Aquaponics integrates aquaculture and hydroponic production using fish waste as nutrients for various vegetable crops. Herbaceous plants such as basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), peppermint (Mentha piperita L.) and spearmint (Mentha spicata L.) are in great demand due to their properties; however, there is very little information about their behavior in aquaponics. The objective of this study was to evaluate the growth and development of these species under aquaponic conditions. According to the results, the evaluated herbaceous plants suit crop conditionsand they can be used as part of the biological filters in aquaponic systems with tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L. var. Stirling) production. Water quality could be maintained within appropriate ranges for both fish and plant production. Spearmint was the plant where the highest productivity was observed, suggesting that it assimilates the nutrients produced in this type of system more efficiently.

This study was conducted to evaluate juveniles' Ocyurus chrysurus (13.7 ± 0.45 g initial weight) to utilize lipid as an energy source on growth, feed efficiency, body composition, digestive and hepatic enzyme activities. Four diets of two protein levels (40 and 50%) with two lipid levels (6 and 12%) and 2% of digestible carbohydrates were formulated. Fish were fed for 60 days to apparent satiation at a stocking density of 10 fish per tank (100 L). Growth gain of fish fed 50% dietary protein was higher than of fish fed 40% dietary protein (P < 0.05). However, feed efficiency was significantly higher at 12 than 6% of dietary lipid. Whole-body lipid and glycogen in the liver increased dramatically with dietary lipid content-alkaline protease activity trend increased as dietary protein increased. Trypsin activity increased significantly as dietary lipid decreased, whereas chymotrypsin activity showed the opposite trend (P < 0.05). Bile salt-dependent lipase activity trend towards increasing as dietary energy decreased. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGDH), and fructose-1, 6-biphosphatase (FBPase) significantly increased with increasing dietary lipid levels. However, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity increased with dietary protein content. On the other side, pyruvate kinase (PK) activity increased with both dietary protein and lipid content. This study indicates that high dietary lipid (12%) improved the feed efficiency but did not reduce dietary protein demand in juveniles O. chrysurus.

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ABSTRACT. Aquaponics can be de ned as the integration of hydroponic plant production in a recirculating aquaculture system and has been proposed as a sustainable method to control the accumulation of waste produced by sh farming. The objective of the present study was to determine the biomass production and its feed potential of Myriophyllum aquaticum, Limnobium laevigatum, Lemna minor and Salvinia molesta grown in aquaponics. To evaluate the chemical compositions of these species, dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, neutral detergent ber, acid detergent ber, lignin, ash, ether extract, gross energy, calcium, and phosphorus of the aquatic plants were determined. Based on the results of this study, aquatic plants are considered to ful ll most of the nutritional requirements of productive animal species. Therefore, it is feasible to use them as the main ingredient in whole animal rations, with an emphasis on Myriophyllum aquaticum and Lemna minor as alternative food sources for di erent animal species, opening the way to aquaponic fodder production. Aquatic plants are interesting alternative, unconventional feed sources, especially because their high growth rates and nutritional qualities make it feasible to use them for animal consumption. However, Salvinia molesta has no value as fodder, especially because of its lignin concentration, which could a ect the fodder digestibility.Key words: Aquatic plants, biomass, fodder, nutritional characterization, Recirculation aquaculture systems (RAS) RESUMEN. La acuaponía es una alternativa sustentable para el control de los desechos acumulados que se producen en los cultivos acuícolas, puede ser de nida como la integración del cultivo de plantas en camas hidropónicas en un sistema de recircualción acuícola. El objetivo del presente estudio fue determinar la producción de biomasa y evaluar el potencial forrajero por medio de la composición química de Myriophyllum aquaticum, Limnobium laevigatum, Lemna minor y Salvinia molesta cultivadas en acuaponía. Se determino el contenido de materia seca, materia orgánica, proteína cruda, bra neutro detergente, bra ácido detergente, lignina, cenizas, extracto étereo, energía bruta, calcio y fósforo. Las plantas acuáticas evaluadas cubren los requerimientos nutricionales de la mayoría de las especies animales productivas, siendo posible su incorporación como ingredientes en las raciones para animales, en particular Myriophyllum aquaticum y Lemna minor son una alternativa para la alimentación animal, como forrajes acuapónicos. Las hidró tas son una fuente no convencional y alternativa de forraje, por su rápido crecimiento y calidad nutrimental, para el consumo animal. Mientras que Salvinia molesta, no tiene valor como forraje por su concentración de lignina,

Macrobrachium tenellum is an omnivorous freshwater prawn living in rivers near the coast and in coastal lagoons with potential to be cultured. It is distributed in rivers, estuaries, and coastal lagoons, and in each of those habitats, it has access to food items with different features and nutritional content. In this research, it has been tested if this variety of food availability has an immediate effect on their digestive enzymatic activity once animals are brought to laboratory and fed with different meals.Wild prawns were captured in a river and coastal lagoon, and after acclimation, they were fed with three different experimental diets. Total alkaline protease, trypsin, chymotrypsin, lipase, and α amylase were measured from prawns fed experimental diets at 15 and 30 days. There were significant differences in the enzymatic activity of prawns depending on their original habitat and diet. However, the proportion in which these enzymes are expressed in the prawns from different treatments remains proportional to what was observed in wild specimens, as reported in previous research. We consider that

ABSTRACT. Due to the cost of raw materials, the need to formulate balanced feeds with highly digestible ingredients is indispensable for the aquaculture feed industry. For this reason, the protein in vitro digestibility, assessed by the pH-stat method, of ingredients with potential of using them on the balanced feed for Macrobrachium tenellum, were evaluated. The relative protein digestibility was assessed in twelve feed ingredients, including animal (pork meal, feather poultry meal, prime poultry meal, turkey meal, fish meal, shrimp meal), vegetal (coconut paste, chickpea meal, soybean meal, wheat gluten) and microbial (yeast and Spirulina meal); casein (Hammerstein grade) was used as the reference protein. The highest relative protein digestibility was found in: Spirulina meal (52.6%); following by pork meal (45.6%), and feather poultry meal (39.6%). The lowest digestibilities were found in soybean meal (15.9%), chickpea meal (12.1%), and fish meal (11.6%). The protein digestibility value should be considered for selecting potential ingredients for the formulation of balanced feeds for M. tenellum.

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