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Pondspectives with Mike
Monday, Jan. 24, 2011, 1:30 p.m. EST
Aquaponics Splashes into the Pond World
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By Mike Garcia
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| Aquaponics offers a new wave of sustainability for koi and pond fish hobbyists. (Courtesy of The Aquaponic Source) | A new world is emerging from the established pond world: Aquaponics. Many koi hobbyists flush water from their ponds weekly. Much of this water ends up going down the drain. Rather than flushing nutrient-rich water away, why not find a use for this water?
The answer to this question resulted in a new wave of sustainability -- the symbiotic melding of growing plants in nutrient-rich water from koi ponds. Koi and other pond fish produce nitrogenous wastes. If left unfiltered, these wastes (ammonia and nitrites) are toxic to fish, but they make great food for plants. When plant production is incorporated with a fish production system, the plants filter and use fish waste through their root systems and thrive.
What kind of plants take to this type of feeding? Organic vegetables, which are extremely popular right now.
Aquaponic production systems are earth-friendly. They also require 40 percent less water and produce 40 percent more plant material per square foot of space. There is zero waste, except for the roots of the plants that are composted or fed back to herbaceous fish.
Once the system is set up there is very little maintenance. No tilling, weeding, fertilizing or watering. The plants are fertilized and watered 24-7 by the recirculating system.
Aquaponic systems can be designed for back yards (a 16 inch diameter circle can produce 24 plants) as well as or for entire communities.
Many pondkeepers plant into floating fish islands for an ornamental look. With the huge wave of organic vegetable gardeners emerging on the scene, it just makes sense to put fish-metabolized water to good use. The state of Georgia has many aquaponic gardeners pioneering this type of organic water gardening and literally “eating it up.”
What do you do with the nutrient-rich water flushed from koi ponds?
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