Plan aquaculture or aquaponics
Aquaponics grows fish and vegetables in one recirculating system: fish waste feeds plants and plants clean the water. It needs constant power for pumps and aeration.
How
- Pick fish for your climate and law. Tilapia is the most common species; others used include channel catfish, carp, koi, goldfish, barramundi and rainbow trout. Check which species are legal to stock where you live.
- Match species to water temperature. Example: Ontario's aquaculture profile says tilapia grow best at 25 to 30 C (best near 28 C), lose appetite and resist disease less below 20 C, stop feeding below 16 C and may die below 12 C, so they need heated water in cool climates.
- Target water quality (SRAC): pH near 7.0 as a compromise between fish, bacteria and plants; dissolved oxygen around 6 to 7 mg/L; alkalinity at least 100 mg/L. Ammonia and nitrite are toxic to fish.
- Biofilter bacteria work best at 25 to 30 C (77 to 86 F); temperate systems need winter heating and tropical ones may need shade or cooling.
- Size plant area to feeding rate: raft systems use about 60 to 100 g of fish feed per m2 of plant area per day.
- Add pump and aerator loads to the power audit and plan back-up aeration; gravel and NFT beds wilt fast if pumps stop.
Safety: Electricity and water: use only outdoor rated equipment with RCD/GFCI protection.
Do these first
Sources
- Recirculating Aquaculture Tank Production Systems: Aquaponics, Integrating Fish and Plant Culture (SRAC 454). Southern Regional Aquaculture Center, accessed 2026-11
- Tilapia: Species profiles for aquaculture. Government of Ontario, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness, accessed 2026-11