Study of Biofilter Planted with Basil for Removal of Ammonia in Aquaponic Water

This experimental investigation of a laboratory scale aquaponic system included testing of a biofilter with basil plant as the biofilter part on aquaculture water quality. Irridescent shark was selected as aquaculture species. The biofilter consist of natural biomaterials such as coconut husk, coco peat, and coarse aggregates. The experiment was carried out for three short water recirculation durations of 2, 3, and 4 h/day. The influent and effluent ammonia NH₃, total ammonia nitrogen (TAN), nitrites NO₂ and nitrates NO₃ levels were measured and analysed. The results showed that the biofilter effectively removed NH₃ (65 - 71 %), TAN (34 - 58 %), and NO2 (60 - 67 %) from the aquaculture water. The dissolved oxygen (DO) levels were maintained between 3 - 7.0 mg/l during all the recirculation durations. The significance of water recirculation period was assessed by calculating the differences between the means of water quality parameters with a statistical test named one-way analysis of variance (ANNOVA) with significant level P taken as 5 %, i.e., P ≤ 0.5. The effluent mean NH₃ levels 0.030 mg/l, 0.033 mg/l, and 0.022 mg/l exhibited significant difference at 4 h/d periods while effluent TAN levels 0.81, 0.77, and 0.77 showed no difference with varying periods.