Operating aquaponics system using rain water in Busitema University

Abstract

Rain water harvesting (RWH) is an excellent technique of water conservation for future needs and also to recharge groundwater. Surface water and municipal water has often been used in Aquaponics systems but due to the presence of Total Dissolved Solids, TDS, Total suspended solids and Chlorine/Chloramines respectively which whiz has been a distress to the fish growth in Aquaponics. Rain water turns out to be the effective option for the Aquaponics system due to it purity and absence of suspended and dissolved solids in it. Aquaponics is an eco-friendly system for food production utilizing aquaculture and hydroponics to cultivate fish and crop without soil. It is an inexpensive symbiotic cycle between the fish and plant. In an aquaponic system, fish waste (ammonia) is fed into the plant bed which acts as a bio-filter and takes the nitrate which is essential to grow vegetation. The fresh new water is then returned to the fish enclosure to restart the cycle. A unique advantage of an aquaponic system is conserving water more effectively compared to traditional irrigation systems. Conservation of water is accomplished by recirculating water between the plant bed and the fish habitat continuously. Organic fertilization of plants using dissolved fish waste is the other benefit of aquaponics. Utilizing plants as a natural alternative to other filters, requires less monitoring of water quality. Here in our project, we are going to adopt the roof-top rainwater harvesting method and implement it in the Aquaponics system. This project focuses on to design a structure for rainwater harvesting and use it to establish a balanced ecosystem between the fish and the plants.