Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I started this project back in March and am almost finished. There are two ponds. The upper, smaller pond is for ornamental fish and has about 30 goldfish of many types in it. The lower, larger pond will be for game fish and currently has about 10 goldfish in it for mosquito control. They will most likely become food for the larger fish if I cannot catch them tonight.

I have a blog that has detailed the experience with a lot of photos and a few of the details @ http://naturalpond.blogspot.com/

Here are some images of when I first started:

March and April

May Gallery:

As the weather got very hot in summer I didn't get much work done. Working outdoors when the temperature is at or near 100F is completely painful.

July and August Gallery:

Bloody hell ... you sure that's big enough...

You dont do things by half do you

very nice
what was the total cost ?

I am estimating about $3,000-$3,500 US dollars. I did all the work myself and reused anything I possibly could. All the cost was just materials that I had to have. Pump, liner, and rock came to to $1500. The rest was piping, lumber, electrical, and hardware. I built the grow beds myself so they were fairly cheap. All the landscaping plants were grown from seed, so that part of it didn't really cost anything.

Compared to estimates I got to just fill the pool in with fill dirt, that were from $10,000 to $15,000, it was extremely cheap. Especially if you add in the cost of landscaping the area, and re-landscaping what got destroyed by the tractors coming through the yard.

After going over all my options for getting rid of the swimming pool, a DIY aquaponic system was the cheapest way to go, short term and long term. It will eventually pay for itself, in theory anyway. If nothing else, the money I save from the food production will cover any future maintenance that needs to be done. It really is the best way to go for eliminating a money pit swimming pool.

Looks good. I find running my pool with fish is a lot cheaper than running it for swimming. Plus I don't have the time to go swimming.

WOW!!!!!!

Now there is a huge selling point for Aquaponics!!!!



The cheapest way to get rid of a money pit swimming pool while making your yard beautiful and helping to feed your family!!!!!! (and heck, some people still swim in them with the fish on occasion!!!!)

COOL so cool

wow, thats awesome! You should get a huge catfish and put it in your pond. Call him brutus and scare all the neighborhood children.

Pretty cool!

Getting very close to being finished.

September Gallery