Especially from a circular economy perspective, food waste has gained increasing attention in recent years as an alternative feed ingredient for several animal protein industries, including aquaculture. Positive results have been reported in different farmed fish species; however, the impact of effluents derived from food waste and non–fish meal alternative feeds on plant production in aquaponics remains unknown. This experiment evaluated three different feeds in the culture of Jade perch juveniles within a decoupled aquaponics system. Twelve individual aquaponics units were used, each consisting of a 240 L fish tank, 60 L clarifier, 40 L biological filter/sump, and a 320 L plant tank with a floating raft system. Three feeds were tested in triplicate: a fish meal–based diet (control), a non–fish meal diet (canola and poultry meal–based), and a food waste–based diet. A hydroponic treatment (no fish) was also included for comparison of plant production (27 days, single crop). Each experimental unit (except the hydroponics treatment) was stocked with twenty Jade perch juveniles (~20 g initial weight) and eighteen lettuce seedlings (~9 cm initial height), resulting in stocking densities of 83 fish/m³ and 19 plants/m², respectively. Plants were stocked three weeks after fish introduction to allow nutrient buildup in the water. Key water quality parameters were monitored throughout the trial. After 48 days of culture, 100% fish survival was observed across all treatments. Jade perch fed the fish meal (control) and non–fish meal diets showed similar performance (P > 0.05), with an average weight gain of ~54 g. Fish fed the food waste–based diet showed significantly lower weight gain (20% reduction; P < 0.05), with a similar trend in feed intake and FCR. Carcass yield was significantly lower in the non–fish meal group (P < 0.05), which also exhibited higher body fat content. For plant production, no significant differences were observed among treatments in SPAD values, total biomass, or aerial wet weight (P > 0.05). This experiment demonstrated that it is possible to cultivate Jade perch using food waste–based feeds while achieving comparable plant production. Although economically promising, further refinement of non–fish meal and food waste–based feed formulations is needed to optimise fish growth performance and carcass yield.