Computation of feed conversion ratio (FCRplant) and plant-fish mass ratio (PFRM) for aquaponic systems

To better document the potential impacts of aquaponics, performance metrics should be clearly defined and relevant to economic, environmental, and management objectives. An important performance parameter for fish is While much less common, it is also possible to determine a FCR for plants (FCRplant= amount of feed supplied/ increase in weight of plants) in an aquaponics system. This parameter measures how well the nutrients from fish waste are converted into plant tissue. In contrast to the FCRfish, a theoretical value of FCRplant can be estimated from (a) the composition of feed and plants, and (b) the nutrient retention values. Only 50% of the experimental FCRplant values fell within this theoretical range. This analysis indicates significant room for improvement regarding nutrient retention among plant components of many aquaponic systems. Reduced retention efficiency may be due to (a) low nutrient and micronutrient concentrations, (b) suboptimal pH and temperatures, and (c) buildup of salts. It is strongly recommended that the FCRplant value be reported in future aquaponic research.

Automated summary

To better understand the potential impacts of aquaponics, it is important to define performance metrics that are relevant to economic, environmental, and management objectives. One such metric is the feed conversion ratio (FCR) for fish, which measures how well the nutrients from fish waste are converted into plant tissue. However, only 50% of the experimental FCRplant values fell within the theoretical range, indicating room for improvement in nutrient retention among plant components of many aquaponic systems.