CONVERTING A SWIMMING POOL TO

GROW FISH
JANUARY 19, 2016 BY THE PERMACULTURE RESEARCH INSTITUTE & FILED UNDER AQUACULTURE, GENERAL,
HOW TO, NATURAL SWIMMING

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Aquaponics is becoming an increasingly popular method of permaculture, probably

because it can start with a backyard swimming pool. While creating an ecosystem on ones
own may seem like a daunting task to many, one of the most appealing aspects of
aquaponics lies in the fact that nature can do most of the work.
For suburban couple Les and Annette Mulder, the rst step to farming one hundred sh in
their yard was to stop pumping chlorine into their pool. While neighbors looked on with
skepticism, the Mulders encouraged algae growth, welcomed the appearance of mosquito
larvae, and even made use of a childrens pool to grow water chestnuts.

The bacteria and other organisms that began to grow in the pool played an important role
in the cycling of the aquaponic system. Introducing a source of food for bacteria is crucial in
establishing a stable aquaponic structure. Various methods for this cycling include using
dead sh, feeder organisms, urea fertilizer, and even urine as a source of ammonia. The
Mulders did not take up the so-called peeponics method involving urine, but instead used
small Pacic blue-eye sh for their system.
The couple also utilized the ltration ability of aquatic plants such as papyrus, taro, and
Louisiana swamp iris, growing them in three bathtubs lled with gravel. Just as the plants

provided clean water for the sh, the sh provided nutrients for the plants in turn. Filtered
water cycled through the growbed tubs and back into the pool with the help of a 60-Watt
pond pump, which reduced the consumption and costs of both electricity and water,
providing the couple with an added economic benet.
Just ve months after converting the pool, the silver perch that the Mulders decided to grow
were completely capable of feeding themselves, living off of insects, plant shoots, and algae.
Since Les expressed a desire to get to the point where it becomes self-cleaning and
self-regulating, he never feeds the sh himself. In letting the Perch thrive on what nature
provides, Les and Annettes 55,000-liter pool yields between 30 and 50 kilograms of sh
each year. Les even thinks that the sh are developing at a faster rate than those fed with
sh pellets for commercial use. But its not just the sh that benet from natural food
sources. Healthy Omega-3 fats will likely be passed on to the people who eat the sh, as
some algae contain high concentrations of the fatty acids.
The appearance of the emerald-spotted treefrog was perhaps the biggest surprise in the
Mulders aquaponics system. The couple was excited to nd the frogs, a species [they]
never had around here before, in the grow beds one day. This increase in biodiversity was
yet another sign that the pool had become a successful ecosystem.

Geoff Lawton visits aquaponics system.

Aquaponic systems like the Mulders do, of course, benet the sh, but are also
advantageous to the plants and humans involved, as well as the environment as a whole.
Commercial sh and plant farms are often unsustainable and can produce pollution in the
form of pesticides, herbicides, and excess food, none of which play a part in aquaponics.
Homegrown sh feed off of naturally produced zooplankton and algae instead of synthetic

pellets, and are not overcrowded, which is often the case on commercial farms, where sh
are more susceptible to parasites. Many larger farms also exist in the open ocean, where
waste can lead to algae blooms and hypoxic dead zones.
Aquaponic systems like Les and Annettes act as a hybrid of hydroponics and aquaculture,
eliminating the nutrient cycling issues faced with the other two systems of sustainable
agriculture. Growing sh and plants locally ensures that the owners can control and oversee
all the farming processes, producing healthy sh in a sustainable manner. Between the
nancial benets of energy conservation and the environmental benets of sustainable
growing, its really no wonder why aquaponics are gaining prominence in the world of
modern permaculture.

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