Water Quality, Proximate Analysis, and Fish Productivity Differences in a Closed Aquaponics Syste

Aquaculture is an industry in the fisheries field where fish are raised as a main source of food. Aquaponics is a combination of aquaculture and hydroponics. Largemouth Bass (LMB) and hybrid bluegill are lucrative fish in the Southeastern region of the United States. A 102-day experiment was conducted in the Alabama A&M; University Greenhouse where Largemouth Bass and hybrid bluegill were grown in a closed aquaponics system using three different feed types. The feed types were 100% commercial feed (control), and the 25% Canola - 75% Mealworm and 50% Canola - 50% Mealworm were both experimental feeds. The fish were separated out into different tanks with each treatment having one replicate. The Largemouth Bass survived the full length of the experiment. This research was conducted to compare the growth and nutritional condition of fish in an aquaponics system fed three treatments of formulated fish feed: commercial, 25% Canola - 75% Mealworm, and 50% Canola - 50% Mealworm. The results showed that fish fed the commercial feed grew the fastest, were the healthiest, and had the greatest survival rate among the three treatments.