"Gravel Pit Self Reclaiming Aquaponics System"I knew When I ordered the book that there must be more to Aquaponic Gardening than using waste water from my fish tank,

[Larry Dale Smith]

and am enjoying getting started reading it! Especially since what I've learned about so far has confirmed what I decided would happen by my pumping water to flood irrigate from the free flowing liner-less pond in my gravel pit onto the gravel surface. I was sure this was a success of some kind despite of a huge increase of string algae (I must have 10,000 Japanese Trap Door Snails in there now from this) as the orchard grass which could barely grow there before filled in nice and thick with it getting 5 feet tall in places, and I was right the cottonwood trees growing in a stand next to the pond has taken off quite well now from having fish in there.

Now that I know my fish will do well and that the filtration system works,,,so to speak, can't wait find out/or figure out from the book and this forum what more to do, I will begin adding more fish (I spent around $10 on them to begin with, common goldfish and rosy red minnows as a test) I want to add Koi and edible fish of some kind, not sure how many goldfish I have now, but there appears to be plenty of minnows and snails to support many fish without extra feed, though the hoards of water boatman bugs have been scared off or eaten and only a few remain. I also have Water Sedge plants (quick former of peat) and bulrush plants (a wetland edible) ordered for spring planting along with quite a few of my spring planting trees that are on order being ones that will do well in the swampy condition/while making a nice wind break, so I should have a good start on my filtering of the water!

[Larry Dale Smith]

Today my goldfish and Koi were out of hiding in great numbers while I was pumping, they sure are looking good! 

The water was just about to the top of the pond today when I started the pump up, looks like we may ave some flooding out of it again this year as we hadn't even had time for the spring rains we got the other day to make there way under ground to the pond and may have another big rain coming,,,all the better for the fish, more room to swim and more like a natural water feature! 

[Larry Dale Smith]

I've been seeing quite a few young goldfish and or Koi that must be recent hatching's, plus there has been an absence of the larger bird fishing,,,I have however seen more small birds eating the Rosy Red Minnows,,,,they can eat about all those they want and I will still have plenty more. 

I put out a flat of corn and squash seedlings, and them and many of my trees/bushes in the grow bed are doing well! 

All the time (weeks)I had my Liberty Elm in my greenhouse acclimating and it only grew 3 inches, 3 days in the ground and it has grown at least 3 more inches! 

[Larry Dale Smith]

I think I've been having Algae Eaters Suctioning onto me in the pond when I've been soaking in there!  OR  not sure which to put for that!

Now that we are actually getting some summer weather here things are perking up nicely, when I checked the Liberty Elm I was happy to find that it had grown another inch or two since checking it yesterday! 

[Larry Dale Smith]

The Game Warden came to inspect my pond a few days ago, so I should have my permit soon! 

Can't wait to get the pond stocked with some Rainbow Trout! 

Anyone got an idea how many pan sized fish would be good to stock in a ten thousand gallon pond?,,,then of course if start out with the max, they would eat all the minnows, and I would have to feed them! 

[Larry Dale Smith]

Looks like I'm going to be having Large-mouth Bass in stead of Rainbows. I really wanted to have the Rainbows, but will be happy with the Bass unless I get squared away to have the pond suitable for the Rainbows. 

[Larry Dale Smith]

I finally have the Bass, 200 of them, I can't wait to taste them! 

[Debra Colvin]

Congrats!

[Larry Dale Smith]

Thanks! I've only found one floating so far, but haven't seen much of them either though I think they are hiding in the Horn-wart growing in there.

The ones I have seen seem to be growing well, and the minnow population has been benefiting  from them as they even though decrease in numbers grow in size and gain health as I see lots more grown up ones than I did before the bass were put in, and have found way less of them floating.

The water has been staying cleaner so I can go longer between running's of the pump to filter it,,,,which has been a big plus due to the drawbacks of my system (mainly the fungus attacking plants/bushes/trees <from non-availability to have a non-irrigated top layer in the gravel pit> and nitrogen burn <due to such a hot dry year/raw ammonia due to difficulties keeping proper kinds of bacteria going> these problems have been alleviated partly by the bass themselves as the minnows get devoured by them reducing the ammonia level produced, plus I have started using a new product called Aqua-sub which keeps up the bacterial health of even a very large pond, and the duckweed I was putting in for the gold fish finally took off on it's own!

The minnows love the duckweed too,,,,as well as it seemed to have increased their health making them less dependent on supplemental feedings.

I really hope though that the pond level comes up for the winter season like it usually does, as with as dry as it has been it would likely freeze to the bottom as shallow as it is right now and the very cold winters we have here.

[Larry Dale Smith]

Seems like the Large-mouth Bass are growing good! Sure is hard to tell whether or not I'm seeing a large minnow or a small bass a lot of the time, but some have grown 2 or 3 inches in the 3 weeks I've had them, I think I'll have some big fish in no time! 

[Purpleighstuff]

Cool! I have a similar problem, but even tho i have test fitted and rearranged my ponds CONSIDERABLY they just don't seem to run stable enough without HEAVY INPUT!!! My indoor Yabbie, Redfin and Beta Splenden Community tank only needs the occasional suppliment feed and I'm trying to mimic that outside. Too many variables to deal with out there...

[Larry Dale Smith]

My "pond" started out as an experiment to see if keeping an area of my property with a rising water table, and what that would be otherwise become a stagnant swamp could be kept as a clean environment by keeping it as a pond, which after several years of it being high enough not to freeze to the bottom over the frigid winters we have here, I began adding fish. I found a tadpole half turned into a frog floating dead yesterday. 

[Larry Dale Smith]

I found a goldfish floating a day or two later, it appeared to have gorged it's self till it burst. I've considered myself really lucky to have lost so few of anything! 

Yesterday at dusk, I walked down by the pond and watched the Bass jump to catch bugs hovering over the water, was hard to see them in the low light, but could see more of them than I do during the day! 

The minnow population is half under control now, still way too many of them though!,,,,At least now they aren't so crowded they are pushing their-selves out of the water! 

Someone disturbed or maybe even killed the pair of Sand-hill Cranes that watches over me by eating lots of the grasshoppers on the neighboring properties, just 7 weeks for the hunting season and they just couldn't wait!