The study focuses on the growing concern for sustainable agriculture, food, and nutrition security due to the increase in climate change and inflation in the Philippines. The researchers utilized the integration of Aquaculture and Urban Agriculture as a means to create a sustainable urban aquaponics system that urban families can benefit from and at the same time solve prevalent environmental and food security issues. As such, this study would be a starting point for urban areas such as Gawad Kalinga as a means for the community’s food production. With this in mind, this study will mainly focus on an experimental research design conducted at St. Theresa’s College, Quezon City regarding the symbiotic relationship between tilapia and bok choy. 

The research aims to improve food production by creating a sustainable urban aquaponics system for households hence, the method utilized was experimental and quantitative in nature which explores the cause-and-effect relationship between ammonia and pH levels as independent variables and the mass of bok choy and longevity of tilapia as dependent variables then also compares the results through adding a controlled setup.  Additionally, the researchers also had expectations because of past papers that cite that ammonia when successfully converted to nitrate can provide essential nutrients for the plant’s growth. 

This relationship was tested by assembling a small-scale aquaponic setup through four containers, the fish tank, sump tank, experimental bok choy setup, and controlled bok choy setup, arranged in a ladder order. A pump is added to connect the fish tank and the bok choy setup, then added with water to test water flow through the containers. Styrofoam rafts with net pots hold bok choy which were submerged in water in both the experimental and controlled setups. The system only cycled for four days in the fish tank due to the lack of earlier preparation hence, affecting the buildup of essential bacteria for ammonia conversion. After the setup was constructed, daily testing of the bok choy’s mass, pH levels, and ammonia levels in the fish and sump tanks was performed and compiled in a Google Sheets file for analysis. 

Tilapia fingerlings and bok choy were chosen due to their suitability for aquaponics, rapid growth, and accessibility in urban communities. Based on the rule of thumb in aquaponic, the group decided to put 150 fingerlings in 4 gallons of water. In order to test these variables, data collection tools such as ammonia test strips, weighing scale, and pH level sensor were utilized. Furthermore, the statistical analysis used were the mean, independent t-test, and paired t-test. These tests focused on comparing ammonia levels between the sump tank and fish tank and evaluating the difference in bok choy mass between controlled and experimental setups. 

The researchers can infer that the ammonia produced by the tilapia had an impact on the Bok choy plant's general growth and its variables in the set-ups, such as ammonia levels, have no little effect on the longevity of the fish. Meanwhile, the table shows that the range of mass values for bok choy only ranges from 0.01 for the lowest value to 0.25 for the greatest value and eventually reached the point where it had a value of 0, which is because either the bok choy went missing or died during the process. The number of casualties peaked on the first day, September 29, 2023, with the number of casualties having the highest value on that day, and the last day of the research study, October 10, 2023, with that day having the second highest number of casualties. Dealing with its observed trends, the mass values of some trials were increasing, allowing the researchers to infer that the ammonia levels did have a positive impact on the weight of the bok choy. Hence, the researchers found no significant patterns in the data regarding the number of casualties of the Tilapias.

The results and data of the study revealed that there was only a minor increase in the average mass of bok choy following ammonia absorption when compared to its initial mass before absorption. For this reason, the null hypothesis, which shows that there is no discernible difference between the average mass of bok choy before and after ammonia absorption, is accepted by the researchers. This suggests that despite the ammonia contributing to the growth of the Bok Choy, the effect is not notable enough to say that the results ultimately varied with each other. Additionally, the data indicated a constant 0.05 ammonia level between the two setups, indicating no significant differences in the ammonia levels within the fish tank and the sump tank. The researchers note that this outcome could be due to the short time frame for data collection; thus, there was not enough time for the cycle phase to occur, which resulted in the absence of the nitrifying bacteria required for the experimental setup. Furthermore, another factor that may have contributed to the data gathered was the need for appropriate instruments for measuring ammonia. 

In accordance with the results, the researchers observed that there is no significant difference in the average mass of bok choy before and after ammonia absorption. This implies that although the ammonia contributed to Bok Choy's growth, the effect was not significant enough to indicate that the final outcomes varied from one another. Since there are no discernible trends in the data regarding the number of Tilapia casualties, the ammonia levels similarly have little to no effect on the longevity of the fish. Scientific research papers on different aquaponic setups concluded that ammonia when successfully converted to nitrate is an essential nutrient for the plant’s growth. However, the results of this paper showed that ammonia was not able to contribute to the growth of bok choy significantly; the researchers inferred there were minimal bacteria in the system to convert ammonia due to the lack of preparation. 

Additionally, the group was able to conclude that the amount of fish must be proportional to the number of bok choy plants. In spite of not getting the desired results, the paper provided supplementary insights for future researchers to further improve a small-scale setup that is most suitable in urban areas due to its convenience. Furthermore, the limitations that have affected the results are the number of needed equipment and highly monitored setup since numerous processes need to be done manually. Accuracy in results is crucial for growing high-quality fish and plants, thus investing in the proper equipment for aquaponics would be beneficial in the long run.