Advances in Environmental Biology, 9(24) November 2015, Pages: 382-388

AENSI Journals

Advances in Environmental Biology

ISSN-1995-0756 EISSN-1998-1066

Journal home page: http://www.aensiweb.com/AEB/

The Performance of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and Vetiver Grass (Vetiveria
zizanioides) concurrently cultivated in aquaponic system
1
Hefni Effendi, 2Putu Cinthia Delis, 2Majariana Krisanti and 2Sigid Hariyadi
1
Centre for Environmental Research, Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), Bogor, Indonesia.
2
Departement of Aquatic Resources Management, Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), Bogor, Indonesia.

ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT

Article history: Background: Today various aquaponic methods involving fish and vegetables have
Received 28 September 2015 been developed. Researcher recognized the potential of vetiver grass which has high
Accepted 15 November 2015 economic value. To date vetiver grass is planted in soil and hydroponic media with
Available online 24 November 2015 additional nutrients. Objective: This study aimed to find out whether vetiver grass is
able to grow in aquaponic system and suitable to be planted concurrently with fish. The
present study is interesting because such topic has never studied before. Result: Nile
Keywords: tilapia fish was used and experiments were carried out using Recirculating Aquaponic
Aquaponic; RAS; Nile tilapia; Vetiver System (RAS) for six weeks where the observations and measurements of which were
grass. done every week. The result indicated that Nile tilapia planted concurrently with vetiver
grass in higher density (P2) has the best Relative Growth Rate (RGR) and Feed
Conversion Ratio (FCR). There was no significant difference between the growth of
vetiver grass P1 and P2, the grass was able to grow with RGR of 0.01 g day-1. The
percentage of N and P in vetiver grass tissue reached 1.98% and 0.35%, respectively.
Such percentage is considered very sufficient and it showed that the nutrient was well-
absorbed. Conclusion: Nile tilapia and vetiver grass are potential to be cultivated in the
same system and so the system is very potential to be developed.

2015 AENSI Publisher All rights reserved.

To Cite This Article: Hefni Effendi, Putu Cinthia Delis, Majariana Krisanti and Sigid Hariyadi, The Performance of Nile Tilapia
(Oreochromis niloticus) and Vetiver Grass (Vetiveria zizanioides) concurrently cultivated in aquaponic system. Adv. Environ. Biol., 9(24),
382-388, 2015

INTRODUCTION

Aquaponic is an agriculture system that combine aquaculture and hydroponic [1, 2, 3], i.e. the cultivation of
fish and vegetable is conducted through one system. The common system used in aquaculture and aquaponic
activities is Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) [4, 5] and using the system it is expected that the
symbiotic relation between fish and biofilter agent can occur. Aquaponic system is now widely applied in many
countries. Cultivation system by aquaponic brings various advantages, i.e. water reuse, space and production
efficiency, biosecurity, and double profit from harvest crop [3].
The aquaponic system was selected to solve clean water issues. The vegetables were planted as the absorber
of nitrogen (N) and phosphor (P) in water. There are several types of nitrogen dissolved in the water and the
most dangerous one for the fish health is ammonia (NH3). Aquatic organisms, especially those in tropical
regions are very sensitive to the presence of ammonia in the water [6]. The addition of the plants into this
system was expected to reduce nitrogen content in the water. In water medium the plants will absorb more NH4
and are expected to reduce the content of NH3 in water through equilibrium system [7]. Aquaponic system is
highly beneficial because farmers can cultivate two commodities at once [8], i.e. fish and vegetable and
eventually the harvest will be doubled. Biota that commonly used in aquaponic system is fish or lobster, while
the vegetables are tomato [9, 10, 11, 12], spinach [13, 14, 15], and lettuce [16]. Aquaponic system can be used
as alternative for fish cultivation waste treatment and effective reduce 95,1% of total ammonia [17].
Nile tilapia fish (Oreochromis niloticus) is a major commodity that is often cultivated using aquaponic
system [18, 19] and the fish was used due to its high economic value. The cultivation of which is quite easy
because of its resistance and high tolerance to various environmental conditions. Nile tilapia is proven to be
well-grown in aquaponic system using vegetables. Due to its easy and fast cultivation period, Nile tilapia fish
has become favourite commodity for the fans of aquaponic.
Corresponding Author: Hefni Effendi, Centre for Environmental Research Centre, Bogor Agricultural University (IPB),
Bogor, Indonesia.
Tel: 62 251 8621262; E-mail: hefni_effendi@yahoo.com
383 Hefni Effendi et al, 2015
Advances in Environmental Biology, 9(24) November 2015, Pages: 382-388

Vetiver grass (Vetiveria zizanioides) itself is from India and it takes role in soil and water conservation, land
rehabilitation, pollution control, and water quality improvement [20]. The oil of vetiver grass is well-known as
having very high economic value, Indonesia in particular Garut district is an vetiver oil exporter, and includes
the largest supplier of vetiver in addition to Haiti, China, and Romania [21]. Vetver is also have other benefits,
i.e. medicinal material [22, 23], insect repellent [24], active carbon [25], and biogas material [26]. The grass is
able to grow in hydroponic medium [27] and remains capable of producing good quality oil [28]. There has been
no research conducted on the use of vetiver in aquaponic system. Therefore, this study was conducted to
examine the growth performance of Nile tilapia and vetiver grass cultivated concurrently in aquaponic system
and to determine the absorption capability of vetiver grass through aquaponics system. Thus, if the information
is already known, can be done to further the development of vetiver grass as fish farming waste absorber.

MATERIALS AND METHOD

The study was located at the Laboratory of Centre of Environment Research (PPLH-IPB), Indonesia,
conducted for six weeks (May 3rd-June 14th 2015). This research used Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS)
with vetiver grass as filter to reduce organic matter. A total of 9 experimental units were used, each with
aquarium of 80 x 40 x 32 cm in size, gutter of 15 x 15 x 50 cm as the place to plant vetiver grass, and tank as
water meeting point before entering the aquarium. Total water used was 160 L and the water was not changed
during the experiment. The water was only added when it was reduced because of evaporation and transpiration.
The design of recirculation system can be seen Fig. 1.
Nile tilapias with 8-10 cm in length and average weight of 25 g (p<0.05) were cultivated in aquarium, each
of which consisted of 20 Nile tilapias. The fishes used in this study came from fish farmers in the area
Cibereum, Bogor, Indonesia. Before the experiment started, fish acclimatisation for five days was carried out to
familiarise the fish to new environment and to accumulate organic materials so that the nutrient for the growth
of vetiver grass is sufficient. After acclimatisation, one month vetiver grasses with 10 cm in height were planted
in gutters with different planting densities according to their respective treatment. Vetiver grass used in this
study were from Garut, West Java, Indonesia as the largest vetiver producer in Indonesia. Before planting,
vetiver grasses were first cleaned from soil and sludge using groundwater. The treatments given were:
P0 = Nile tilapia without vetiver grass;
P1 = Nile tilapia with vetiver grass of 160 grams wet density; and
P2 = Nile tilapia with vetiver grass of 320 grams wet density.

Fig. 1: Aquaponic system design (A, B), vetiver grass (C), and Nile tilapia (D).

After vetiver grass planted, the fish was cultivated for 6 weeks. The fish were fed with pellets (commercial
feed) three times every day (morning, noon, and afternoon); the amount of which was 4% of fish body weight
with 40% feed protein content. Where any fish died during the cultivation process, the number of which was
recorded and the dead fish was replaced by a new one with the same weight to keep the number of fish in the
aquarium for each treatment remained the same. During experiment, no additional nutrients were not given to
vetiver grass because it is expected that the grass is capable of using available nutrients in the water of
cultivation media. The growth of fish and vetiver grass was measured every week. Fish measured parameters
were survival rate (SR), relative growth rate (RGR), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) [29]; while the parameters
for vetiver grass were grass crown height, root length, survival rate and relative growth rate [30].
Water quality indicators observed every week were dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, temperature, N
(Ammonia, ammonium, nitrite and nitrate), and P (orthophosphate). Dissolved oxygen and temperature were
measured using DO meter, pH using pH meter, and turbidity using turbidity meter. Analysis of ammonia, nitrate
and orthophosphate was conducted in the laboratory using spectrophotometric method which refers to the
APHA [31]. After all collected, the data were analysed statistically using ANOVA followed with Duncans test
using SPSS v20 software.
384 Hefni Effendi et al, 2015
Advances in Environmental Biology, 9(24) November 2015, Pages: 382-388

RESULT AND DISCUSSION

Water quality:
Quality of water at the beginning and the end of the experiment can be seen in table 1. Dissolved oxygen
content in P2 was higher in P1 and P0 although the difference was not significant (p>0.05). On the other hand,
water pH during the experiment continued to decrease until the end of the experiment. Based on the results, the
best pH belonged to P2 while water temperature tended to be unchanging and showed no difference between
treatments (p>0.05).

Table 1: The quality of water at the beginning and end of the experiment.
Treatment
Parameter Unit
P0 P1 P2
Dissolved oxygen at the beginning mg L-1 5.97 0.18 6.03 0.17 5.85 0.05
Dissolved oxygen at the end mg L-1 5.28 0.55 5.66 0.16 5.60 0.44
pH at the beginning - 7.93 0.04 7.94 0.04 7.89 0.09
pH at the end - 5.64 0.70 5.80 0.12 6.15 0.30
o
Temperature at the beginning C 27.43 0.50 28.13 0.76 27.97 0.64
o
Temperature at the end C 27.93 0.49 28.92 1.06 28.70 0.40
Turbidity at the beginning NTU 4.39 0.87 4.28 0.59 4.36 0.43
Turbidity at the end NTU 50.62 44.44 17.09 11.57 8.76 4.50
Chlorophyll-a at the beginning mg (m3)-1 2.53 1.55 1.98 0.83 3.19 4.55
Chlorophyll-a at the end mg (m3)-1 58.22 44.77 28.95 25.24 10.38 1.68

Throughout the experiment turbidity and chlorophyll-a parameter increased. Chlorophyll-a represents
microalgae abundance in water. The increasing turbidity was allegedly caused by the increasing microalgae. The
highest turbidity belonged to P0 while the lowest to P2 (Table 1), although they indicated no significant
difference statistically (p>0.05).
The excess of nitrogen (N) and phosphor (P) contents in media can adversely affect fish health, while for
plants are sources of essential nutrients [32]. The observation on the concentration of dissolved inorganic
nutrients during experiment can be seen in Table 2. The concentration of NO3 indicated no significant difference
among the treatments (p>0.05). On the other hand, although nitrite (NO2) is an unstable compound and plants do
not use nitrogen in NO2 form, however, high concentration of which in aquaculture activities can lead to fish
poisoning. During this study the concentration of NO2 remained below the quality standard so that it was safe
for the Nile tilapias.
The concentration of ammonia (NH3) in the water should be not higher than 1.0 mg L- 1 [33], otherwise it
can harm the health and growth of fish. Although during the study NH3 decreased until the end of experiment,
the concentration of which was optimum for fish to grow. On the other hand, ammonium (NH4) continued to
increase. The compound is, however, harmless to aquatic organisms and a major source of N for aquatic plants.
The results indicated that the concentration of NH4 in P2 was lower than in the P1 and P0 although the
difference was not significant (p>0.05). The concentration difference indicates that vetiver grass used
ammonium in water. In contrast to nitrogen, phosphor in water, represented by orthophosphate (PO4), showed
significant difference among treatments (p<0.05) as clearly seen at the end of the observation that the
concentration of orthophosphate in P2 was lower than in P1 and P0.

Table 2: Dissolved inorganic nutrients at the beginning and the end of observation.
Treatment
Parameter Unit
P0 P1 P2
NO3 at the beginning mg L-1 2.97 0.08 2.82 0.17 2.98 0.07
NO3 at the end mg L-1 5.27 0.64 5.68 0.33 5.92 0.43
NO2 at the beginning mg L-1 0.32 0.12 0.32 0.18 0.29 0.09
NO2 at the end mg L-1 0.61 0.40 0.81 0.07 0.87 0.01
NH3 at the beginning mg L-1 0.24 0.09 0.24 0.06 0.19 0.04
NH3 at the end mg L-1 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.00 0.03 0.02
NH4 at the beginning mg L-1 3.99 1.21 3.82 0.88 3.36 0.27
NH4 at the end mg L-1 22.84 0.19 22.92 0.33 22.71 0.57
PO4 at the beginning mg L-1 0.33 0.06 0.36 0.02 0.28 0.00
PO4 at the end mg L-1 9.80 1.33 9.51 0.77 7.78 0.74

Performance of Nile tilapia:

The growth of Nile tilapia body length and weight during six weeks of cultivation can be seen at Fig. 2. The
growth of Nile tilapia body length increased rapidly. Based on the chart it is known that the best length growth
belonged to P2, followed by P1 and P0. The length of Nile tilapia at the end of experiment for P2, P1, and P0
was 14.6 0.1 cm, 14.2 0.3 cm, and 14.0 0.2 cm, respectively, and the length showed significant difference
among treatments (p<0.05). Similarly, the weight of Nile tilapia also continued to increase during the cultivation
385 Hefni Effendi et al, 2015
Advances in Environmental Biology, 9(24) November 2015, Pages: 382-388

period. The best weight also belonged to P2, followed by P1 and P0. The weight of Nile tilapia at the end of
cultivation for P2, P1, and P0 was 58.8 1.01 g, 52.6 5.2 g, and 50.6 2.0 g, respectively, and the weight
showed significant difference among treatments (p<0.05).

Fig. 2: The length (a) and weight (b) of Nile tilapia.

Survival rate of each treatment showed no significant difference (p>0.05) (Table 3). Although had lower
survival rate, P2 was still fall within safe range limit (above 90%). Fish death at P0 occurred in the first and
second week, while the death in P2 occurred more often in week five and six close to the end of experiment
period. Such death is common, considering different individual resistance to new environment. During the
experiment there was no sign of disease attack because of bacteria and fungi. Fish harvested after six weeks of
cultivation were good in physical condition and healthy (Fig. 3). Relative growth rate of tilapia by weight
(RGR) represents tilapia weight gain based on time. In this study, the best RGR was found in P2, followed by
P1 and P0 (Table 3). RGR values in each treatment were statistically different (p<0.05). The higher the value of
RGR, the faster the fish gains weight.

Table 3: The growth of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) at the end of experiment.
Treatment
Growth Indicator Unit
P0 P1 P2
a
Survival rate % 93.33 7.6 98.33 2.9a 91.66 4.7a
Relative grow rate g day-1 0.021 0.001a 0.022 0.002a 0.025 0.000b
Feeding conversion ratio - 2.0 0.1a 1.9 0.3a 1.6 0.1a
Values with the same superscript letters are not significantly different at the test level of 5%

The high value of RGR is also proportional to the feed conversion ratio (FCR). Growth is the result of
energy metabolised through food [29]. The best FCR belonged to P2, followed by P1 and P0 (p>0.05). The FCR
of P2 was 1.6 which means to produce 1 kg meat a total of 1.6 kg feed is needed. The FCR value in this study is
similar to tilapia cultivated using aquaponic system along with vegetables, i.e. 1.7 [34]. The lower FCR
indicates more effective feeding. Feed given is effectively converted into meat by fish. Feed is one of the most
substantial expenses in fish farming activities. Therefore, when FCR is low and fish feed expense can be
reduced, that will be more profitable because feed purchase cost can be minimised.
The parameters of growth indicated that the best performance of tilapia belonged to P2. Treatment with
higher density of vetiver grass produces better performance of tilapia. It indicated that tilapia fits and is able to
grow along with vetiver grass in aquaponic system. Aquaponic method using vetiver grass provides comfortable
environment for fish. Several factors that influence the growth tilapia are oxygen [35], pH [36], and temperature
[37]. Tilapia grows optimally in cultivation media with dissolved oxygen level of 5-7.5 mg L-1, pH of 6-9, and
temperature of 27-29 C [33]. In this study, based on the water quality P2 contained better dissolved oxygen,
pH, and temperature than P1 and P0. This is why fish in P2 were allegedly showed better performance than
those in other treatments.

Performance of vetiver grass:

Vetiver grass is one grass plants where the stem and leaves are fused. Vetiver grass growth takes place at
the base of leaf meristem (nodes). The increase of crown height and root length during six weeks of cultivation
can be seen in Fig. 4 and 5. Vetiver grass crown height increased in P1 and P2, yet there was no significant
difference between them (p>0.05). The height of vetiver grass at the end of observation was 49.6 3.1 cm for
P1 and 49.0 4.9 cm for P2. The grass roots were also well-grown despite of only fine roots existed during
cultivation period. The observation on the growth of vetiver grass roots is important considering the economic
value of which comes from its oil that produced by the roots. There was no significant difference (p>0.05) on
the growth of root length where at the end of the observation the root length was 9.51.7 cm and 11.30.6 cm
for P1 and P2, respectively.
Faster root growth in P2 is supposedly related to orthophosphate absorption. Salisbury [32] stated that over-
given phosphor in plants leads to higher root growth, and can surpass the growth of plant crown. According to
386 Hefni Effendi et al, 2015
Advances in Environmental Biology, 9(24) November 2015, Pages: 382-388

Li [38], phosphor (P) accumulates in plant root tissues. Both statements provide slight explanation on why in
this study the decrease in orthophosphate was quite effective, given vetiver grass is a plant with good root
growth.

Fig. 3: The growth of Nile tilapia for six weeks of cultivation period.

Fig. 4: The growth of crown height (a) and root length (b) of vetiver grass.

Fig. 5: The growth of crown height (A) and root length (B) vetiver grass plant after six weeks of cultivation
period.

During the cultivation period, there was no dead vetiver grass, resulting in the survival rate for P1 and P2
reached 100% (Table 4) and indicating that the density of vetiver grass plant does not significantly affect plant
resistance. RGR for P1 and P2 also showed no significant difference, i.e. 0.01 g day-1 (p>0.05). The RGR
indirectly represents the absorption of nutrients by plants as an important process in the removal of nutrients
from aquatic environments [38]. Vetiver can remove orthophosphat from aquaculture media until 19.94% and
ammoniak until 48,36% for their growth [39].

Table 4: The growth of vetiver grass (Vetiveria zizanioides) at the end of experiment.
Treatment
Growth Indicator Unit
Beginning End (P1) End (P2)
Survival rate % - 100a 100a
Relative grow rate g day-1 - 0.01 0.006a 0.01 0.007a
Nitrogen in leaves % DW 1.21 0.03 1.97 0.13 1.98 0.05
Nitrogen in root % DW 0.47 0.01 1.05 0.14 1.10 0.07
Phosphor in leaves % DW 0.24 0.01 0.36 0.04 0.35 0.02
Phosphor in root % DW 0.04 0.01 0.10 0.02 0.11 0.01
Values with the same superscript letters are not significantly different at the test level of 5%

The percentage of nitrogen and phosphor in vetiver grass tissues of P1 and P2 treatment (p>0.05) was not
different. The concentration of both in the two treatments was quite high, particularly in leaf tissue (Table 4).
This indicated that during the cultivation period, the vetiver grass did not experience lack of nutrient as the grass
was able to absorb nutrient in water and store it in tissues for metabolism purpose. This is indicated by the
increase in nutrient level in tissue after cultivation period. The process of nutrient absorption by the grass is
387 Hefni Effendi et al, 2015
Advances in Environmental Biology, 9(24) November 2015, Pages: 382-388

highly influenced by the pH of cultivation media. For water plant, pH influences the process of metabolism and
nutrient and carbon absorptions [30]. The optimum pH for water plants nutrient absorption is below 7 [40].
Lack of nutrients in plant would adversely affect nutrient concentration in tissue. The concentrations of
nitrogen and phosphor considered adequate for higher plants are 1.50% DW and 0.20% DW, respectively [32].
Jampeetong [41] stated that vetiver grass cultivated in artificial nutrient has the concentration of N in leaf and
root tissues of 1.50% DW and 1.30% DW, respectively, while the concentrations of P in the same tissues are
0.20% DW and 0.15% DW, respectively. The result of that study is almost the same with the result of the
present study. The cultivation of vetiver grass using aquaponic with recirculating aquaculture system (RAS)
does not affect the plants nutrient absorption. Through the system, water with nutrient content will continuously
flow through roots so that the organs do not face any difficulties to cultivate nutrient. Due to nutrient-rich water
that continuously flows, thus the high density for plating in this aspect also does not disturb the growth and
nutrient absorption of vetiver grass.

Conclusion:
Tilapia cultivated in aquaculture media with vetiver grass in the highest density showed the best
performance. The growth of tilapia is influenced by the quality of its environment. Vetiver grass is supposedly
capable of providing comfortable environment for tilapia fish to grow. The grass can also grow well in
cultivation media by absorbing and using nutrient in water for its growth process. The combination of tilapia
and vetiver grass is suitable and potential to be applied in aquaponic system.

Contributions to knowledge:
A good combination between Nile tilapia and vetiver grass in this study could be the basis information for
develop Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) based vetiver grass. Vetiver grass which is an accumulator of
organic waste can be used as a biofilter to absorb the waste aquaculture so as to reduce pollution and conserve
water usage. Beside that, farmers also has the double advantage of harvesting fish and vetiver grass that has
multibenefit. However, this study is still to be developed to see a suitability between vetiver and other fish
species.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to thank the Directorate General of Higher Education IPB, which has funded this research.

REFERENCES

[1] Bakiu, R. and J. Shehu, 2014. Aquaponic systems as excellent agricultural research instruments in Albania.
Albanian J Agric Sci., 385-389.
[2] Goddek, S., B. Delaide, U. Mankasingh, K.V. Ragnarsdottir, H. Jijakli and R. Thorarinsdottir, 2015.
Challenges of sustainable and commercial aquaponics. Sustainability, 7: 4199-4224.
[3] Datta, S., 2015. Aquaponics: Its Present Status and Potential. Fishing Chimes, 34(11): 44-48.
[4] Rakocy, J.E., M.P. Masser and T.M. Losordo, 2009. Recirculating Aquaculture Tank Production Systems:
Aquaponics-Integrating Fish and Plant Culture. SRAC Publication, 454: 1-16.
[5] Badiola, M., D. Mendiola and J. Bostock, 2012. Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) analysis: Main
issues on management and future challenges. Aquacultural Engineering, 51: 26 35.
[6] Wang, Z.K. and M.Y. Leung, 2015. Effects of unionised ammonia on tropical freshwater organisms:
[7] Implications on temperate-to-tropic extrapolation and water quality guidelines. Environmental Pollution,
205: 240-249.
[8] Tyson, R.V., D.D. Treadwell and E.H. Simonne, 2011. Opportunities and Challenges to Sustainability in
Aquaponic Systems. Hort Technology, 21(1): 6-13.
[9] Love, D.C., J.P. Fry, L. Genello, E.S. Hill, J.A. Frederick, X. Li and K. Semmens, 2014. An International
Survey of Aquaponics Practitioners. Plos One, 9(7): 1-10.
[10] Graber, A. and R. Junge, 2009. Aquaponic Systems: Nutrient recycling from fish wastewater by vegetable
production. Desalination, 246: 147-156.
[11] Roosta, H.R. and M. Hamidpour, 2011. Effects of foliar application of some macro- and micro-nutrients on
tomato plants in aquaponic and hydroponic systems. Scientia Horticulturae, 129: 396402.
[12] Mariscal-Lagarda, M.M., F. Pez-Osuna, J.L. Esquer-Mnde, I. Guerrero-Monroy, A. Romo del Vivar and
R. Flix-Gastelum, 2012. Integrated culture of white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) and tomato
(Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) with low salinity groundwater: Management and production. Aquaculture,
366-367: 7684.
[13] Saufie, S., A. Estim, M. Tamin, A. Harun, S. Obong and S. Mustafa, 2015. Growth Performance of Tomato
Plant and Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia in Combined Aquaponic Systems. Asian Journal of
Agricultural Research, 9(3): 95-103.
388 Hefni Effendi et al, 2015
Advances in Environmental Biology, 9(24) November 2015, Pages: 382-388

[14] Endut, A., A. Jusohb, N. Alib, W.N.S. Wan-Nik and A. Hassand, 2009. Effect of flow rate on water quality
parameters and plant growth of water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica) in an aquaponic recirculating system.
Desalination and Water Treatment, 5: 19-28.
[15] Petrea, .M., V. Cristea, L. Dediu, M. Contoman, M. Cretu, A. Antache, M.T. Coad and A.C. Bandi, 2014.
A Study of Phosphorus and Calcium Dynamics in an Integrated Rainbow Trout and Spinach (Nores variety)
Aquaponic System with Different Crop Densities. Animal Science and Biotechnologies, 47(2): 196-206.
[16] Das, P.S., M.M. Haque, M.M. Alam, S. Akter and M.R. Amin, 2015. An understanding on the feasibility of
aquaponics in intensive aquaculture pond. Res Agric Livest Fish, 2(1): 143-150.
[17] Effendi, H., B.A. Utomo, G. Darmawangsa and D.A. Hanafiah, 2015. Wastewater treatment of freshwater
crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) culture with lettuce (Lactuca sativa). International Journal of Applied
Environmental Sciences, 10(1): 409-420.
[18] Wahyuningsih S., H. Effendi and Y. Wardiatno, 2015. Nitrogen removal of aquaculture wastewater in
aquaponic recirculation system. AACL Bioflux, 8(4): 491-499.
[19] Love, D.C., J.P. Fry, X. Li, E.S. Hill, L. Genello, K. Semmens and R.E. Thompson, 2015. Commercial
aquaponics production and profitability: Findings from an international survey. Aquaculture, 435: 6774.
[20] Diver, S., 2006. Aquaponics-integration of hydroponics with aquaculture. National Center for Appropriate
Technology (NCAT) United States. 28p
[21] Gupta, P., S. Roy and A.B. Mahindrakar, 2012. Treatment of Water Using Water Hyacinth, Water Lettuce
and Vetiver Grass - A Review. Resources and Environment, 2(5): 202-215.
[22] Jariyah, N.A. and A.B. Supangat, 2008. Dilemma of Vetiveria zizanoides L. Nash Vetiver Grass Cultivation
in Garut District. Info Hutan V(3): 261-272.
[23] Chou, S.T., C.P. Lai, C.C. Lin and Y. Shih, 2012. Study of the chemical composition, antioxidant activity
and anti-inflammatory activity of essential oil from Vetiveria zizanioides. Food Chemistry, 134: 262-268.
[24] Saikia, D., S. Parveena, V.K. Gupta and S. Luqman, 2012. Anti-tuberculosis activity of Indian grass Khus
(Vetiveria zizanioides L. Nash). Complementary Therapies in Medicin, 20: 434-436.
[25] Aarthi, N. and K. Murugan, 2011. Effect of Vetiveria zizanioides L. root extracts on the malarial vector,
Anopheles stephensi Liston. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Disease, 2011: 154-158.
[26] Gaspard, S., S. Altenor, E.A. Dawson, P.A. Barnes and A. Ouensanga, 2007. Activated carbon from vetiver
roots: Gas and liquid adsorption studies. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 144: 73-81.
[27] Li, Y., Y. Ren, E. Dahlquist, P. Fan and T. Chao, 2014. Biogas potential from Vetiveria zizaniodes (L.)
planted for ecological restoration in China. Energy Procedia, 61: 2733-2736.
[28] Boonsong, K. and M. Chansiri, 2008. Domestic Wastewater Treatment using Vetiver Grass Cultivated with
Floating Platform Technique. AU J T, 12(2): 73-80.
[29] Pereira, C.G., I.P. Gualtieri, N.B. Maia and M.A.A. Meireles, 2008. Superritical extraction to obtain vetiver
(Vetiveria zizanioides L. Nash) extract from roots cultivated hydroponically. Journal of Agricultural
Science and technology, 2(10): 44-50.
[30] Zonneveld, N., E.A. Huisman and J.H. Boon, 1991. Prinsip-prinsip Budidaya Ikan. PT Gramedia Pustaka
Utama, Jakarta. 318 p. (In Indonesian).
[31] Mitchell, D.S., 1974. Aquatic vegetation and its use and control. France: Unesco. 135 p.
[32] APHA: American Public Health Assosiation, 2005. Standard methods for the examination of water and
wastewater. Waldorf, Maryland: American Public Health Association Publication Sales. 264p.
[33] Salisbury, F.B. and C.W. Ross, 1995. Fisiologi Tumbuhan Jilid I. [Translated from Plant physiology, 4th
edition]. Lukman DR and Sumaryono (Translator). ITB Bandung. 241p. (In Indonesian)
[34] DeLong, D.P., T.M. Losordo and J.E. Rakocy, 2009. Tank culture of tilapia. SRAC Publication, 282: 1-8.
[35] Pasqua-Godkin, N., F. Oliveira, R. List and K. Doelle, 2015. Energy, carbon dioxide and economic
comparisons of tilapia sp. nnd cyprinus carpio in aquaponics system. Vozes dos Vales, 7(IV): 1-15.
[36] Kolding, J., L. Haug and S. Stefansson, 2008. Effect of ambient oxygen on growth and reproduction in Nile
tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Can J Fish Aquat Sci, 65: 14131424.
[37] El-Sherif, M.S. and A.M.I. El-Feky, 2009. Performance of nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fingerlings.
I. Effect of pH. Int J Agric Biol, 11: 297300.
[38] Santos, V.Bd., E.A. Mareco and M.D.P. Silva, 2013. Growth curves of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)
strains cultivated at different temperatures. Maringa, 35(3): 235-242.
[39] Li, L., Y. Yang, N.F.Y. Tam, L. Yang, X.Q. Meia and F.J. Yange, 2013. Growth characteristics of six
wetland plants and their influences on domestic wastewater treatment efficiency. Ecological Engineering,
60: 382 392.
[40] Delis, P.C., H. Effendi, M. Krisanti and S. Hariyadi, 2015. Treatment of aquaculture wastewater using
Vetiveria zizanioides (Liliopsida; Poaceae). AACL Bioflux, 8(4): 616-625.
[41] Owens, C.S., R.M. Smart, D.R. Honnell and G.O. Dick, 2005. Effects of pH on Growth Of Salvinia molesta
Mitchell. J Aquat Plant Manage, 43: 34-38.
[42] Jampeetong, A., H. Brix and S. Kantawanichkul, 2012. Effects of inorganic nitrogen forms on growth,
morphology, nitrogen uptake capacity and nutrient allocation of four tropical aquatic macrophytes (Salvinia
cucullata, Ipomoea aquatica, Cyperus involucratus and Vetiveria zizanioides). Aquatic Botany, 97: 10 16.