Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hello everyone,

I literally just bought a home with my fiance. One of the issues with the property is the neglected koi pond and surrounding flower bed. She hates the way it looks and wants to fill it in, I however see an opportunity. I have been looking into aquaponics for a while and i'm wondering if I should run a test system.

I'm thinking about a simple dual system, run a pump to an aquaponic flower bed and still use a filter pump for a fountain. I want to dig the area around the pond down a bit to act as the grow bed, with a sump, do a fill drain system, and have it pump to a small waterfall. As far as plants go im thinking flowering and ornamental around a side that is not accessible, and herbs within easy access.

For fish probably going to go with goldfish or koi to get things going, I know they are a little more robust starting out.


I may draft something up on sketchup but I would like ideas and thoughts.

PS. we just bought a home and this would have to be budgeted well.

Hi Chuck,

Welcome to the forum. Probably a good idea to sketch it out and the more information the better

Here is a rough sketch of the immediate area around the pond

And this is the over-ambitious design i just sketched

Hi Chuck,

there is a thread around here that looks very much like what you propose....
For the life of me I can't seem to find it but perhaps another member will be able to help locate it.

It was a pond in the corner of a small courtyard exactly as you present it.
He had some living walls and various other things as well.


[edit] this is perhaps along the lines of what you are looking at
"New House, New Pond, Loads of Questions" > viewtopic.php?f=18&t=15481

I thought he had more veg on the courtyard side, but quite a bit is on the other side of the wall.
Anyway it is a good example of how a feature pond can be incorporated into and AP setup.
it evolves quite a bit from page 10 onwards...

there are also a number of examples around here of ponds inside greenhouses that go along the same sort of lines.