Feasibility study of a small-scale aquaponic system in Costa Rica.
Aquaponics is the cultivating of plants and fish together in a natural ecosystem using fish waste as plant nutrients. Aquaponic systems work in a closed loop, using natural bacterial cycles to convert the fish waste in form of ammonia to plant nutrients in form of nitrates. Small-scale aquaponics systems are the most common and offer a viable solution to tropical regions with little or no water, limited land, and unpredictable climate. The main objective of this graduation project was to evaluate the feasibility of a small-scale aquaponic system designed and constructed at EARTH University in Costa Rica. Technical analysis and financial analysis were carried out and 100 Nile tilapias (Oreochromis niloticus) were grown in two fish tanks with 50 tilapias each, the highest fish weight was 88.3 g, and the fish mortality rate was 43 % at the end of the project. In the deep-water culture (DWC) bamboo bed, 25 fresh chives (Allium schoenoprasum) and 25 lettuce (Lactuca sativa) plants were grown. Fresh chives in the DWC bed were also healthier, grew better and had more vigor compared to the lettuce plants in the same bed. The results from the financial analysis for the five-year period evaluated, showed that small scale aquaponic systems are profitable and can generate a high economic value. The Net Present Value (NPV) of the small aquaponics system for the next five years was positive and was CRC 581,978 CRC (USD 919.40) which shows that aquaponic systems are feasible on small scale in the tropics.
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| Format: | info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis biblioteca |
| Language: | eng |
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Universidad EARTH
2021-12
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| Subjects: | ACUICULTURA, CULTIVO HIDROPONICO, TILAPIA, OREOCHROMIS NILOTICUS, LECHUGA, LACTUCA SATIVA, ALLIUM SCHOENOPRASUM, CEBOLLINO, https://purl.org/pe-repo/ocde/ford#4.01.01, |
| Online Access: | https://repositorio.earth.ac.cr/handle/UEARTH/234 |
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