Aquaponic Systems

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Build an Aquaponics Garden In Your Backyard

Are you familiar with aquaponics? Let us share some of the wonderful, sustainable ways using an aquaponic system can help to easily and efficiently nurture and grow your plants with an aquatic environment.


By incorporating Focal Point Ponds into your plan, we can help establish a system that reuses waste in the water from fish to continuously fertilize hydroponic plants which in turn clean the water for the fish. This closed loop cycle happens again and again promoting growth and savings in a nearly self-sustaining process. What a wonderful, fun, and enjoyable way to grow some organic fruits or vegetables for your family while benefiting from the relaxing properties you can get from a fish pond. If you have a pond but you don't have an interest in growing veggies, you will style have a similar process occurring in your pond called the nitrogen cycle. You can learn more about how the nitrogen cycle takes place in your Florida pond in this article.


All the elements of a new aquaponic system can be set up in the comfort of your backyard so the beauty of a small pond and garden can be seen from your kitchen window. If you have the luxury of owning a larger plot of land, we can also help design a more robust system including greenhouses for your produce that work with your natural pond or fish tanks to grow food on a larger scale to feed more than your own family. 


The term aquaculture refers to raising fish (or any type of aquatic life) outside of their wild environment. Hydroponics refers to growing any types of plants in a setting that uses water instead of soil. By combining these two practices, we get aquaponics: growth of aquatic life and plant life in an environment that works together to allow those elements to cyclically nurture each other.

Harvest-ready tomato plant in West Tampa in a hydroponic system
Red strawberries in hands, freshly picked and aquaponically grown

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Advantages of Aquaponics

A typical commercial, recirculating aquaculture system designed for fish production, will crowd a lot of fish into a small area and then discharge water occasionally to remove the waste and toxin build up. They also rely heavily on biofiltration which needs regular attention. As you read below, these systems can be created in a sustainable way that nurtures the fish, helps the farmer or owner of the system, and produces high quality vegetables and fruit. Plenty of people are DIY growers but if you don't have the time to learn or install your own system, call on Focal Point be your aquaponics system builder.

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Mutually Beneficial Jobs and Nutrients 

With a closed loop aquaponic system, that water doesn’t need to be flushed out and instead becomes part of the process in which fish feces is recycled as a natural fertilizer to benefit your plant life. This can be a more ecologically intelligent system that also generates higher profit margins or simply better crops (depending on what scale your operation is intended for).

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Dual Income

With aquaponic set ups, fish are not the primary (or only) source of income so owners tend to keep a smaller density of fish. This helps to reduce the chance of sicknesses occuringin the fish population, it increases their quality of life, and also helps you keep the water clearer. The result is better quality produce from a natural system that also enhances the ability to raise healthy, happy fish at the same time, generating a dual income source or healthy, happy stomachs for small backyard operations.

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Reduced Water Use

By keeping the water in circulation and filtering it through this system, you’re also reducing new water usage which will help to keep your cost in check. Besides evaporation, there should be no water loss when your system is functioning properly. An aquaponic system in Tampa can even allow you to grow vegetables with less overall water use than potted or raised bed gardens.

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Healthy Organic Produce

The plants that grow from an aquaponic system are able to save energy and grow faster because they are presented with an ever present supply of nutrients from the water plus oxygen. Their root system is not working as hard to find and pull water out of the ground so they can grow easier and become stronger at a faster rate. When they’re not strained, you’ll notice a difference in the taste and quality of the harvested food.

Any Landscape Can Benefit from a Pondless Fountain in Tampa

Not quite ready to make the plunge with a full waterfall feature? Lacking a lot of space in your yard for the disappearing waterfall you'd love to install? A smaller and less expensive option that many folks still enjoy are pondless fountains. Some landscaping and home goods stores sell large pots which include a bubbling water feature at the top. These can be self containing, fun to watch, and easy to set up. If you are looking for something a little more customized with a larger wow-factor and an ability to amplify the natural water sound, ask us about pondless fountains.


Similar to the out-of-the-box fountains, pondless versions create the appearance that the water is disappearing into the ground. Using the same technology as the pondless waterfalls use, a single foutain, three fountains or custom rock formation can be designed to sit on top of a bed of rocks that hide the water vault and pump which sends the water back up through fountain in a continuous cycle. Another cool idea is to hide one of these vaults right in the middle of your patio. If we were to remove a portion of your pavers, we could install the necessary equipment into the ground and place the rock formation of your choice on top of it to impress all of your guests. Imagine your back patio containing a fire pit on one side and a pondless fountain on the other. You may never want to leave.

Can I Use My Backyard Pond or Koi Pond for Aquaponics?

These systems can be adjusted up or down to almost any size. They’re not just for large farm operations. You can absolutely use a small decorative pond for your set up. We can build your koi pond and add in an aquaponic system in Central Florida. Whether you’re wanting to raise fish and plants in tandem, or just plants while using a byproduct from fish, we can design a system that meets your objectives and runs smoothly. We work with experienced consultants that build these systems on scale, but we also enjoy helping to craft a backyard system or a hobby pond that can supply fresh, healthy food for your family in a farm-to-table-like setting.

Local Aquaponics Options

One fun element of creating your own system is that there are many different ways to go about it. Not just size, layout, and mechanical details, but also the operating methods that control how the water and nutrients are delivered to you plants and how the plants are positioned to thrive in the system. Some of the most popular set ups are media-based beds such as Dutch bucket systems which allow the plants to grow in containers filled with a substitute for soil. Water is piped in and run through the media around the roots of the plants before being funneled back into the system. Deep water culture (DWC) is a separate method that uses floating rafts in troughs or tables filled with water. Each raft has holes where the plants grow up into the air and the roots grow down into a water bed. Finally, you can consider a nutrient film technique (NFT) which involves tubes or channels that continuously have a stream of water running through them that feed the roots of your plants before dumping back into the system. Some of the nutrients are removed by the plants you're growing which serve to feed the plants while simultaneously cleaning the water for your fish.


Once our professional pond team tackles the nitty gritty and gets the technical details out of the way, you’ll have the most pleasurable part of the process left to implement: picking out what kind of fish and plants to raise. If you’re only interested in the fish as a visual, tranquil element, you can use a beautiful species like koi or goldfish and still reap the benefits of watching both fish and plants grow in a natural environment. But if you’d rather cultivate both for consumption, there are many types of farm fish that can be used such as tilapia, catfish, or trout. In Florida, there are some good fruit, veggie, and herb options given the hot climate but you may yield a larger bounty in the non-summer months.

Closeup of fresh chard plants in an aquaponic setup

Pondless Waterfall Installed in North Tampa, FL

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Balance Is Key In Any Natural Ecosystem

We would be thrilled to be your first aquaponic contractor. Once your system is up and running, one thing to remain aware of is your fish-to-plant ratio. Because the plant life and aquatic life are relying on one another in this circle, you need to make sure there is enough fish waste to feed the plants while making sure you have enough plant roots to clean the water for your finned friends. The larger your aquaponics garden is, the more important this balance becomes because there is more at stake. Maintaining a balanced system takes a little work and knowhow. It’s not always a simple numbers game because larger fish may create more waste and certain plant types may break down contaminants in the water better than others.


By hiring Focal Point to build your Florida aquaponic system, you’ll get started on the right foot. Plus we’re here to discuss any future questions that arise as your system blossoms. If you have a regular pond right now that needs maintenance, we can do a service visit, inspect your set up and let you know what it would take to expand your system to include the growth of plants through an aquaponic design.

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