Utilization of palm oil mill effluent as growth media in budikdamber system

Abstract

Palm oil mill effuent (POME) has the potential to become an environmental pollutant if left unutilized. This study aims to examine the effect of POME on catfish and water spinach growth in the bucket fish culture system (budikdamber). This research was conducted in August-November 2021, and comprises of acclimatization of fish, seeding, POME media preparation, rearing, observation, and data analysis. This study used a completely randomized design, consisting of four treatments and three replications. The treatments was the POME concentrations, consisting of Control (0 mg.L−1), A (1.565 mg.L−1), B (2.347 mg.L−1), and C (3.130 mg.L−1). The fish used were catfish measuring 5-7 cm totaling 20 fish/bucket, while the plant used was seedlings measuring 2-3 cm. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA at 95% confidence level. The research parameters included the catfish Specific Growth Rate (SGR) and Survival Rate (SR), along with the height, number of branches, and leaves of water spinach. The results showed that the concentration of 3.130 mg.L−1 caused significant differences in fish and plant growth parameters. SGR of catfish decreased significantly at concentrations of 2.347 and 3.130 mg.L−1, meanwhile, SR of catfish was not significantly different. Concentrations of 1.565, 2.347, and 3.130 mg.L−1 showed a significant increase in height, branches, and leaves number of water spinach plants.