Global Advanced Research Journal of Agricultural Science (ISSN: 2315-5094) Vol. 3(8) pp. 233-244, August, 2014.

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Copyright © 2014 Global Advanced Research Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Biculture tilapia/crayfish in aquaponic system Biculture

of Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and crayfish
(Procambarus acanthophorus) and production of green
corn fodder (Zea mays) in an aquaponic system.
Alfredo Gallardo-Collí, Martha P. Hernández-Vergara*, Carlos I. Pérez-Rostro, Sergio C.
Ramírez-Gutiérrez.
Laboratory of Genetic Breeding and Aquaculture Production. Division of Graduate Studies and Research.Technological
Institute of Boca del Rio.Kilometer 12, Veracruz-Córdoba road, CP 94290, Veracruz, Mexico.
Accepted 13 August, 2014

For 12 weeks, we evaluated the biculture of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and crayfish (Procambarus
acanthophorus) in an aquaponic recirculating system, as well as the effect of the shelter: crayfish ratio
and its distribution (1:1 random vs 1:1 homogeneous) on the survival and growth of the astacidae. We
also compared the production of green corn fodder (Zea mays) by hydroponics and aquaponics, and the
decrease in the concentration of nitrogen compounds and phosphates for each system. For each assay,
we used a single factor experimental design with three replicates per treatment. At the end of the study,
none of the growth variables evaluated showed significant differences between systems. Only in the case
of crayfish, the survival rate was significantly higher (59.6%) with the ratio of 1:1 homogeneous
distribution in relation with random distribution. The aquaponic production of green fodder was 9.4%
higher than hydroponic production and reduced the growing cycle to 11.5 days. It was observed that the
fodder reduced the concentration of nitrogen compounds and phosphates by up to 90%.The results
indicate that aquaponic systems are productively efficient, allowing for bicultures and the growing of
crops for animal consumption.

Keywords: aquaponic system, biculture tilapia: crayfish, green fodder, nitrogen compounds

INTRODUCTION

Aquaculture is the fastest-growing food production activity
in recent years; however, it puts pressure on biotic and
abiotic resources and is not free from the emission of
*Corresponding Author’s Email: mphv1@yahoo.com.mx;
Tel/fax: +52(229) 9860189 ext. 114.
pollutants (Tucker & Hargreaves 2008; FAO 2009). These
problems could be alleviated by the use of innovative and
cleaner culture techniques such as aquaponics (Soto,
Aguilar-Manjarrez & Hishamunda 2008), an activity that
integrates the cultivation of fish and plants in a recirculating
system, utilizing the nutrients present in aquaculture
effluents to produce plants with commercial value; this
234. Glo. Adv. Res. J. Agric. Sci.
prolongs the useful life of water by reducing turnover rates
and the discharge of nutrients to the environment,
increasing the economic gains of the system (Rakocy
2002).
Among aquaponic cultures, one of the most noteworthy
is the production of fish and plants for human consumption
(Rakocy, Masser & Losordo 2006; Graber & Junge 2009;
Endut, Jusoh, Ali, Wan Kir& Hassan 2010); however, this
activity needs to diversify into the dual culture of aquatic
organisms (fish and decapods) and plants for animal
consumption (Martan 2008; Ramirez, Sabogal, Jimenez &
Hurtado-Giraldo 2008). Considering the above, we see that
one of the most interesting aquaponic cultures is that of
tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), an organism that can
cohabit with freshwater decapods such as the crayfish
(Procambarus acanthophorus), native of Mexico, but it is
necessary a crayfish´s protection strategies that prevent
intra-and inter-specific aggression and increase their
survival (Barki, Gur & Karplus 2001; Cruz-Ordoñez 2009;
Cervantes-Santiago, Hernández-Vergara, Pérez-Rostro &
Olvera-Novoa 2010a; 2010b). Moreover, hydroponic green
fodder (HGF) can be grown in aquaponic farming systems,
due to its short growing cycle and the demand for it by the
livestock sector (Cortazzo, 2001). Previous reports
cultivation indicates that the cultivation of HGF with
aquaculture effluents favors a reduction in the
concentration of nitrogen compounds and water
phosphates (Snow, Ghaly & Snow 2008). Corn (Zea mays)
is the grass with best biomass yield as HGF, but there is
no information available on how to grow it using aquaponic
systems (Ramirez et al.2008).Therefore, the objectives of
this work were to evaluate the productive performance of
the biculture of tilapia (O. niloticus) and crayfish (P.
acanthophorus) in an aquaponic system (AS) as a
sustainable strategy of production and efficient use of
water in contrast with and a recirculating aquaculture
system (RAS) and the effect of a strategy of distribution of
physical protection for crayfish (1:1 shelter: crayfish ratio
and its distribution: random (traditional) vs homogeneous)
on the survival of P. acanthophorus. In this sense, we
determined the production of green corn fodder in
aquaponic systems and their improvements in the water
quality; in relation toquantify the concentration of nitrogen
compounds and phosphates in water before and after
irrigation of fodder, and their possible effect on
tilapia/crayfish survival.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The AS, RAS and a hydroponic system as control, were
installed indoors under natural photoperiod in the
Laboratory of Production and Genetic Improvement of the
Technological Institute of Boca del Río (ITBOCA)
coordinates 19°05'49.33" N and 96°06'29.75" W in Boca
del Río, Veracruz, Mexico.
Experimental design and treatments
For each assay, we used a single factor experimental
design with three replicates per treatment. The evaluation
of the productive performance of the biculture of tilapia and
crayfish involved two treatments: AS and RAS. The
evaluation of the strategy of physical distribution of
protection for crayfish involved two treatments: 1:1 number
of shelter: crayfish ratio with random distribution in the RAS
(Cruz-Ordoñez, 2009) and 1:1 number of shelter: crayfish
ratio with homogeneous distribution in the AS. The
experimental period lasted for 12 weeks. The cultivation of
green fodder starts four weeks after of tilapia/crayfish
cultivation, to ensure that the effluent for the AS had
enough nutrients for the GF growth from nitrogen metabolic
process. The cultivation of green fodder required two
assays, each with 4 weeks of cultivation, and two
treatments. Assay 1 (A1): aquaponic green fodder of assay
1 (AGF-1) with effluent from aquaponic system and
hydroponic green fodder(HGF-WN)as control treatment,
with commercial inorganic nutrients solution for green
fodder (Hydro-Environment, Mexico) in a concentration of
-1
1.5 g L by provider recommendation. Assay 2 (A2):
aquaponic green fodder of assay 2 (AGF-2) and a control
green fodder with no nutrients (CGF-NN), just with potable
water for irrigation.
Aquaponic and recirculating aquaculture systems
The AS and RAS consisted of three circular tanks with a
3
plastic membrane (3 m in diameter and 7 m of water),
sedimenter, biofilter and reservoir (1100 L),and a
aquaponics section in the AS. Every systems used jacuzzi-
type pumps of 1 hp (Series Brand, Model S1LR-6-S1,
Quebec, Canada, and Siemens Brand, Type 1RF3 256-
2YC44, Mexico) to pump water from the biofilter into the
reservoir, and a blower-type aerator of 1 hp (Sweetwater
Brand, Model No. S-45, St. Louis, Mo. USA) to aerate the
water with air stones (2.5 x 2.5 x 1.5 cm).Previously results
in a variety of experiments in laboratory, we found low
survival for crayfish in biculture tilapia/crayfish without
using pipe shelter, for that reason the AS had 245 polyvinyl
chloride pipe shelters (PVC) per tank (10 cm long and 3.8
cm in diameter) inserted on PVC strips for a shelter:
crayfish ratio of 1:1 with homogeneous distribution, that
cover floor in the tanks; while the RAS had 245 PVC
shelters per tank with random distribution (Figure 1).
Aquaponic and hydroponic cultivation of corn fodder
For the cultivation of AGF and HGF, we used two rack-type
vertical modules (VM) of 4.10 x 2.20 x 0.50 m

Figure 1.View of shelter distribution in the experimental tanks. A) Homogeneous distribution B)
(length/height/width), each with three shelves (slope 10/3
horizontal/vertical), housing 36 fodder trays (50 x 25 x 5 cm
length/width/depth). The VM consisted of a water reservoir
and an automatic sprinkling irrigation system programmed
to perform five one-minute irrigations per day (08:00,
10:30, 13:00, 15:30 and 18:00). The VM of the aquaponic
system used water from the reservoir, which was
recovered in a gutter and redirected by gravity to the
culture tanks. The VM of the hydroponic system was kept
as an open system, with a supply of potable water and
addition of soluble inorganic fertilizer (Hydro Environment
-1
Brand, State of Mexico, Mexico) at a rate of 1.5 g L during
A1.For corn germination, we installed a shelf (2.20 x 1.70 x
0.50 m length/height/width) in a dark room, with seven
panels (slope 10/1) and a manual sprinkler irrigation
system.
Experimental organisms
In the experimental trials, we used juveniles of crayfish P.
acanthophorus with average weight and length (± SD) of
2.48 ± 0.58 g and 4.61 ± 0.35 cm, obtained through captive
breeding in the Laboratory of Native Crustaceans of
ITBOCA; and juvenile males of tilapia O. niloticus of the
Stirling variety, with average weight and length (± SD) of
13.51 ± 4.41 g and 7.50 ± 0.88 cm, obtained from a
commercial farm. Each culture tank used in AS and RAS
3 2
was seeded with 57 tilapias/m and 35 crayfish/m .The
tilapias received five rations of balanced feed (initial period
-1 -1
450 g kg protein – 160 g kg lipids, final period 320 g kg
1 -1
protein - 50g kg lipids) per day at intervals of two hours
(from 10:00 to 18:00 h), with an initial feed rate of 6% of
the biomass and a gradual adjustment every 12 days until
reaching a final feed rate of 3.2%. In order for the crayfish
to benefit from the food waste of tilapia, the fish were fed
-1
every other day with balanced feed (350 g kg protein and
Gallardo-Colli et al. 235
-1
70 g kg lipids) at 3% of the biomass in a single ration
(18:00 h).
Corn seeds and germination percentage
The germination percentage was obtained from 50 gr of
seeds with six replicates, with the criteria and formula
described by Biasutti & Galiñanes (2001):
Germination (%) = (germinated seeds/total seeds) x 100
Production process of aquaponic and hydroponic
green corn fodder
For the production of AGF and HGF, we followed the
criteria recommended by Cortazzo (2001), Vargas-
Rodriguez (2008) and Herrera-Torres, Cerrillo-Soto,
Juárez-Reyes, Murillo-Ortiz, Ríos-Rincón, Reyes-Estrada&
Bernal-Barragán (2010) with the next modifications: seed
soaking for 15 hours, aeration for 1 h and another soaking
-2
for 8 h; planting density in fodder trays was 3.2 kgm , and
harvest was performed when corn reached a height of 25
cm or when it reached 14 days of the growth cycle.
Water quality and environmental parameters
Daily at 10:00 h, we monitored the water temperature of
RAS and AS with a mercury thermometer (-35 at 42 °C),
and every 12 days we monitored pH and total
-1 -1
concentration of ammonium (mg L ), N-nitrites (mg L ),N-
- -1 -1
nitrates (mg L ), phosphates (mg L ), general hardness
-1 -1
(mg L ) and alkalinity (mg L ), using a colorimetric kit
-1
(Hagen Nutrafin Test, Ontario, Canada). Oxygen (mg L )
was monitored with an YSI oximeter (Model DO 200, USA),
-1 -
while conductivity (mS cm ) and total dissolved solids (g L
1
) were monitored with a YSI 556 MPS (Yellow Springs
Instrument, OH, USA).Water samples were taken from the
236. Glo. Adv. Res. J. Agric. Sci.

Table 1.Response parameters of the productive performance of tilapia/crayfish in aquaponic system and recirculating aquaculture system.

Variables Equation
3
Condition Factor CF = ( W / L ) x 100
Specific Growth Rate SGR (%/día) = [( ln FW – ln IW ) / t ] x100
Food Consumed DFC (g) = FC1 + FC2 +…+ FCn
Weight Gained WG (%) = 100 [(FW - IW) / IW]
Feed Conversion Ratio FCR = AC / PG
Survival S (%) = (NOF / NOI) x 100
Production P (kg) = [( NOF x S x NOI ) / 100 ] / 1000

Where: W= Wet weight (g), L = Length (cm), ln FW = Natural logarithm of the final wet weight (g) at timet, ln IW=Natural logarithm of the initial wet
weight (g), t =time in days, DFC = Daily Food Consume initial of the experiment, FW= Final weight last biometrics(g), S= Survival (%).

Table 2.Variables evaluated in the production green forage of corn for aquaponic and hydroponic.

Variables Equation
Height germination* HG (cm) = (PHFT + PHBT) / 2
Growing Cycle to a height of 25cm GC (days) = HD – DPGA
2
Forage Biomass per m FB (kg) = GFBT x 8
Performance P = FB / SD
Cumulative Production CP (kg) = PC1 + PC2 +…+ PC30

*It was considered the height of germination distance from them esocotyl to the end of the last sheet, PHFT= Plant Height in the Front of the Tray(cm),
PHBT =Plant Height at the Back of the Tray (cm), HD =Harvest Date (day), DPGA =Date of Planting in Germination Area (day), FB = Forage
Biomassper m2 (kg/m2), GFBT = Green Forage Biomass Tray (kg) = (Ch1 +Ch2+...+CH90) / 90, 8 = constant value for this test represents the number of
trays completing 1m2, SD = Stocking Density (3.2kg/m2), PC = Production by cycle (kg).

culture tanks, the sedimenter and the biofilter; prior to
analysis, the water was filtered in a Nalgene bottle with a
filter paper of 8 µm (Whatman). The ambient temperature
in the darkroom and in the area for fodder growth was
monitored daily at 10:00, 14:00 and 18:00 h, with an
ambient mercury thermometer (-40 to 50 °C).
Quantification of nitrogen compounds and phosphates
during the production of green fodder
Response parameters
The productive performance of the animals and fodder
production was assessed by applying standard models
(Hernández-Vergara, Rouse, Olvera-Novoa & Davis 2003;
Vargas-Rodriguez 2008; Lopez-Aguilar, Murillo-Amador &
Rodríguez-Quezada 2009) (Table 1 and Table 2):
Statistical Analysis

Water quality was assessed every 10 days using a
-1
colorimetric kit: pH, total ammonium (mg L ), N-nitrites (mg
-1 -1 -1
L ), N-nitrates (mg L ) and phosphates (mg L ).In both
VM, the water samples were taken prior to contact with
plants and from the run off of the trays with fodder close to
harvest; before the analysis, the water was filtered in a
Nalgene bottle with a filter paper of 8 µm (Whatman).
To homogenize variances and normalize the distribution of
the data, we applied log-transformations to the CF, GH,
GC, GFBM2 and Y variables, while HD, SGR, WG, FCR
and S were transformed to arcsine (Zar 1999). We
performed a one-way analysis of variance to assess
differences in the productive performance of the species
and fodder production. When differences were observed,
 Gallardo-Colli et al. 237

Table 3.Water quality parameters of polyculture tilapia(Oreochromis niloticus)/crayfish (Procambarus acanthophorus) in aquaponic system.

Aquaponic system (AS)

Tanks Settler Biofilter
Variable Min Max Min Max Min Max
0
Temperature C 25.0 29.5 27.3 30.0 28.2 30.0
pH 6.9 7.4 6.8 7.4 7.1 7.6
Ammonium 0.1 1.2 0.1 1.2 0.1 1.2
N-Nitrites 0.3 3.3 0.8 3.3 0.8 3.3
N-Nitrates 20.0 110.0 20.0 110.0 110.0 > 100.0
Phosphats 2.5 > 5.0 2.5 > 5.0 5.0 > 5.0
Hardness 140.0 260.0 140.0 260.0 140.0 260.0
OD 3.7 5.1 4.2 5.1 * 5.6
Conductivity 0.486 0.721 * 0.495 * 0.716
Total solids 0.311 0.461 * 0.317 * 0.458
Alkalinity * 140.0 * * * *

Temperature (°C), Ammonia (mg L-1), Nitrites (mg L-1), Nitrates (mg L-1), Phosphates (mg L-1), Hardness as CaCO3 (mg L-1), OD (mg L-1), Conductivity
(mS cm-1), Total disolved solids (g L-1), Alkalinity (mg L-1), * = Indetermined.

we used the multiple range test of Tukey. All
determinations were performed with a nominal significance
level of 5% (Zar 1999) using the software STATISTICA
version 7 (StatSoft, Inc. USA).
RESULTS
distribution strategy. At the end of the experiment, with the
exception of CF, the variables SGR, FC, WG and FCR
were similar in both systems between species. Although
there were differences in the production of crayfish
between AS and RAS, overall dual culture production was
similar: RAS=214.85 kg and AS=212.87 kg) (Table 5 and
Table 6).

Water quality in aquaponic and recirculating aquaculture
systems. The water quality parameters in the AS and RAS
were within the acceptable range for cultivation of both
species (Timmons, Ebeling, Wheaton, Summerfelt & Vinci
2002; McClain & Romaire 2007),except for ammonium and
nitrite, where the ammonium concentration in the AS water
was reduced after irrigation of GF, in contrast to RAS
system when a weekly water change was done along the
trial. N-Nitrites in the AS increased due to the leaching of
semi-germinated seeds, but decreases after irrigation, with
noapparent damage for aquatic organisms (Table 3 and
Table 4).
Productive performance of tilapia and crayfish in
aquaponic and recirculating aquaculture systems
The survival of tilapia was the same in both systems, while
the survival of crayfish was significantly higher in the AS
probably due to the influence of the physical protection
Aquaponic and hydroponic green corn fodder
The average germination percentage of corn was
67.6%.The ambient temperature of the darkroom was
between 26.2 and 31.8 °C during A1 and A2, while in the
area of fodder growth the temperature varied between
assays due to the presence of northern storms in the
region with a record of 26.5 at 30 °C during A1 and of 29.5
to 31.3 °C during A2. Moreover, the GH of seedlings during
the two assays was similar; however, differences were
observed in GC, GFBM2, CP and Y, which favored
aquaponic fodder due to the constant increase of nutrients
in aquaculture effluents (Table 7).
Concentration of nitrogen compounds and phosphates
in water during the production of green fodder
Ammonium concentration in water was reduced more than
90% after irrigation with AGF-1, AGF-2 and HGF-WN. N-
238. Glo. Adv. Res. J. Agric. Sci.

Table 4. Water quality parameters of polyculture tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)/ crayfish (Procambarus acanthophorus) in recirculating aquaculture
system.

Recirculation Aquatic System(RAS)

Tanks Settler Biofilter
Variable Min Max Min Max Min Max
Temperature 25.0 29.5 27.5 29.5 28.5 30.0
pH 6.9 7.6 6.9 7.3 7.2 7.4
Ammonium 0.1 1.2 0.1 0.6 0.0 0.1
N-Nitrites 0.3 3.3 0.8 3.3 0.3 1.6
N-Nitrates 20 > 110 20 > 110 20 110
Phosphats 2.5 >5 2.5 >5 5 >5
Hardness 140 300 140 300 140 300
OD 3.3 5.1 4.2 5.4 * 7.8
Conductivity 1.06 1.08 * 1.06 * 1.07
Total solids 0.67 0.69 * 0.67 * 0.68
Alkalinity * 140 * * * *

Temperature (°C), Ammonia (mg L-1), Nitrites (mg L-1), Nitrates (mg L-1), Phosphates (mg L-1), Hardness as CaCO3 (mg L-1), OD (mg L-1), Conductivity (mS
cm-1), Total Dissolved Solids (g L-1), Alkalinity (mg L-1), * = Indetermined.

Table 5. Variables of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in polyculture with crayfish (Procambarus acanthophorus) in recirculating aquaculture system and
aquaponic system.

VARIABLE RAS* AS*

IW (g) 13.60 ± 0.46 13.42 ± 0.46
FW (g) 208.72 ± 4.57 215.27±4.26
IL (cm) 7.48 ± 0.09 7.51 ± 0.09
FL (cm) 17.17 ± 0.12 17.32 ± 0.12
a b
CF 3.79 ± 0.01 3.87 ± 0.02
SGR (%/día) 3.24 ± 0.34 3.30 ± 0.29
FC (g) 229. 39 227. 79
WG (%) 1 433.40 ± 49.7 1 502.94 ± 8.8
FCR 1.27 ± 0.17 1.07 ± 0.05
S (%) 85.33 ± 1.96 81.5 ± 1.84
3
FP (kg/m ) 10.17 10.02
TB (kg)** 213.73 210.54

* Mean ± standard error, IW= Initial Weight, FW = Final Weight, IL= Initial Length, FL= Final Length, CF = Condition Factor, SGR= Specific Growth Rate,
FC =Food Consumed, WG =Weight Gain, FCR =Feed Conversion Rate, S=survival, FP = Final Production, TB= Total Biomass.
 Gallardo-Colli et al. 239

Table 6. Variables evaluated of crayfish (Procambarus acanthophorus) in polyculture with tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in recirculating aquaculture
system and aquaponic system.

Variable RAS* AS*

IW (g) 2.48 ± 0.06 2.48 ± 0.06
FW (g) 5.08 ± 0.09 5.28 ± 0.10
IL (cm) 4.59 ± 0.03 4.62 ± 0.03
FL (cm) 5.68 ± 0.04 5.77 ± 0.04
CF 2.63 ± 0.009 2.63 ± 0.009
SGR (%/day) 0.85 ± 0.19 0.89 ± 0.18
FC (g) 2,625.14 2,761.50
WG (%) 104.61 ± 8.29 112.94 ± 8.08
FCR 5.37 ± 1.67 5.14 ± 1.49
a b
S (%) 33.60 ± 1.43 59.59 ± 3.79
3
FP (kg/m ) 0.059 0.110
TB (kg)** 1.255 2.316

* Mean ± standard error, * Mean ± standard error, IW= Initial Weight, FW = Final Weight, IL= Initial Length, FL= Final Length, CF = Condition
Factor=SGR (%/day)= Specific Growth Rate, FC =Food Consumed, WG =Weight Gain, FCR =Feed conversionrate, S=survival, FP = Final Production,
TB= Total Biomass.

Table 7.Variables evaluated in the production green forage of corn (Zea mays) for aquaponic and hydroponic systems.

Variable GFA-1* NHGF* GFA-2* CGFNN*

a a a a
Germination Height (cm) 10.30±0.12 10.33±0.12 10.57±0.09 10.53±0.09

a ab b c
Crop cycle (days) 11.96±0.12 11.67±0.11 11.50±0.12 12.67±0.17

2 a b a c
Forage biomassper m (kg) 15.59±0.32 14.47±0.37 15.22±0.31 13.79±0.32

a b a c
Performance 4.87±0.05 4.52±0.05 4.75±0.03 4.31±0.04

a b a c
Cumulative production(kg) 175.48 162.89 171.31 155.18

* Mean ± standard error, GFA-1 = Green Fodder Aquaponic (trialone) NHGF =Nutrient Hydroponic Green Fodder, GFA-2 = Green Fodder Aquaponic
(trial two)CGFNN=Control Green Fodder No Nutrients.Rows with different superscripts differ significantly (p<0.05).
240. Glo. Adv. Res. J. Agric. Sci.

Table 8. Concentration of nitrogen compounds and phosphates before and after irrigation of aquaponic and hydroponic green forage in trial 1 and 2.

-1
Variable (mg L ) Aquaponic Hidroponic
Trial 1 I O I O
Ammonium 0.1 0 > 6.1 3.7
N-Nitrites 0.63 1.17 ≥3.3 3.3
N-Nitrates 60.0 50.0 91.5 >110
Phosphates 4.17 2.0 53.3 >5.0
Aquaponic Irrigation
Trial 2 I O I O
Ammonium 0.7 0 0 0
N-Nitrites 1.6 3.3 0 0.3
N-Nitrates 110 25 0 5
Phosphates >5 2.2 0 <5

I = Input, O = Output

Nitrites increased due to the leaching of semi-germinated
seeds, but decreases of 75 to 90% were also observed in
the AGF-2.The concentration of N-Nitrates decreased in a
range of 50-95% in all treatments following irrigation of
fodder, while phosphates decreased between 50 and 80%
(Table 8).
DISCUSSION
Productive performance of tilapia and crayfish in
aquaponic and recirculating aquaculture systems
During the bicultivation, we observed an increase in total
ammonium in both systems, but it had no lethal
consequences for the organisms because the interaction
between the values of temperature, pH and alkalinity in the
water kept the non-ionized fraction low (N-NH3=0.0084 mg
-1
L ) (Durborow, Crosby & Brunson1997). Moreover, a
possible influence of the high level of N- nitrites on the
productive performance of the species was discarded, as
previous reports indicate that tilapia can tolerate up to 5 mg
-1
L , while the genus Procambarussp. can tolerate up to 4
-1
mg L of N-nitrite such as N-nitrogen (NO2-N) (Avery &
Lorio 1996; Masser, Rakocy & Losordo 1999).
The survival rate of tilapia in dual culture with crayfish in
both systems was similar to that reported for monoculture
of Oreochromis sp. in aquaponic, recirculating and earth
pond systems (80%) (Muñoz-Córdova & Garduño-Lugo,
1994; Rakocy, Bailey, Shult & Thoman 2004; Soto-
Zarazúa, Herrera-Ruiz, Rico-García, Toledano-Ayala,
Peniche-Vera, Ocampo-Velazquez & Guevara-González
2010); it was also close to the survival rate in polyculture at
3
low densities (1-20/m ) with Australian crayfish, crayfish
and Malaysian prawn (> 90%) (Barki et al., 2001; Cruz-
Ordoñez, 2009; El-Sherif & Mervat 2009), suggesting that
the use of AS for the development of semi-intensive dual
cultures of O. niloticus with freshwater decapods is as
efficient as traditional systems, and that the presence of
crayfish as secondary species did not influence the survival
of tilapia.
In contrast to the above, it was observed that tilapia had
a negative impact on the survival of crayfish, especially
when reaching reproductive size (90 g and 13.5 cm), with
tilapia attacking crayfish when they invaded their
reproductive space or during crayfish molting period. This
phenomenon was also observed in a biculture of tilapia
and red claw crayfish by Barki et al. (2001), who reported
that tilapia, influenced the survival of astacidae during
ecdysis, an event that in nature takes place in isolation, but
that in biculture must occur within the shelters to avoid
predation by fish, which facilitates cannibalism.
Moreover, Figler, Cheverton & Blank (1999), Martan
(2008) and González, Celada, García, Carral, González,
Sáez-Royuela (2010) note that in intensive cultivation or
polycultures, the implementation of physical protection
strategies as in this case pvc tube segments, favor survival
by preventing inter-and intra-specific antagonistic
encounters, an observation that coincides with our results,
as, even when there was antagonism in both experimental
systems, the shelter: crayfish ratio of 1:1 with
homogeneous distribution significantly increased the
survival rate (56%) of P. acanthophorus by providing more
alternatives for shelter and not forcing the crayfish to crowd

together by effect of aeration and the opposite was
observed with the 1:1 ratio with random distribution.
Comparing the results of the response variables of the
organisms with those obtained in monocultures and
polyculture of O. niloticus, P. acanthophorus and C.
quadricarinatus in similar systems (Barki et al. 2001;
Rakocy et al. 2004; Cervantes-Santiago, Hernández-
Vergara & Pérez-Rostro2007, Cruz-Ordoñez 2009; Soto-
Zarazúa et al. 2010), we observed significant differences
attributable to the growing cycle (6-26 weeks), age
(juvenile or sub-adult), size of organisms at the time of
planting (1-80 g), type of culture (mono or polyculture),
compatibility between species, type of feeding (balanced or
alternative), feeding frequency (2-5 rations per day) and
physical and chemical conditions of the water; however,
there were coincidences in terms of the advantages of
using closed production systems like the aquaponic or
recirculating systems, such as a better control of the
system and a higher productive performance of the
species. This, together with the equality of the
characteristics of the experimental organisms and the
homogeneity of the functioning of the systems, favored the
observed similarities in the response variables: weight,
standard length, SGR, FC, WG and FCR of the organisms.
During biculture, it was possible to see that tilapia
benefited indirectly from the presence of crayfish by
consuming some of their food, which influenced the
observed value of fish (1 - 1.2) and crayfish (>0.5) FCR in
both systems. Previous studies of monocultures of
Procambarus sp. reported a FCR in the range of 1.1 to 1.5
when supplied with a food protein percentage between 30
and 38%, (Carmona-Osalde, Olvera-Novoa & Rodriguez-
Serna, 2005; Cervantes-Santiago et al. 2007; Cervantes-
Santiago et al. 2010b; Rodriguez-Serna, Carmona-Osalde,
Arredondo-Figueroa,2010), so that a reduction in the
feeding rate of crayfish and a later feeding time to avoid
consumption by tilapia would probably not affect the
productive performance of crayfish, since at the end of the
study their FC exceeded the value of 2, suggesting that
they were in good physiological condition and in process of
attaining sexual maturity, because we found some crayfish
ovigerous females in the AS (Sharshar & Haroon 2009).
The final production of tilapia in AS and RAS was similar
and corresponded to that expected according to the growth
and survival exhibited by the fish during the experiment.
For its part, the production of crayfish in AS, in which the
shelter: crayfish ratio of 1:1 remained homogenous,
exceeded expectations by reaching 110 g with 35
2 2001; Lopez-Aguilar et al. 2009; Rodríguez de la Rocha,
org/m /12 weeks, an amount of biomass similar to that
obtained by other larger native species of Mexico such as
2
Macrobrachium tenellum (160 g with 14 org/m /20 weeks)
(Ponce-Palafox, García-Ulloa, Arredondo-Figueroa,
Hernández-Ocampo, Díaz-Alvarez, Aldama-Rojas &
Esperza-Leal 2006), Procambarus llamasi (172 g with 25
Gallardo-Colli et al. 241
2
org/m /16 weeks) (Rodriguez-Serna & Carmona-Osalde
2006) and Macrobrachium americanum (509 g with 98
2
org/m /12 weeks) (García-Guerrero & Apun -Molina 2008),
especially if one considers an increase in seeding density
due to the high social tolerance of P. acanthophorus (100
2
organisms/m ) (Cruz-Ordoñez 2009), and the possibility of
establishing 3-4 culture cycles per year.
Aquaponic and hydroponic production of green corn
fodder
The production and quality of fodder depend on factors
such as: species of gramineae, planting density, substrate,
growing cycle, irrigation water quality, environmental
conditions and germination percentage (Müller, Manfron,
Santos, Medeiros, Neto, Morselli, Lopes & Bandeira
2006a; Lucena Bezerra, Mota de Melo, Fernandes,
Andrade & Rodrigues, 2008; Rivera, Moronta, González-
Estopiñan, González, Perdomo, García & Hernández,
2010; Al-Karaki 2011).In this sense, the germination
percentage of corn corresponded to the minimum
recommended value for production to be profitable (70%)
(Cortazzo 2001), which constituted an advantage,
considering that we used local seeds. However, in certain
growing cycles, the increase of temperature in the
darkroom above 31 °C had an inhibitory effect on
germination; in addition, we observed slow root growth,
rapid stem elongation and loss of verticality in the plants.
Ambient temperature requirements for the growth of
fodder vary according to the type of gramineae; for
example, oats, wheat and barley fodder require a
temperature between 18 and 21 °C, whereas corn fodder
requires between 25 and 28 °C (Cortazzo 2001; Müller,
Souza dos Santos, Manfron, Medeiros, Haunt, Dourado-
Neto, Lemosde Menezes & Camacho-García 2006b;
Rivera et al. 2010). However, there are reports that
indicate good growth outside this range (Guimarães-
Campelo, Gomes de Oliveira, Silva-Rocha, Carvalho,
Coutinho-Moura, Oliveira, Lopes-Silva, Silva-Moura, Marchão-
Costa & Morais-Uchoa 2007; Vargas-Rodriguez 2008), as
observed during the assays, in which a warmer temperature
during A2 did not affect fodder growth, which may be
associated with a better photosynthetic process when ambient
temperature approached 30 °C (Silva-Araújo,Cunha-Coelho,
Viana & Teixeira-Lombardi 2008).
Several authors point out that the highest fodder biomass
and the best nutritional quality are obtained when the plant
reaches 25 cm in height with GC less than 14 days (Cortazzo
Hernández-Acosta, Flores-Sáenz, Escobedo-Cisneros,
Quintero-Ramos, Santana-Rodríguez & Rodríguez-
Rodríguez2009), as observed in A1 and A2; however, there
were differences between treatments with respect to the GC
period which were due to the availability,
242. Glo. Adv. Res. J. Agric. Sci.
concentration and origin of the nutrients present in the
irrigation water. This is corroborated by the observation of
a shorter duration of GC with organic (AGF-1 and AGF-2)
and inorganic (HGF-WN) nutrients, and a longer GC with
no nutrients in the water (HGF-NN).Similar data were
reported during the production of barley HGF by Snow &
Ghaly (2007) when they established that an increase in the
concentration of nutrients in aquaculture effluents
accelerates plant growth and reduces GC.
The use of AS for the production of green fodder yielded
better results of the response variables GFBM2, CP and Y,
than the use of hydroponics, suggesting that corn plants
efficiently benefit from organic nutrients in aquaculture
effluents. A similar result was observed during the
production of corn, barley and wheat HGF when using
liquid cow manure fertilizer and tertiary treated urban
wastewater as sources of organic nutrients (Müller et al.
2006a; Lucena-Bezerra et al. 2008; Al Ajmi, Ali Salih,
Kadim & Othman 2009; Al-Karaki 2011); however, some
authors indicate that the production of green fodder yields
similar results when using organic and inorganic nutrients
or just potable water (Nava-Zavaleta, Sandoval, Vargas-
Muñoz 2004; Silva-Araújo et al. 2008; Dung, Godwin &
Nolan2010).
Nitrogenous compounds and phosphates from the
biculture of tilapia and crayfish as nutrients in
aquaponic production of green fodder
Due to the increase of biomass and feed supplied during
the biculture of AS, the concentrations of nitrogen
compounds in the water increased considerably. However,
when using water to irrigate AGF-1 and AGF-2, we
observed that with water retention times of less than three
minutes per irrigation, there were acceptable reductions in
ammonium concentrations (> 90%), nitrites (75 to 90%),
nitrates (54 to 95%) and phosphates (50 to 80%).This
could be related to the dense growth of roots, and to water
pH remaining near the neutral value, a situation that
promotes better absorption of nutrients (Rakocy et al.
2006), as is the case with nitrogen, which is better
assimilated by plants when present in the water in the form
of ammonium and N-nitrate (Endut et al.2010).
There have also been reports of reductions in the
concentration of N- nitrite, N-nitrate and phosphate during
the cultivation of green fodder of oats, wheat and barley
with aquaculture effluents (85-92% in N-nitrite, 62-79% in
N-nitrate and 74-93% in phosphates) (Snow et al.2008).
Moreover, even though we had acceptable values of
assimilation of nitrogen compounds, we observed
-1
increases in the concentration of nitrites of 2 mg L , and
-1
nitrates of 5 mg L after irrigation of CGF-NN; this
increases are related with the leaching of semi-germinated
and ungerminated seeds, making it advisable to divert the
run off after irrigation towards the sedimenter and not
towards the culture tanks. There are also reports of
increases in the concentration of N- nitrate in irrigation
-1
water in the range of 7-10 mg L due to the leaching of
oats, wheat and barley seeds during the production of
green fodder using aquaculture effluents (Ghaly, Farag &
Verma 2007; Snow et al.2008).
The analysis of the results allows us to affirm that the
use of an aquaponic system is suitable for the dual culture
of tilapia and crayfish, but only until the fish reach the sub-
adult stage (13 cm in standard length), so as not to affect
too much the survival rate of crayfish, which depends on
the size of the fish with which they cohabitate and on the
number and distribution of the shelters in the area of
culture. Moreover, the aquaponic production of green corn
fodder is comparable to hydroponic production, but the
environmental benefit is higher, as the plants take
advantage of the nutrients and significantly reduce the
concentration of nitrogen compounds and phosphates
present in the water used for the dual culture, prolonging
its use. Finally, the use of this integrated system made it
possible to obtain two products for direct human
consumption: tilapia and crayfish; and a third product for
animal consumption: green fodder, making aquaponics a
sustainable activity suitable for application in some region.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This research was done as part of the fulfillment of
objectives of the project "Pilot plant for aquaculture
production in the rural sector", funded by CONACYT-
FOMIX 2009-3 No. 127647, with M.P.H.V. as technical
manager. To Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología
(Conacyt) for the A.G.C.scholarshipno. 229713for graduate
studies.
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