Aquaponics without fish

[Delbert Johnson]

I have an artificial pond/waterfall that does not currently have fish but does have algae.  I would like to install a red worm filtration bed to remove the organic buildup in the pond and, if possible run some of the water through strawberry towers and thereby reduce the nutrient content.  Is it possible, in this situation, to grow plants without introducing fish into the pond?  There is a lot of organic build-up from leaf loading so I could feed the red worms for quite some time.   

The pond is about 27 feet in diameter with a depth of 3-4 feet  Most of the surface of the pond is currently covered with aquatic plants (not floating algae). 

Thanks in advance for any advice that you can provide.

[Robert Richards]

If you get ducks in the pond, you will get lots of nutrients in the water. Quackerponics?

[Delbert Johnson]

Thanks for the response. It is very helpful to get a confirmation before investing in a system. 

My plan is to use strawberry towers that will used some of the effluent from the red worm filter bed and return the rest to the pond.  In addition to the algae I have considerable buildup of leaf matter so I don't think that I will run out of a nutrient source.    

I will build the filter bed next year and start out small with a couple strawberry towers.

[Vlad Jovanovic]

Yes, it is very possible. Though not from just the algae as George alluded to. But with all that organic build up (and worms) to provide plant essential elements...yes quite possible (and already been done :)

People get hung up on the fish for various reasons (I like having the fish)...but you can run a system without fish while still feeding "the system" fish food...as long as the bacteria and worms have enough organic matter to decompose (which frees up plant essential elements in a form plants can use) in order to feed your plants...you don't need the fish. (And that would be a stupid waste of money as fish food makes for an expensive plant fertilizer...with or without the actual fish present).

As interesting as aquaponics is, (and I still do practice AP myself) AP is just ONE method of nutrient cycling for the purpose of growing plants. If you don't have or want fish, there are a hundred different ways to provide the needed nutrients to your strawberries...

Here's a list of the N-P-K value (nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium) of some common items...

http://community.theaquaponicsource.com/group/fish-less-systems/for...

[George]

You won't see much plant growth without a nutrient source so don't count on a lot of strawberries.  This should work but do you really need more plants when you already have plants in the system?  I wonder if you could introduce an algae eater?