Aquafarm is an Aquaponics Garden from Back to the Roots, a company founded by Alejandro Velez and Nikhil Arora during their last semester at UC Berkeley in 2009.
above: Alejandro Velez and Nikhil Arora of Back To The Roots.
The second product offered from Back To The Roots (the first was a grow-your-own mushroom kit), Aquafarm was successfully funded via Kickstarter in December of 2012.
So, What Is It?
The tabletop eco-system uses the fish waste to naturally fertilize the plants above. In turn, the plants clean the water for your pet fish.
The Aquafarm includes natural aquatic supplies from Home Grown Ponics and organic seeds from Seeds of Change.
What's Happening Inside?
The fish, they poo and they pee, and all that waste-water gets broken down by beneficial bacteria into nutrients.
The waste-water from the fish is then pumped up & upcycled as an awesome organic fertilizer for the plants. The plants take up the nutrients and, at the same time, clean the water which then falls back down for the fish.
There is no soil - the plants are growing just on rocks - all the nutrients coming from the fish (no need for any artificial fertilizers - it's all organic)
There is no need to clean the water because of the plants - it's a self-cleaning fish tank!
What Can I Grow?
Choose from a variety of fresh produce, including spinach, baby greens, oregano, beans, basil, mint, parsley & thyme.
What Kind of Fish?
above: various types of Betta Fish.
You can pick from a ton of different types of fish that will work great in the system - including the Betta fish pictured in their system in this post.
On June 7th of this year, they finally shipped the first one. Below is a video of Alejandro and Nikhil giving us a peek into the production:
Aquafarm, The Self-Cleaning Fish Tank that Grows Food
• Self-cleaning fish tank that grows food.
• Fish waste feeds the plants. Plants clean the water.
• Includes everything you need to get started as well as organic seeds and a discount coupon for a Betta fish.
• Sleek and attractive design with 3-gallon capacity.
• Perfect for your kitchen or classroom. Also makes a great gift.
• Designed and manufactured in California
Where Can I Get One?
The Aquafarm retails for $59.99 and can be purchased here
