I already have a pond/tank/swimming pool. Can I just use it to grow fish without having to do this aquaponics stuff?
Again, this is about understanding the system. Fish need several things to flourish and grow, just as any other animal does. The first thing that limits fish growth and production is usually dissolved oxygen levels (DO). This is the amount of oxygen present in the water that is available for the fish to breathe. If the fish are having trouble breathing because DO levels are low, they get stressed and don’t feed or grow well. Bringing DO levels up requires mechanical aeration or flowing LOTS of water through the system. If you flow-through, the water needs to be naturally aerated (well water often won’t work), and you need to put from 10% to 200% of the total system volume through PER DAY to keep the fish happy, depending on how many fish you have in your pond/tank. In other words, you need free water in order to do this. If you don’t have free water, a mechanical aeration system of some kind is necessary to get enough air to the fish. The next thing that limits fish growth and producti
