In a suburban backyard in Canberra's north, Gurkan Yeniceri is growing a produce-rich garden with the help of freshwater fish.
He has joined forces with the Canberra Environment Centre to show gardeners the possibilities of backyard aquaponics.
Growing fish and vegetables together has long been popular in parts of southern China, Thailand and Indonesia in a unique and sustainable approach to farming.
In an aquaponic system, water from a large fish tank is fed into a grow bed erected above the tank.
Broken down fish by-products are fed into the grow bed as nourishment for the plants before the water is recirculated into the aquaculture system.
"Aquaponics is a closed system where fish and vegetables grow together and the fish create the manure and the manure is fed to the vegetables," Mr Yeniceri said.
"You can grow all kinds of vegetables — at the end we eat both the vegetables and the fish."
Mr Yeniceri's thriving garden is proof the aquaponic system is well suited to the Canberra environment.
"We always have a garden full of fresh produce ready to eat — lettuce, cabbage, cucumbers, herbs and all sorts," he said.
For Australian aquaponic gardeners, Mr Yeniceri said perch was the most popular fish for the plant growth system.
"In Canberra, because of the cool climate, we use trout which grow in nine months or silver perch that take about two years to grow," he said.
"Crayfish, yabbies and catfish are also popular to keep the system clean."
As part of the Canberra Environment Centre's sustainability workshops, Mr Yeniceri will teach interested gardeners to set up a basic aquaponics system in their gardens.
"It's a sustainable system insofar as it uses less water compared to a vegetable garden planted in soil," he said.
"You can produce food for the fish at home in the form of worms and nothing is wasted in this system.
"The fish may lay eggs in the system if it's big enough and then you can eat those fish too."
Mr Yeniceri said the vegetables would not take on the flavours of the fish.
The Canberra Environment Centre will host a backyard aquaponics workshop on February 23. Bookings are essential.