THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE USE OF AQUAPONIC SYSTEMS USING CHITOSAN FILTERS ON WATER QUALITY IN AMMONIA, NITRITE, AND NITRATES TEST PARAMETERS

Abstract

Chitosan is a polysaccharide compound derived from chitin obtained from marine animal shell waste and can act as a biocoagulant and bioflocculant in maintaining water quality. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of chitosan with different concentrations in improving water quality as seen from the content of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates in the aquaponic system. This study was carried out for 30 days in Banjar Tegal Village, Buleleng District, Buleleng Regency, Bali Province using a Complete Random Design (RAL) with three treatments and three replicas. The treatments used include A (Aquaponic system without chitosan filter), B (Aquaponic system with the addition of chitosan filter with a dose of 30 mg/L), C (Aquaponic system with the addition of chitosan filter with a dose of 50 mg/L). Data was collected using a simple random sampling method and analyzed using quantitative and qualitative descriptive data analysis techniques. The results showed that the water quality performance (ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate test parameters) of the aquaponic system in the treatment of adding chitosan filters with a concentration of 50 mg/L (Treatment C) was better when compared to the control and with the treatment of adding chitosan filters with a concentration of 30 mg/L.