Aquaculture - Raising Fish in a Man Made Pond

Since your local department of natural resources isn?t likely to let you dam up 
or divert a stream, what can you do to create a pond and raise fish for fun and 
food?  Well, if you?ve ever been through EPCOT at Walt Disney World Florida, the 
Kraft Foods Exhibit, you saw the high tech version of raising fish, but that?s 
too expensive.  The cheap low tech version is to dig a pond hole on the farm, 
but too often that turns into a mud hole.  The answer comes from the quest of an 
IL company for people to enjoy clear water, low maintenance, ponds and 
waterfalls in their back yards, Aquaspace Designs, Inc.

Though their filter system (like a pool filter) is a little high maintenance for 
a larger pond, their new elevated wetland system is a perfect low-tech solution 
to maintaining a clear pond to raise fish in, even trout.  The system is simple.  
All you do is pump water from the far side of the pond up into the elevated 
wetland area, and the water flows through nutrient absorbing plants.  Once or 
twice a year, you need to harvest out about half or a third of these plants as 
they grow in solid.  You can then compost them.  The water then waterfalls back 
into the pond.  Now you have a complete little ecosystem that is cleaning 
itself.

Ponds are made with either liners, or a compound that seals the earth at the 
bottom of the pond from leaking, so you can make a pond anywhere.  Some water 
needs to be added as a pond and lose about an inch of depth a week if there is 
no rain.  Ponds two feet deep (for safety and legal concerns) must be aerated or 
have moving over the winter.  If you have the room for a big pond (in some 
areas, may have to legally fence it off as it my be considered a pool), having 
an 8 foot deep part somewhere is a good idea.

You can set up a pond like this on all solar and wind energy, links are below.  
They don?t produce the full rate of flow desired, but on a smaller pond, « acre, 
it should still work reasonably well.  Note most people raise koi, which are a 
type of carp, and therefore eat off the bottom and keep the pond cleaner.  Other 
types of fish, including game fish, are possible, and many can be pellet fed, 
but don?t over feed, the pond once in its system will produce food cycles 
naturally also.

Check with the dealer in your area.  It?s not a cheap thing to do, but it can be 
a lot of fun, and produce healthy and good eating fish.

Best and Largest Pond Making Equipment Wholesaler:  (ask them for a rep in your 
area)
http://www.aquascapedesigns.com/ 

Wind powered water pumps:  (run a search, there are several)
http://www.superiorwindmill.com/  (I like this one)

Solar Powered Water Pumps:  (just run a search, there are many)
http://www.southwestpv.com/Water_Pumping.htm 
http://2gosolar.com/solar_pump_products.php 

