Over the years, the Fisheries Research Institute, Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan, has been committed to establishing an environmentally-friendly aquaculture model, and has innovatively developed an improved type of aquaponic system, which can simultaneously produce fresh water fish, ornamental shrimps, snails, and planting crops by adding specially cultivated algae and bacteria to a general aquaponic system. The algae, bacteria, and other microorganisms could fully absorb and utilize the nutrient elements in the aquaculture water, and then, feed the algae and bacteria as bait to the ornamental shrimps and snails, which can increase the water recycling rate by more than 90%, increase the output value by approximately double, and effectively improve the output value and utilization of the system.
The aquaponic system is a kind of multi trophic level compound production system, meaning it is a small-scale ecosystem in itself. The more diverse the components are, the easier it is for the ecosystem to be balanced and stable. In order to simplify the management process of operation, the common aquaponic systems usually use a single fish species combined with a single horticultural crop for planning and production; while this new aquaponic system is an innovative system that emphasizes a multi species production mode. According to the Fisheries Research Institute, the nutritional source of an aquaponic system is generally feed; however, the nutrient elements in feed, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, will not be fully absorbed and utilized by the fish and planting crops. Therefore, these residual nutrients can be provided for algae and bacteria to absorb and multiply, and then, shrimps or snails can ingest these algae and bacteria, in order that the system can achieve the purposes of diversified use, environmental protection, water saving, and material recycling.
This aquaponic system can be applied in the agricultural production of fish and vegetables; moreover, it can be used in leisure, landscaping, education, environmental protection, stress relief, medical treatments, and many other aspects. The animals and plants in this system can easily be replaced by different species according to different facility processes and needs; for example, ornamental fish and vanilla can be used for indoor landscape facilities, while edible fish and fruits can be used in agro-food education or green beautification facilities. The improvement results of the Fisheries Research Institute can be applied to produce many species, thus, effectively improving the application efficiency of the system.
Freshwater Breeding Research Center, Fisheries Research Institute, Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan
Figure 1 Innovative Aquaponic System
Figure 2. Aquaponic System with Healing and Stress Relieving Vanilla