This Type of a Natural Pond System is Unique

PROBLEMS AND BENEFITS OF THIS SYSTEM

When you get right down to it, this system is an aquaponic system. The only thing that makes it any different than most backyard aquaponic systems is the scale and the fact that it is using a swimming pool, or what used to be a swimming pool. Everything else is what a normal aquaponic system would be. Of coarse, the scale of this system gives it some unique problems as well as some unique opportunities.

In case you don't know, aquaponics combines aquaculture(fish-farming) and hydroponics(growing plants without soil) into a single system. Each system provides some of the needs of the other and eliminates problems that occur to each system individually. For a visual of a basic aquaponic system check this out.

One of the largest problems I have, because of the scale, is that to enclose the system in a greenhouse or similar enclosure is a huge task. You won't find a greenhouse of that size at your local home shop or hardware store. Ultimately, what that means is that in order to grow vegetables during winter months you will have to be creative. Enclosing the grow beds with individual greenhouses or similar coverings is what I am going to do. With such coverings, the pond will not be covered therefore the water will be subject to the cold temperatures and that will effect the fish and the vegetables.I could put the pond under a large greenhouse, but to me, that would just take away the whole idea of a beautiful pond in my backyard. By covering it up the pond will not be visibly accessible. Not really a good option for me.

Since I didn't have enough fish this winter to grow vegetables, I didn't bother making any covers for the beds. I will have them by next winter. I will construct individual greenhouse type coverings that are pretty simple to make using PVC pipe and construction plastic. I am also thinking about some type of solar heating to access some of the mid day warmth in order to keep the water temperatures above the 50F degrees it normally is during the winter.

One of the best things about this type of system is that you are free to use your imagination to create an aesthetically pleasing landscape. You can't do much with a tank and cut barrels a normal backyard system uses. Even on a very small budget, as I had, the backyard is very nice.

 

Problems and aesthetics aside, the main purpose of this system is to provide a cost effective alternative to a swimming pool by creating an earth friendly aquaponic system that will pay for itself in the long run. You will be able to provide plenty of organic food for you and your family with just a little effort.

Repairing a Grow Bed Constant Flow Drain

While I was cleaning some debri from one of my grow beds I accidentally knocked into the constant flow drain pipe. When I did, it raised the pipe up just enough to let a few rocks get under it. The rocks prohibited the flow of water enough to cause the system to not function properly. The water would never fully drain which caused the auto-siphon to "trickle" burps of water at the end of the cycle, preventing the water to fully drain, thus never filling back up. The rocks had to be removed.

So I removed all the rock surrounding the immediate area of the drain to repair it. Removed the rocks that were, by that time, all the way down into the drain itself. I added another base to the pipe protection, drilled more holes fro better flow, and put it all back together again.

Here is what it looked like:

 

This is the CF drain after removing all the rock and pipe

 

This was the original drain cover which was too small

This is the drain cover and pipe after adding a new base to the cover and drilling more holes

 

Everything is back together and before I put the rock back over the drain, I make sure everything is functioning properly.

Why Would You Want A Natural Pond?

BENEFITS OF AQUAPONICS

I. Food Production

Vegetables and Herbs

• Organic
• Less water usage than soil based growing
• Plants grow faster
• Plants grow larger
• Less soil based disease
• No chemicals needed
• Year round harvest with greenhouse or greenhouse type cover for grow beds
  

Fish

• Organic
  
• No chemicals Needed
  
• Have fresh fish on hand at all times

II. Earth Friendly

• Uses less water than other methods of aquaculture or hydroponics
• No waste water
  
• No chemicals
• The system is almost self contained only needing fish food and an occasional replenishment of used and evaporated water
• Can be made to be 100% sustainable with the addition of solar panels and rainwater storage
• Growing your own food will help decrease the need for mass food production
• Less trips to the grocery store

 Once the system has cycled and matured there is very little you need to do. The water will remain balanced and maintenance is minimal compared to a swimming pool.

What To Do With An Unwanted Swimming Pool?

So you decide that it is time to get rid of the resource hog living in your backyard. Good choice.

So now what? Fill, convert, or something else?

I am not sure there is a "something else", but if there is, good luck.

You basically have 2 choices with a lot of options for either of them.

1. Fill it. This is the simplest of the choices, so you would think. Remember all that dirt that came out of your backyard? It now has to find it's way from the street back into the hole. Are you ready for what that might entail? If your lucky, there isn't any landscape between the two. If your not so lucky, and most of you won't be, be prepared to re-landscape, re-build some fence, and possibly re-pour your concrete walkway. A BIG tractor will be your worst nightmare for a day or two. Back and forth, load after load. Squashing everything in its path.

Some companies have huge machines that will lift dirt up and over without the tractor mess. If you have a lot of extra cash lying around, this is the way to go if you decide to fill it.

Be prepared to pay anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000 to have your pool filled. No landscaping, just fill dirt into the hole. Then you will have to landscape, so add another $2,000 - $20,000 to it.

2. Convert it. You have a huge hole in your backyard, already dug and paid for. Why would you want to fill it? There are so many things you can do with a pre-dug hole the size of a swimming pool. Anything from a bomb-shelter to a "Green" guest room. Another great idea would be for a greenhouse. Your imagination could go wild with all the possibilities. I spent about two weeks looking for the right solution. I wanted something nice, inexpensive, and most of all, earth friendly. A contractor wanted $15,000 just to fill the pool with dirt. I wanted to spend less than that. It really came down to either a "cold storage" room or a pond.

My decision and how I got there

At first I didn't like the pond idea. It seemed exactly like a pool. I mean, what would be the difference? The answer came a few days later when I happened upon a site showing the wonders of aquaponics. I didn't really pay too much attention at first. But as I was looking at the huge vegi's being grown out of the grow beds, I noticed that the grow beds looked just like a biological filter that I had looked at earlier in the day. That's when it hit me, what if I used grow beds for my pond filters? They are exactly the same thing, just one grows vegetables, the other aquatic plants. So I started looking around the net for somebody that had done this. Surely someone has done this before, right? Well if someone has, they haven't spread the information to anyone. I looked for days, and came up empty. So this is it, the first(as far as I know) aquaponic pond built from a swimming pool.

I started thinking about what I would need as far as money. I was figuring about $5000 if I did all the work myself. As it has turned out, it was a lot less than that. I am roughly guessing it has cost about $3500 total. I will be rounding up all the receipts and getting a closer total, but that should be pretty close. So compare that to any other option and you will find this is the least expensive option, by far.

Should I Get Rid of My Swimming Pool?

The only way I could see someone justifying building a new swimming pool is if it is a community pool where many people will be using it. Other than that you are just adding to the ever growing problem of resource demand.

But if you already have a pool, built it years ago, or acquired one with a home purchase then you might be realizing that you might be better off without it. There are a couple good reasons to keep a swimming pool, such as your children use it a lot. But if you can't think of a good reason to keep it, then it is time to remove it. Or better yet, convert it to something "earth friendly".

There are several reasons that homeowners are getting rid of their pools in record numbers. Here are just a few...

1. They are water hogs. The water that needs to be replaced from evaporation, splashing, spills, leaks, etc... can be enormous in the summer. Don't be fooled by the numbers game that some want to play. You will hear something like, "It takes more water to keep a lawn than a pool." or, "You can stop 80% of the water evaporation with a cover." That might be true if you kept it covered 100% of the time. In reality, I covered my pool in winter. In the summer, it was off most of the time. Putting it on and taking it off repeatedly is a pain in the ass. And as far as the lawn thing goes, what makes them think that a lawn is the only option? I guess it is as much a word game than a numbers game.

According to the Geotechnical, Rock and Water Resources Library evaporation calculator and using the Annual Class A Pan Evaporation Rate from the National Weather Service, a 30' x 15' uncovered pool can lose 11,000 gallons in cooler areas, and up to 37,000 gallons in hotter areas, of water per year, due to evaporation alone.

2. They require a lot of energy. Pool pumps are not efficient. Heaters are a waste. Pool sweeps require an extra pump. Of coarse, if you have solar panels, then energy is probably not an issue.

3. Maintenance can be expensive and/or time consuming. Repair people are not cheap. Replacement parts are not cheap. Diagnosing problems can be difficult and/or expensive. Older pools can get to the point of needing complete overhauls. Need I go on?

4. Money Money Money! Everything costs money with a pool, regardless if you do it yourself or hire someone. Pool supplies are getting outrageously expensive. Chlorine tripled in price over a three year span. Worst of all, most dealers and suppliers want nothing better than to get your money, and most will say anything to get it. I don't trust any of them to give me an honest opinion.

5. Harmful chemicals. Need I say more?

IMO, the cost of a swimming pool in resources as well as money, just cannot be justified in these times. Our resources are getting thin and the population keeps growing at an exponential rate. Watch this video to get an idea of what that means. Pay attention to the last part about the bacteria growing in jars.

So to answer "Should I Get Rid of My Swimming Pool?"

I would have to say, "Almost certainly, yes"

GROW BED CONSTRUCTION OVERVIEW

Grow beds act as filters for your pond. They are one of the most, if not the most, important part of the natural pond system. I have put together several step-by-step instructions for making your own grow beds that can save you a lot of money if you have the time and skills to do so. The list below has them in the order you should follow. That said, there are times when you might possibly have to reference another instruction for separate details. It is best to skim over all the them before you start. That way you will have an idea of what to expect. This article is for that purpose. It will give you easy excess to all the instructions from start to finish.

Please don't hesitate to comment if you can't understand something , find a problem, or just have a question or comment.

Building The Bed

Positioning a Grow Bed

The Support

Setting Posts

Mounting
Drilling Your Drain Holes
Preparing for Your Liner

Liner and Bulkheads

Auto-Siphon

Trim and Wood Protection

Here is a gallery for the construction of my custom grow beds, that I attached to my existing deck. Since they are custom, I am unable to give instructions with informative detail, because I doubt if anyone would require the exact same designs. If you want your own custom beds, you can leave a comment and we can discuss your needs. You can also look at the images and get a good idea of what is required.

IMAGES FOR MY CUSTOM GROW BEDS...