My Dad and I came up with a plan to install an aquaponic system into a koi pond. This pond has been established for over 10 years. The benefits of incorporating an aquaponic system into a koi pond, especially a pond that has been established for years, is substantial! A koi pond has all the components to growing vegetables already in place. The nitrogen cycle is already established, this means that there is plenty of plant food nutrients in the water. Figuring out how you want to integrate the vegetables into the pond is all that needs to be done.
The koi pond is roughly 5000L with about 30 koi fish, a couple big catfish and a happy crawdad or two. There is a lot of space, but the area we are focusing on is where we tied the aquaponic system into the pond; a fiberglass container loosely resembling a bathtub against the far edge of the koi pond. The tub is raised so that the bottom of the tub sits just above the water line. This area was being used to create extra filtration by adding various water plants into the tub. The plants established a root system and the water was filtered as it cycle through and drained back into the pond. Instead of using non edible plants we decided to replace the water plants and with vegetables to grow healthy food and supplement the grocery bills.
The type of aquaponic system we are using is a continues flow style. It means that water is constantly running over the roots of the plants, giving them constant access to the nutrient filled water. We filled planter boxes with our vegetables and used lava rocks as our medium. across the length of the tub we installed the planters, leaving about a foot between each box. The water will flow through the boxes allowing the roots to have easy access to the nutrients in the water.
There are so many bonus' to incorporating an aquaponic system into your pond. The aquaponic system acts as an added filter for the pond, keeping the water cleaner. It is a fantastic way to grow vegetables, and a great uses of space. (I believe in large gardens, but if there is not a lot of space accessible this style makes sense, also the pond is already there!) The aquaponic system in itself is pleasant to look at, while maintaining shade for your fish. It is a great conversation starter, and above all else it is environmentally friendly.
Here are the pictures of the install, enjoy!
The koi pond is roughly 5000L with about 30 koi fish, a couple big catfish and a happy crawdad or two. There is a lot of space, but the area we are focusing on is where we tied the aquaponic system into the pond; a fiberglass container loosely resembling a bathtub against the far edge of the koi pond. The tub is raised so that the bottom of the tub sits just above the water line. This area was being used to create extra filtration by adding various water plants into the tub. The plants established a root system and the water was filtered as it cycle through and drained back into the pond. Instead of using non edible plants we decided to replace the water plants and with vegetables to grow healthy food and supplement the grocery bills.
The type of aquaponic system we are using is a continues flow style. It means that water is constantly running over the roots of the plants, giving them constant access to the nutrient filled water. We filled planter boxes with our vegetables and used lava rocks as our medium. across the length of the tub we installed the planters, leaving about a foot between each box. The water will flow through the boxes allowing the roots to have easy access to the nutrients in the water.
There are so many bonus' to incorporating an aquaponic system into your pond. The aquaponic system acts as an added filter for the pond, keeping the water cleaner. It is a fantastic way to grow vegetables, and a great uses of space. (I believe in large gardens, but if there is not a lot of space accessible this style makes sense, also the pond is already there!) The aquaponic system in itself is pleasant to look at, while maintaining shade for your fish. It is a great conversation starter, and above all else it is environmentally friendly.
Here are the pictures of the install, enjoy!
Getting the planter boxes ready
Installing the planter boxes into the koi pond
I LOVE the pictures on this post! Great idea!
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