Meet The Aquaponics Lady

Helping everyday people discover the joy of growing fresh food.

Candy Alexander smiling while holding freshly harvested cucumbers.

Hi, I'm Candy.

If you've ever looked at aquaponics and thought...

"I'd love to try that... but it looks far too complicated."

you're exactly who I created this website for.

I believe growing your own food shouldn't feel overwhelming.

It shouldn't require an engineering degree.

And it certainly shouldn't cost a fortune.

My goal is simple.

To help everyday people build confidence, grow healthy food and discover just how enjoyable aquaponics can be.

Whether you're starting with a single fish tank or dreaming of a backyard system...

I'm here to help you take that first step.

Start Growing Today

Growing Food Should Make You Smile

People often think aquaponics is all about growing vegetables.

It isn't.

It's about growing confidence.

It's about watching something you've cared for begin to thrive.

It's about picking your very first cucumber and thinking...

"I actually grew this."

Those little moments matter.

They're why I still get excited every time something new appears in the garden.

Because fresh food is wonderful.

But the confidence that comes from growing it yourself is even better.

Candy holding freshly harvested corn and cucumbers while smiling.

Candy laughing while pretending corn cobs are drumsticks.

Learning Should Be Fun

After we'd finished taking the "professional" photographs...

I asked if I could simply be myself.

Apparently that involved pretending corn was a drum kit.

That photo probably tells you more about me than any carefully written biography ever could.

I believe people learn best when they're relaxed.

When they're encouraged.

When they know it's okay to make mistakes.

Aquaponics is full of little experiments.

Some work brilliantly.

Some don't.

Both teach us something valuable.

If we can't laugh along the way...

we're probably taking cucumbers far too seriously.

Simple Beats Expensive

One of my favourite things is seeing potential where other people see waste.

Old fish tanks.

IBC containers.

PVC pipe.

Second-hand timber.

Things most people would drive straight past.

I don't believe great aquaponics is about spending the most money.

It's about understanding how nature works.

Good design will always beat expensive equipment that isn't understood.

That's why you'll find practical ideas here—not flashy ones.

Design Your Own Aquaponics System

Candy collecting recycled PVC pipe to build a backyard aquaponics system.

A Few Things That Make Me... Me

❤️ Animal lover.

🐟 Completely obsessed with fish.

♻️ Always looking for ways to recycle, repurpose and reduce waste.

🌱 I believe prevention is always better than cure.

😊 What you see is what you get.

⚔️ I believe kindness, honesty and old-fashioned chivalry still matter.

💚 I have an open heart and genuinely want people to succeed.

⏳ I like practical answers, not fluff.

🌿 Nature is one of my greatest teachers.

If that sounds like your kind of teacher...

I think we'll get along just fine.

Experience Backed By Qualifications

While I like keeping things simple...

I also believe good advice should be built on solid knowledge.

I love making aquaponics simple.

But simple shouldn't mean guessing.

After my first aquaponics system failed, I realised I didn't know what I didn't know.

Rather than giving up, I formally studied aquaculture so I could understand what healthy fish, thriving plants and balanced ecosystems really needed.

That training, combined with nearly two decades of hands-on experience, continues to shape everything I teach.

Since then I've written books, created courses, taught workshops and helped people around the world build successful backyard aquaponics systems.

I've made plenty of mistakes along the way.

I'm actually grateful for many of them.

Because they've helped me teach other people how to avoid making the same ones.

Explore My Books & Guides

Why I Created The Aquaponics Lady

When I first discovered aquaponics, I realised something.

Growing food isn't just about vegetables.

It's about confidence.

I've seen what happens when people realise they can build something with their own hands, grow fresh food for their family and solve problems they once thought were impossible.

That's why I created The Aquaponics Lady.

I don't want people to need me forever.

I want to teach them enough that they become confident on their own.

If one day you no longer need my help because you're happily running your own successful aquaponics system...

I'll consider that a job well done.

Blogs

Candy holding freshly harvested cucumbers from a backyard garden.

More Than Growing Food

Over the years, aquaponics became more than a way to grow food.

It became a place to slow down.

To observe.

To reflect.

Spending time caring for fish, plants and living ecosystems helped me see nature in a completely different way.

It didn't magically remove life's challenges.

But it did help me reconnect with hope, patience and the quiet lessons nature teaches every day.

That connection between nature, reflection and the way we make sense of difficult experiences also inspired my book, My Invisible Therapist — a very different kind of book from my aquaponics books, but an important part of my story.

That journey eventually inspired Garden Therapy — a place where I explore the connection between nature, wellbeing and personal growth alongside aquaponics.