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Visit the Short Course web site for more information. http://rps.uvi.edu/AES/Aquaculture/UVIShortCourse.html UNIVERSITY OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS AQUAPONICS AND TILAPIA AQUACULTURE SHORT COURSE June 17-23, 2007 Program - 7-day course that will provide in- depth knowledge of the principles and practical application of the aquaponic and greenwater tank culture systems that have been developed at the University of the Virgin Islands. Participants will be introduced to a variety of system designs that maintain water quality by various solids removal techniques and by hydroponic plant culture (aquaponics), a suspended growth process (greenwater tank culture) or fixed-film nitrification. Fish production instruction will be conducted using both the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and red tilapia. Hydroponic plant production will focus on vegetables, culinary herbs and ornamental flowers. Instruction - Each day will include a half-day of classroom lecture and a half-day of hands-on field work. Participants will learn the technology through presentation of the theory and practical skill development. Each student will be given a notebook of reference materials. Water quality labs will cover the methods of analysis and the use of water quality test kits. Field work will include fish handling, vegetable production and system operation. Facilities - UVI is located in the heart of beautiful St. Croix. The Aquaculture Program operates fifteen research-scale systems (six aquaponic and nine greenwater) as well as commercial-scale aquaponic and greenwater systems, a greenwater demonstration system with an associated vegetable garden, a fry sex-reversal system, a recirculating system for fingerling rearing and a purge system. The program annually produces about 20,000 lbs. of tilapia and a variety of vegetables. Topics Aquaponic system System design and management Components Construction techniques Operation Water quality Fish production Stocking rates Feeding, growth and survival Harvesting and processing Plant production Seedling production Transplanting Disease and insect control Harvesting and packaging Greenwater tank system Fish production Stocking and growout Water quality management Feed and feeding methods Sludge use for field crops Economics Capital budgeting Operations plan Marketing Fingerling production Brood stock management Breeding Fry sex reversal Fingerling rearing Cost - This course will cost $870 for participants registering before May 1 and $970 for registrations received later. Course fee includes instruction, course materials, graduation banquet and a sailing trip to Buck Island National Park for a day of snorkeling amid spectacular coral reefs and a beach barbecue. Daily dorm rooms are $35 (double) or $50 (single) and are available for arrival on Saturday June 16 and departure on Sunday June 24 after the class. Meals cost $10- 15 each at the school cafeteria. Airfare to St. Croix, USVI is not included in the registration fee. Registration - Register by contacting Dr. James Rakocy at the address below. Please provide name, address, telephone and fax numbers and e-mail address Enrollment for the class is limited to 32. A $300 deposit, payable to the University of the Virgin Islands, is necessary by May 1, 2007. No refunds will be made for cancellation after June 1. The balance will be due the first day of class. Instructional Staff Dr. James Rakocy - System design/production/water treatment technology Donald Bailey - Business planning/marketing/operations/construction methods R. Charlie Shultz - Water quality/pest management/plant production Jason Danaher – Greenwater systems/tilapia biology/feeding and nutrition For more information and to register contact Dr. James Rakocy, RR 1, Box 10,000, Kingshill, VI 00850-9781, Phone: 340-692-4020, E-mail: jrakocy@uvi.edu University of the Virgin Islands Aquaponics and Tilapia Aquaculture Short Course June 17-23, 2007 Registration Form Registration fee: Before May 1 $870 After May 1 $970 • A $300 deposit is necessary by May 1, 2007 to reserve enrollment. • The balance due will be paid on the first day of class • We accept personal or business checks, money orders or Western Union. • We do NOT accept credit or debit cards. Make check payable to the University of the Virgin Islands Enclose this form with payment and mail to: James E. Rakocy University of the Virgin Islands Agriculture Experiment Station RR 1 Box 10,000 Kingshill, VI 00850-9781 Name: _______________________________________________ Address: _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ City: ________________________________________________ State/Province: ________________________________________ Zip: __________________Country:________________________ Phone: _______________________ Fax: ___________________ E-mail: ______________________________________________ Previous aquaponic/fish culture experience:__________________ ______________________________________________________ Housing is not included in the registration. Local hotels are available and information will be provided upon request. University dormitory rooms are available $35 per person per night (double) (sharing a double room with another participant is subject to availability.) $50 per person per night (single). Payment is made to the Residence Hall Director upon check-in. Please check the appropriate line. I plan to stay in a hotel. __ I plan to stay in the UVI dormitory. __ I prefer a single room. __ I prefer a double room. __ I will share this dorm room with participant _____________________ System Design System Design Wastewater Treatment Wastewater Treatment AQUAPONICS AQUAPONICS uFish provide most nutrients required by plants uPlants use nutrients to produce a valuable by-product uHydroponic component serves as a biofilter uIntegrated systems require less water quality monitoring than individual systems uHydroponic plants extend water use and reduce discharge to the environment uCost savings increase profit potential Principles uOptimum feeding rate, 60-100 g/m 2 plant area/day prevents nutrient accumulation or deficiency uSlow removal of solids increases mineralization uFrequency of filter tank cleaning controls nitrate levels through denitrification Raft Hydroponics uAdvantages: no tank size limitation, no root clogging, maximum exposure of roots to water, sheets shade and cool water, plants not affected when water pump stops, easy to harvest uDisadvantages: roots vulnerable to damage by zooplankton, snails and other organisms (use tetras to control zooplankton and red ear sunfish to control snails) Vegetable Production Vegetable Production uFour fish rearing tanks, 7.8 m 3 each uTwo cylindro-conical clarifiers, 3.8 m 3 each uFour filter tanks, 0.7 m 3 each uOne degassing tank, 0.7 m 3 uSix hydroponic tanks, 11.3 m 3 each uOne sump, 0.6 m 3 uOne base addition tank, 0.2 m 3 uTwo air blowers, 1 hp and 1.5 hp uOne water pump, 1/2 hp uTotal plant growing area, 214 m 2 uTotal water volume, 110 m 3 uLand area - 0.05 ha Abundant nitrogen in the system water enhances production of leafy green vegetables like lettuce and collards. Managing nitrate levels enhances production of fruiting crops like tomatoes and cucumbers. UVI Aquaponic System UVI Aquaponic System Agricultural Experiment Station, St. Croix, USVI Agricultural Experiment Station, St. Croix, USVI An integrated agriculture system combining… Aquaculture – the production of aquatic animals and Hydroponics – the production of vegetables without soil …In a recirculating system Tilapia Production Tilapia Production Estimated production: 5 mt annually 540 kg every 6 weeks Stocking rate: Niles, 77 fish/m 3, 600/tank reared to ≅900 g each Reds, 154 fish/m 3, 1,200/tank reared to ≅450 g each Fish feces are settled out of the water and collected 3 times each day from clarifier or removed by filter tanks, which are cleaned once or twice per week. Mineralization of remaining solids makes nutrients available to plants. Degassing spargesdetrimental gasses produced in anearobic zones. Plant roots purify the water by taking up nitrogen, excreted by the fish, along with 12 other essential nutrients that are available in their waste. Future Research Future Research Vegetable varieties • resistance to Pythium • seasonal/heat resistance • high value crops • medicinal herbs • ethnic/cultural crops • flowers • yield data (economic potential) • spacing • culture techniques • pest control Hydroponic tanks Degassing tank Base addition Filter tanks Clarifier Sump Rearing tanks For more information contact Dr. James Rakocy, Aquaculture Program Leader. Phone: 340-692-4020. Email: jrakocy@uvi.edu Nutrient management • all vegetable feed • net tank cleaning frequency • supplementation • foliar application • water application • nutrient conservation Solids removal techniques Ratio studies (feed to plant growing area) Tilapia Production Tilapia Production Greenwater Tank Greenwater Tank Culture Culture uFish production occurs on a small land area uWaste removed from the fish tank is used to irrigate and fertilize vegetable crops uContinuous aeration uMixing to maintain suspension of bacterialfloc uBiofiltration in water column uSettleable solid waste removal once daily uFeed twice daily with floating feed (32% protein) uFeed ad libitum for 30 – 40 minutes uMonitor pH daily, maintain pH 7-7.5 with Ca(OH)2 uAdd CaCl2 to prevent nitrite toxicity UVI Greenwater Fish Culture System UVI Greenwater Fish Culture System Agricultural Experiment Station, St. Croix, USVI Agricultural Experiment Station, St. Croix, USVI An integrated agriculture system for the intensive farming of tilapia with water reuse for vegetable crop production. Water Treatment Water Treatment Fingerling Production Fingerling Production u11-m 3 rearing tank u370 L clarifier u9 L/min flow through clarifier u (1 exchange per day) u22 airstones u1/2 HP blower u4,400 fry (1-g each) uReared for 12 weeks uHarvested at 50-g u90% survival uFed 4 times each day (30 minutes ad libitum) Feeding with floating pellets to satiation Base addition Ca(OH)2 pH 7.5 maintained Aeration 3 vertical lift pumps Stocking: uNile tilapia u25 fish/m 3 @ 50-g each (5,000/tank) Harvest: u ≅720 g each 95% survival u7,500 lbs per crop, 15,000 lbs annually Future Research Future Research Fish production strategies • staggered stocking and partial harvests • fingerling rearing in cages • polyculture Different fish species Sludge • characterization • application techniques uOne fish rearing tank, 200 m 3 u16 m diameter, 1 m mean water depth uBlock wall, 30 mil HDPE liner uOne external cylindro-conical clarifier, 1.4 m3 uOne ¾ HP pump for horizontal circulation uOne to three ¾ HP pumps for vertical aeration uOne solids collection pond uOne water distribution pump uOne bird deflection device uLand area - 0.02 ha (1/20 acre) System Design System Design Vegetable Production Vegetable Production Marketable yield from crops fertilized and irrigated with fish culture water, sludge, or inorganic fertilizer (mt/ha) Culture water Sludge Inorganic Fertilizer Pak choi: 41.0 40.9 35.2 Bell pepper: 3.7 5.0 4.6 Forage grass: - 12.9 6.4 3.66 m 380-L clarifier Air-lift pump Baffle Sludge removed daily Water quality management • denitrification tank for removal of nitrate • flow rate for optimal removal • flowers for added economic benefits • aeration methods • paddlewheels Scaling up