Aquaponic is the synergy of aquaculture and hydroponic systems. Nutrient imbalance remains a challenge in aquaponics. Phosphorus is vital for growth in aquaponic. This study assessed the effect of different Phosphorus levels on growth performance, nutritional content and hematological response of Oreochromis niloticus and Lactuca sativa in aquaponic.
The same commercial diet but with different Phosphorus levels: Diet 1 (T1=5.0), Diet 2 (T2=7.5) and the commercial diet (T0) served as a control. The experiment was conducted in triplicate for 10 weeks.
The increase in phosphorus level in diet was positively correlated with length and weight gain. T2 recorded the highest length (177.77±5.74mm) and weight gain (54.23±3.22g) for O. niloticus followed by T1 (Table 1). Also, the highest number of leaves and total lettuce biomass was observed in T2 (figure I). T2 also promotes the welfare of O. niloticus. T2 seems to be the best treatment for aquaponic O. niloticus juvenile and lettuce.