This was by far the most attractive and well-designed/manufactured aquaponics system I found for sale. Sure you could probably rig everything up yourself if you know what you're doing, but the best part of this system is it looks clean and won't be an eyesore in your living room.
Customization: I had my mind set on keeping fancy goldfish, which requires 10 gallons per fish. I decided on a 24LX24HX12D 30 gallon tank that was under $90, and my husband had to drive 8 hours round trip to go buy it in another state because there seems to be a shortage nationwide. The system fit on top very well, although the plastic seemed to strain under the weight of the hefty lights and metal stands.
Because I got a deeper tank, I also bought a longer clear silicone intake pipe (1/2" ID x 5/8" OD) so I wouldn't have a short, ugly black tube just dangling in the water. I bought mini suction cups with zip ties to anchor everything down/shove into a corner for attractiveness sake) The deeper tank also meant that the air generated from the falling water wasn't enough. Coupled with the hot overhead/internal lights heating the tank to ~73 degrees, I found my goldfish gasping for air and stressed out (turns out their temp ranges are more like 65-70, depending on their type. Don't trust Petco suggestions/the first google result you see). To remedy this, I put foil on the growing area and cut out holes for the plant cups so the light would reflected upwards. I also got a fan, which unfortunately doesn't really fit anywhere so I have it right at the front opening as can be seen in the pictures. I also added an airpump that could aerate up to 60 gallons, so that has helped immensely with the air issue.
Water quality: When I first set up the tank, I did everything right: I cycled the water for a whole month before adding fish so the right bacteria were ready to convert poop into fertilizer. And the water readings were fantastic. Never any ammonia or nitrites, with only trace amount of nitrates from the plants not eating enough of it. What I did wrong was attempt to change the water every month. In regular goldfish tanks, you're supposed to clean the tank like 2 times a week. Apparently with aquaponic systems, any slight change in the water composition can shock and kill your fish. After a call with the owner of the company (who is awesome btw, and made himself personally available to help me troubleshoot my tank), I learned that I should maybe clean my tank once every 3 months, or maybe never if the water tests come back good. What is needed though is adding more water into the tank to replace the evaporation and the plants.
Plants: I bought some strawberry plants online, washed as much sand/dirt as I could off, and plopped them into the cups. I also added some basil clippings, and those roots shot out like crazy the moment they soaked in the nutrient-rich water. My plants have really thrived in the system, and I'm looking forward to the first harvest. The roots of the plants may eventually grow too dense for the tray, so you may want to consider not using every cup (I only used 13 of the available cups and sealed the rest with foil). If the roots grow too dense, the water doesn't flow out fast enough into the tank and can cause slight flooding/dripping from the overflowing tray.
Other things: The system does short out sometimes, probably from the water splashing onto the connectors. I've prevented this by wrapping the connectors in electrical tape. I also had to order a replacement pump (which was like $10+shipping) from the company. Overall though, the process was easy and it's clear they want your system to work and will go out of their way to help you out. They've always responded to my emails within 1-2 days, and will call you if needed.
I'm extremely pleased with this system and highly recommend this to people who have experience keeping fish and want to try out aquaponics. For me, the plants were less an issue as much as trying to keep the fish happy. The plants I have have been excellent with keeping the water clean, which is awesome since goldfish are absolute slobs. The videos they have on their site are very helpful in putting the system together, and you realize that much thought was put into creating this system while you assemble everything.
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Most attractive,well-designed aquaponics system you can buy without breaking bank
This was by far the most attractive and well-designed/manufactured aquaponics system I found for sale. Sure you could probably rig everything up yourself if you know what you're doing, but the best part of this system is it looks clean and won't be an eyesore in your living room.Customization: I had my mind set on keeping fancy goldfish, which requires 10 gallons per fish. I decided on a 24LX24HX12D 30 gallon tank that was under $90, and my husband had to drive 8 hours round trip to go buy it in another state because there seems to be a shortage nationwide. The system fit on top very well, although the plastic seemed to strain under the weight of the hefty lights and metal stands.Because I got a deeper tank, I also bought a longer clear silicone intake pipe (1/2" ID x 5/8" OD) so I wouldn't have a short, ugly black tube just dangling in the water. I bought mini suction cups with zip ties to anchor everything down/shove into a corner for attractiveness sake) The deeper tank also meant that the air generated from the falling water wasn't enough. Coupled with the hot overhead/internal lights heating the tank to ~73 degrees, I found my goldfish gasping for air and stressed out (turns out their temp ranges are more like 65-70, depending on their type. Don't trust Petco suggestions/the first google result you see). To remedy this, I put foil on the growing area and cut out holes for the plant cups so the light would reflected upwards. I also got a fan, which unfortunately doesn't really fit anywhere so I have it right at the front opening as can be seen in the pictures. I also added an airpump that could aerate up to 60 gallons, so that has helped immensely with the air issue.Water quality: When I first set up the tank, I did everything right: I cycled the water for a whole month before adding fish so the right bacteria were ready to convert poop into fertilizer. And the water readings were fantastic. Never any ammonia or nitrites, with only trace amount of nitrates from the plants not eating enough of it. What I did wrong was attempt to change the water every month. In regular goldfish tanks, you're supposed to clean the tank like 2 times a week. Apparently with aquaponic systems, any slight change in the water composition can shock and kill your fish. After a call with the owner of the company (who is awesome btw, and made himself personally available to help me troubleshoot my tank), I learned that I should maybe clean my tank once every 3 months, or maybe never if the water tests come back good. What is needed though is adding more water into the tank to replace the evaporation and the plants.Plants: I bought some strawberry plants online, washed as much sand/dirt as I could off, and plopped them into the cups. I also added some basil clippings, and those roots shot out like crazy the moment they soaked in the nutrient-rich water. My plants have really thrived in the system, and I'm looking forward to the first harvest. The roots of the plants may eventually grow too dense for the tray, so you may want to consider not using every cup (I only used 13 of the available cups and sealed the rest with foil). If the roots grow too dense, the water doesn't flow out fast enough into the tank and can cause slight flooding/dripping from the overflowing tray.Other things: The system does short out sometimes, probably from the water splashing onto the connectors. I've prevented this by wrapping the connectors in electrical tape. I also had to order a replacement pump (which was like $10+shipping) from the company. Overall though, the process was easy and it's clear they want your system to work and will go out of their way to help you out. They've always responded to my emails within 1-2 days, and will call you if needed.I'm extremely pleased with this system and highly recommend this to people who have experience keeping fish and want to try out aquaponics. For me, the plants were less an issue as much as trying to keep the fish happy. The plants I have have been excellent with keeping the water clean, which is awesome since goldfish are absolute slobs. The videos they have on their site are very helpful in putting the system together, and you realize that much thought was put into creating this system while you assemble everything.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2022
Customization: I had my mind set on keeping fancy goldfish, which requires 10 gallons per fish. I decided on a 24LX24HX12D 30 gallon tank that was under $90, and my husband had to drive 8 hours round trip to go buy it in another state because there seems to be a shortage nationwide. The system fit on top very well, although the plastic seemed to strain under the weight of the hefty lights and metal stands.
Because I got a deeper tank, I also bought a longer clear silicone intake pipe (1/2" ID x 5/8" OD) so I wouldn't have a short, ugly black tube just dangling in the water. I bought mini suction cups with zip ties to anchor everything down/shove into a corner for attractiveness sake) The deeper tank also meant that the air generated from the falling water wasn't enough. Coupled with the hot overhead/internal lights heating the tank to ~73 degrees, I found my goldfish gasping for air and stressed out (turns out their temp ranges are more like 65-70, depending on their type. Don't trust Petco suggestions/the first google result you see). To remedy this, I put foil on the growing area and cut out holes for the plant cups so the light would reflected upwards. I also got a fan, which unfortunately doesn't really fit anywhere so I have it right at the front opening as can be seen in the pictures. I also added an airpump that could aerate up to 60 gallons, so that has helped immensely with the air issue.
Water quality: When I first set up the tank, I did everything right: I cycled the water for a whole month before adding fish so the right bacteria were ready to convert poop into fertilizer. And the water readings were fantastic. Never any ammonia or nitrites, with only trace amount of nitrates from the plants not eating enough of it. What I did wrong was attempt to change the water every month. In regular goldfish tanks, you're supposed to clean the tank like 2 times a week. Apparently with aquaponic systems, any slight change in the water composition can shock and kill your fish. After a call with the owner of the company (who is awesome btw, and made himself personally available to help me troubleshoot my tank), I learned that I should maybe clean my tank once every 3 months, or maybe never if the water tests come back good. What is needed though is adding more water into the tank to replace the evaporation and the plants.
Plants: I bought some strawberry plants online, washed as much sand/dirt as I could off, and plopped them into the cups. I also added some basil clippings, and those roots shot out like crazy the moment they soaked in the nutrient-rich water. My plants have really thrived in the system, and I'm looking forward to the first harvest. The roots of the plants may eventually grow too dense for the tray, so you may want to consider not using every cup (I only used 13 of the available cups and sealed the rest with foil). If the roots grow too dense, the water doesn't flow out fast enough into the tank and can cause slight flooding/dripping from the overflowing tray.
Other things: The system does short out sometimes, probably from the water splashing onto the connectors. I've prevented this by wrapping the connectors in electrical tape. I also had to order a replacement pump (which was like $10+shipping) from the company. Overall though, the process was easy and it's clear they want your system to work and will go out of their way to help you out. They've always responded to my emails within 1-2 days, and will call you if needed.
I'm extremely pleased with this system and highly recommend this to people who have experience keeping fish and want to try out aquaponics. For me, the plants were less an issue as much as trying to keep the fish happy. The plants I have have been excellent with keeping the water clean, which is awesome since goldfish are absolute slobs. The videos they have on their site are very helpful in putting the system together, and you realize that much thought was put into creating this system while you assemble everything.
Most attractive,well-designed aquaponics system you can buy without breaking bank
Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2022
This was by far the most attractive and well-designed/manufactured aquaponics system I found for sale. Sure you could probably rig everything up yourself if you know what you're doing, but the best part of this system is it looks clean and won't be an eyesore in your living room.Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2022
Customization: I had my mind set on keeping fancy goldfish, which requires 10 gallons per fish. I decided on a 24LX24HX12D 30 gallon tank that was under $90, and my husband had to drive 8 hours round trip to go buy it in another state because there seems to be a shortage nationwide. The system fit on top very well, although the plastic seemed to strain under the weight of the hefty lights and metal stands.
Because I got a deeper tank, I also bought a longer clear silicone intake pipe (1/2" ID x 5/8" OD) so I wouldn't have a short, ugly black tube just dangling in the water. I bought mini suction cups with zip ties to anchor everything down/shove into a corner for attractiveness sake) The deeper tank also meant that the air generated from the falling water wasn't enough. Coupled with the hot overhead/internal lights heating the tank to ~73 degrees, I found my goldfish gasping for air and stressed out (turns out their temp ranges are more like 65-70, depending on their type. Don't trust Petco suggestions/the first google result you see). To remedy this, I put foil on the growing area and cut out holes for the plant cups so the light would reflected upwards. I also got a fan, which unfortunately doesn't really fit anywhere so I have it right at the front opening as can be seen in the pictures. I also added an airpump that could aerate up to 60 gallons, so that has helped immensely with the air issue.
Water quality: When I first set up the tank, I did everything right: I cycled the water for a whole month before adding fish so the right bacteria were ready to convert poop into fertilizer. And the water readings were fantastic. Never any ammonia or nitrites, with only trace amount of nitrates from the plants not eating enough of it. What I did wrong was attempt to change the water every month. In regular goldfish tanks, you're supposed to clean the tank like 2 times a week. Apparently with aquaponic systems, any slight change in the water composition can shock and kill your fish. After a call with the owner of the company (who is awesome btw, and made himself personally available to help me troubleshoot my tank), I learned that I should maybe clean my tank once every 3 months, or maybe never if the water tests come back good. What is needed though is adding more water into the tank to replace the evaporation and the plants.
Plants: I bought some strawberry plants online, washed as much sand/dirt as I could off, and plopped them into the cups. I also added some basil clippings, and those roots shot out like crazy the moment they soaked in the nutrient-rich water. My plants have really thrived in the system, and I'm looking forward to the first harvest. The roots of the plants may eventually grow too dense for the tray, so you may want to consider not using every cup (I only used 13 of the available cups and sealed the rest with foil). If the roots grow too dense, the water doesn't flow out fast enough into the tank and can cause slight flooding/dripping from the overflowing tray.
Other things: The system does short out sometimes, probably from the water splashing onto the connectors. I've prevented this by wrapping the connectors in electrical tape. I also had to order a replacement pump (which was like $10+shipping) from the company. Overall though, the process was easy and it's clear they want your system to work and will go out of their way to help you out. They've always responded to my emails within 1-2 days, and will call you if needed.
I'm extremely pleased with this system and highly recommend this to people who have experience keeping fish and want to try out aquaponics. For me, the plants were less an issue as much as trying to keep the fish happy. The plants I have have been excellent with keeping the water clean, which is awesome since goldfish are absolute slobs. The videos they have on their site are very helpful in putting the system together, and you realize that much thought was put into creating this system while you assemble everything.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2014
Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2016
