Introducing AquaSprouts Garden, a sleekly-designed, beautifully displayed functional desktop aquaponics system that can transforms any standard 10-gallon aquarium into a vibrant aquaponics garden, brought to you by AquaSprouts, an Austin-based startup dedicated to sustainable living.
Aquaponics is a “closed-loop system” – fish and plants do what they naturally do, creating a symbiotic symbiotic miniature ecosystem. When fed, the fish in the tank create waste that is pumped into the garden’s grow-bed, which in turn helps naturally occurring bacteria break down the waste. The grow-bed absorbs the nutrients, allowing you to grow your own strong, healthy plants.
At the same time, the unit simultaneously cleans the water for the fish.
The sleek design is made from a matte black polycarbonate, and easily can fit table or desktop for in an eco-geek’s home.
“The AquaSprouts Garden allows the user to be introduced to aquaponics in a simple, yet innovative, way. Our system upcycles old aquariums and brings new life to the fish tank. With the help of The Aquaponic Source and a seasoned design company, we have created one of the most efficient and stylish desktop aquaponic systems on the market,” said Jack Ikard, AquaSprouts founder.
In early 2014, AquaSprouts partnered with Sylvia Bernstein and The Aquaponic Source on a mission to make the Garden more widely available. The Aquaponic Source provides educational materials for the AquaSprouts Garden and has been instrumental in AquaSprouts’ journey into homes and classrooms around the world.
“We believe the AquaSprouts garden will be a home run, both for homeowners and schools. There are hundreds of thousands of aquariums out there just waiting to become thriving aquaponic gardens,” said Sylvia Bernstein, The Aquaponic Source President & Founder.
AquaSprouts says they are on a mission to bring aquaponics, healthy-living and sustainability into as many homes and classrooms as possible. They believe that aquaponics is the perfect technology to help solve some of the pressing issues that we face today, including food security and sustainable agriculture.
You can get a kit by backing their nearly-funded Kickstarter for $139.
I really like this concept. I have a fish tank and they can get so dirty even with a good filtration system. I love the idea of taking the fish waste and using it to fertilize the plants on top. It seems like a win, win to me. You get to enjoy the vegetables and herbs, or other plants on the top and the fish get to enjoy their clean tank. Many people could benefit from this invention.
Is this the same type of thing one of the fast food places had a while back in the meals for kids? It was a tiny little creature setup in a plastic container that was said to “thrive forever” or something along those lines.
However novel the idea is, they are still trying to sell you a miniature prison for the fishes, albeit a self cleaning one. I know I wouldn’t want anything to do with it.
I like how it teaches kids first hand how an ecosystem works. The best part is that it keeps the tank clean. Frankly, that is what has always made me shy away from having a fish tank. I didn’t want to have to clean it.
I agree, this is something that is perfect for teaching our children about how an ecosystem works. The best part is that it is low maintenance and I would love to see these in schools around the world. Also, what I like about this is it is encouraging healthy eating habits.