Jul 24 2009
Choosing The Right Home Aquaponics System
Aquaponics made the news recently when Good Morning America, the Wall Street Journal, and the LA Times featured the home aquaponics system called “Farm in a Box” by Earth Solutions. If you haven’t heard of aquaponics yet, you’re not alone. It’s still fairly new to the mainstream gardening community, which is why many gardeners are left puzzled, wondering how these aquaponic systems work.
Aquaponics is basically the combination of hydroponics (growing plants in water) and aquaculture (growing fish). It works in a beautiful organic balance: the plants filter the water for the fish, and the fish fertilize the plants. Not only is the system self-contained, but the plants thrive in it.
But even though the premise behind the system is simple, building an aquaponics system can be complicated. It requires an indepth understanding of chemistry, biology, botany, and fluid mechanics, plus some intermediate to advanced level handyman skills. Since many of us lack the expertise or the time to design our own home aquaponics system, we would rather just buy a kit.
While the number of aquaponic kits on the market is still pretty slim, the choices are steadily growing. For right now, one of the best choices available is the Farm in a Box series.
Earth Solutions offers a variety of home aquaponics systems, from the small, indoor Little Tokyo model all the way to the large, outdoor Phoenix model with 200-gallon fish tank and 35-square-foot planting area. Each model comes with decorative stand, rubber lined planting bed, and fish tank, plus all the necessary hardware, such as hoses, pump, valves, and timer. Also included are all the instructions necessary for setup and for care of the fish and plants. The only things not included are the gravel, water, fish, and seeds.
The smallest system, Little Tokyo, is sold online by both Earth Solutions and Home Depot for $249. It’s actually very cute and decorative and takes up very little space. In the bottom is a 10-gallon fish tank, with a 12″x20″ plant bed fitted above. A water pump and timer circulate the water from the fish tank to the plant bed and back. This ebb and flow motion aerates the water for the fish and keeps the system in balance.
All the models in the Farm in a Box series work on the same ebb and flow system as the Little Tokyo. Only size changes from one model to another. Current models include the following:
Little Tokyo ($249) — This is the smallest model mentioned above. It’s a perfect size for home, office, or classroom.
Little Tokyo sans tank ($229) — This is the basic Little Tokyo model, but without the 10-gallon fish tank. If you already have your own fish tank, this might be just the model for you.
Manhattan ($279) — The Manhattan is just like the Little Tokyo, but with a larger 15-gallon tank. The grow bed on top is the same 12″x20″ size.
Charleston ($429.50) — The Charleston uses a 20-gallon fish tank and has a 12″x32″ plant bed. This size tank is suitable for small perch, goldfish, or tropical fish.
San Antonio ($549) — The San Antonio also uses a 20-gallon tank, but has a 14″x42″ plant bed.
Dallas ($799) — The Dallas is still small enough for indoor or patio use, but it’s big enough for the serious organic gardener. The 35-gallon tank is large enough to grow edible fish such as tilapia. And the 24″x42″ plant bed offers four times the growing area of the Little Tokyo.
Phoenix ($1499) — The Phoenix is the largest of all the Farm in a Box models. It is best for outdoor or greenhouse use. This model includes a 200-gallon fish tank, 2 deep water floating rack beds, and 1 gravel ebb and flow bed. Of all the models, this is the best one for edible fish. Earth Solutions recommends tilapia for warmer climates and bass, perch, or catfish for cooler climates.
Farm in a Barrel ($83) — Earth Solutions also carries a simple do-it-yourself system called Farm in a Barrel. It includes instructions for building your own aquaponics system out of a plastic 55-gallon barrel, which you must procure yourself. The instructions cost $35. Valve, hoses, pump, and timer can be purchased separately for an additional $48.
Of course, this group of kits from Earth Solutions is not the only option for home aquaponics kits. There are several systems available online, and that number is growing every month. But at the moment these Farm in a Box kits look like an excellent value, especially for indoor/patio systems. So if you want to “get your feet wet” with aquaponics (pun intended), one of these kits might be just right for you.
Related posts:
