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No More Backyard Aquaponics?

My landlord just called me and told me that I have to get rid of the aquaponics unit in my backyard.  It’s been my obsession for the past several months.  I’ve spend lots of money, energy, time, creativity . . . and it’s just now really starting to get going.  These systems take a while to mature.  The reasons he gave, all completely erroneous are:

1.  The water bill has gone up.  The neighbor that reported me has had guests living at her house (she’s not supposed to.)  Hmm, maybe that’s the reason for the increase in the water bill.  The precise reason for me doing the aquaponics in the first place is to conserve water.  It uses up to 90% less water than conventional gardens.  I’ve been using LESS water than I did before.  The pump sends the water to the growbed and it goes back into the fish tank.  I explained this to him, and he seemed to understand.

2. The unit has caused my neighbor to have a rodent and bug infestation.  Really, then why haven’t I noticed any problems (other than aphids)?  I’m out there all the time, looking for the smallest detail that would indicate that pests were present.   I also explained this to him.

Despite the erroneous claims by the neighbor and me explaining this to the landlord, he still has asked me to remove the system.  He says it’s not something that should be done in a residential situation.  And that my friends, is precisely the problem.  This is exactly where the food needs to be grown, where people live!