet feed and waste generated from fish are pumped into bio-filter
troughs having horticulture plants, the flow rate of water is to be adjusted with the help of the
timer. The fishes and plants grown in aquaponics system are totally organic.

Even though the initial investment of the system is high, the recurring cost is less and gives
reasonable returns. This system is having the advantage of using less water, lesser area of land,
waste renewal, less labour, etc. Plants and animals in an Aquaponic System have a symbiotic
relationship with each other. The fish excreta provide nutrients for the plants, while the plants
clean the water, creating a suitable environment for the fish to grow.

1. Resources

Aquaponics is often hailed as the future of food production. Aquaponic Systems are said to
utilize only 2 to 10% of the water required in traditional vegetable or crop production and have
the potential to produce 10 times the output, without the use of harmful chemicals, pesticides,
etc. The most significant aspect of Aquaponics is the minimum extent of land/ space required,
leading to what is being dubbed as Urban Aquaponics/ Urban Agriculture/ Urban Farming/
Urban Gardening/ Terrace Gardening/ Vertical Gardening/ Office Farm (indoor), etc. Being
highly efficient, utilization of natural resources is very limited and results in conservation of
precious natural resources like water, land and environment.

2. Status and Potential

Our country is leading in freshwater fish production as farmers have achieved impressive yields
even in traditional methods of fish farming by harvesting anywhere between 2–10 tonne per
hectare per year. However, an Aquaponics System can produce up to five times the quantity of
fish in same area per year, besides a good crop of vegetables. Aquaponics is relatively a new
practice in our country. Establishment of these units will therefore improve the knowledge base
of fish farmers about emerging and future technologies in aquaculture.
Operation of these units is more demanding in terms of technology, techniques, biology of
cultured fish and stringent water quality parameters. In view of the shrinking resources of land
and water, growing population, urbanization and change in life-style, there is a great demand
for fresh, hygienically and organically produced fish and vegetables in the cities. Therefore,
Aquaponics has a huge potential for integrated fish and plant production in urban, suburban as
well as rural settings.

3. Project Location and Implementation

A. Site Selection: Selection of a good site is extremely important, although Aquaponic Systems
are suitable where only limited water is available for removal of fish wastes out of the
production system. Passing water through a treatment unit removes ammonia and other
waste products achieving the same effect as a flow-through configuration. Land/ space
measuring at least 150 m2 for a Backyard-type Aquaponics unit and 2000 m2 for a Small-
scale Commercial Aquaponics unit is required for the construction.
B. Beneficiaries: Beneficiaries include women SHGs/ fisherman societies/ fish farmers/
entrepreneurs; selection would be based on their interest and awareness. Beneficiary
selection is done through a notification and NFDB Website.

C. Project Implementation:
• Project will be implemented by the beneficiary with technical support from the
Designated Technology/Service Provider and Dept. of Fisheries of the State Govt.
• Financial assistance in the form of subsidy will be obtained from Govt. (Central/State)
and the remaining amount will have to be borne by the beneficiary through self-finance,
bank loan, etc.

4. Project Components

A. Water Quality: Water quality is important and optimum range of certain parameters
required for successful fish culture in an Aquaponics System are as follows:

Sl. No. Water Parameter Optimum Range

1 Temperature 26 - 30 oC
2 Dissolved Oxygen 4 - 6 ppm
3 pH 7-8
4 Alkalinity 120 - 150 ppm
5 Ammonia <0.05 ppm
6 Nitrite <0.5 ppm
7 Nitrate <5 ppm

B. Targeted Fish Species: Monosex Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), Pangasius

(Pangasiandon hypophthalmus) or any species that can tolerate high density stocking are
suitable for Aquaponic System.
 GIFT Tilapia Pangasius
(Oreochromis niloticus) (Pangasiandon hypophthalmus)

C. Model Unit: Particulars of the ‘Small-scale Aquaponics Unit’ designed by M/s Spacos
Innovations, Chitradurga, Karnataka are given here as an example:

(i) Fish Pond/Tank: Area required for construction of the fish pond/tank is 80 m2;
diameter of the circular tank is 7.2 m, having a volume of 60 m3 (60,000 litre), with effective
water depth of 1.68 m and maximum depth of 2.13 m (centre of the pond/tank). The system
is designed to handle more than 50 fish/m3 (total 3000 fish). Details of design of pond/tank
are as follows:

Sl.No. Particulars Unit

1 Total Land Area required Maximum of 150 m2
2 Tank Area 80 m2
3 Circular Tank Diameter 7.2 m
4 Tank Volume 60 m3 (60,000 litre)
5 Effective Depth 1.68 m
6 Maximum Depth 2.13 m (centre of the pond)

(ii) Plant Grow-Beds: Number of grow-beds in FRP Tanks 10, dimension of each grow-
bed 6 x 2 x 1 ft (1.83 x 0.61 x 0.30 m); different kinds of solid media such as gravel or
expanded clay pebbles (hydrotons) or lightweight expanded clay aggregate (LECA) are
used to grow plants, through which water from fish tank passes. Design and layout of the
fish tank and grow-beds is shown below:

Layout of Small-scale Aquaponics Unit

 (iii) Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor & Filtration: One Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor
(MBBR) and Filtration Unit is installed for water treatment in the Aquaponic System.

Fish Tank and Filtration System Plant Grow-bed Tanks

(iv) Stocking and Yield: Although stocking densities should be determined by species
requirements and operational considerations, the influence of stocking densities on growth
and production has been determined empirically. The indicative stocking and harvest details
of fish and plants are as follows:

Sl.No. Component Salient Feature

I Fish Culture
1 Fish Tank volume 60 m3
2 Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor & One Set
Filtration Unit
3 Targeted Species GIFT Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and
Pangasius (Pangasiandon hypophthalmus)
4 Fingerling stocking (50/m3) 3000 nos.
5 Fish Culture period 5-6 months
6 Survival 90% (2700 nos.)
7 Average body weight 750 g
8 Expected Yield/unit/cycle 2700 fish x 750 gm = 2025 kg
9 Total Production/unit/year 2025 kg x 2 cycles = 4050 kg per year
sII Vegetable Cultivation
1 No. of Plant Grow-beds 10 nos.
2 Plant varieties Tomato, Mint, Chilly, Lettuce, Basil
3 Planting density 15 – 20 saplings / bed
4 Total no. of Plant 150-200 plants
5 Plant cultivation period Throughout the year
6 Harvest type Partial harvest
7 Expected yield /bed/year 5-10 kg/ bed/ year

5. Commercial Aquaponics Unit

An extent of 0.5 acre (2000 sq m) land would be ideal for establishing a Small-scale
Aquaponics Unit to be run on commercial lines. It would essentially comprise of one
rectangular fish tank, 10 grow-beds for plants, besides Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR)
and Filtration Units, Pumps, Aerators, etc. The approximate capital cost would be about Rs.
3.7 lakh and operational costs Rs. 4.1 lakh (total Rs. 7.8 lakh).

The technical details, design and layout, probable project cost, and estimated project costs
and returns are given below:

A. Technical Details (Indicative)

Particulars Details
Fish Culture Tank
Tank Size & Volume 12 x 5 x 2 m (120 m3)
Effective Water Volume 100 m3
Vegetable Growing Beds
Individual bed size & volume 6 x 2 x 1 ft (12 ft3) (340 L)
Depth of the bed 0.3 m
Volume of LECA/bed (2 nos.) 150 L/ bed
Quantity of gravel/bed (4 nos.) 150 kg/bed
Quantity of sand/bed (2 nos.) 150 kg/bed
Volume of water/bed (2 nos.) 500 L/bed
Water Filters, Pumps, Aerators, etc.
Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor & Filter Set Two Units
Pumps required (2 nos.) 15/18000 LPH
Water flow rate 30/36000 LPH
Aerator (3 nos.) 120 LPM
Auto Timer (1 no.) 20 min.
Fish Species Tilapia/ Pangassius/ Koi Carps, etc.
Source of Fish Registered Fish Hatchery/ Seed Farm
Stocking size Fingerlings (minimum 5 g)
Stocking density 50-60/m3 (5000-6000 nos.)
Fish Culture period 6 months
Composition of fish feed 28% protein
Type of fish feed Pelleted feed
Expected weight gain per fish in 6 months Avg. 500 g
Expected Survival 90% (4500 – 5400 nos.)
Expected Yield/yr 5400 kg/yr
Plant Varieties Tomato, Mint, Chilly, Lettuce, Basil,
Capsicum
Planting Density 15 – 20 saplings/ bed
Total no. of Plant 150-200 plants
Plant Cultivation period 12 months
Harvest type Partial Harvest
B. Design and Layout (Representative)

C. Probable Unit Costs

Sl.No. Particulars Unit Price Qty. Total Cost

(Rs.) (Rs.)
A Capital Cost
1 Fish Tank Construction (12 x 5 x 2 m) 1,00,000 1 1,00,000
2 MBBR & Filtration Units 50000 1 50,000
3 Grow-beds for vegetables 70000 1 70,000
4 Coarse sand & ¾” gravel for grow-beds 12000 1 12,000
5 Fish Tank Pump 15000 LPH 9000 1 9,000
6 Air-oxy tube (m) 200 10 2,000
7 Aerators (for Oxygen supply) 120 LPM 10000 3 30000
8 2 KVA solar inverter for power backup 40000 1 40,000
9 Biosecurity fencing for fish tank 20000 1 20,000
10 Plumbing items 30000 1 30,000
Sub-Total A 3,63,000
 Sl.No. Particulars Unit Price Qty. Total Cost
(Rs.) (Rs.)
B Operational Cost
1 Tilapia seed (annually 2 cycles) 5 12000 60,000
2 Feed cost (annually 2 cycles) 35 8500 2,97,500
3 Horticulture sapling 3 1000 3,000
4 Electricity cost (units consumed x cost 10 5400 54,000
per unit) per annum (2 cycles)
Sub-Total B 4,14,500
C Total (A+B) 7,77,500

D. Estimated Project Costs & Returns

Sl. No. Particulars Amount/Quantity

1 Culture period for fish (months) 6 months each crop, total 2 crops
2 Fish fingerlings stocked (nos.) 6,000 nos.
3 Expected Survival 90%
4 Total Fish survived (nos.) 5400 nos.
5 Average harvest size (g) 750 g
6 Expected Production (kg/crop) 5400 nos. x 750 = 4050 kg
7 Total Production per year (2 crops) 4050 kg x 2 = 8100 kg
8 Sale price of fresh/ live fish (Rs/kg) Rs. 150
9 Gross Income Per Year (Rs)
From Fish (8100 kg x Rs.150) 12,15,000
From Vegetables (Rs.) 73,300
Total Income (D) (Rs.) 12,88,300
10 Net Profit/Year (D-C) (Rs.) 5,10,800

6. Project Monitoring Unit (PMU)

A Project Monitoring Unit (PMU) comprising representative of the Designated
Technology/ Service Provider, Dept. of Fisheries of the State Govt. and the NFDB
would be constituted to monitor the implementation and progress of the Project.

7. Further Reading

Christopher Somerville, Moti Cohen, Edoardo Pantanella, Austin Stankus and

Alessandro Lovatelli, 2014. “Small-scale aquaponic food production – Integrated
fish and plant farming”. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper 589, 2014,
pp 288.

Ravindranath, K., 2017. Aquaponics – an Integrated Fish and Plant Production

System for Urban, Suburban and Rural Settings. NFDB Newsletter Matsya Bharat,
Vol. 8, Issue 5, January-March 2017, pages 5-15.