Home Aquaponics

Very cool Aquaponic Kickstarter Project from the guys at Back to the Roots! Aquaponics - combining aquaculture (think farm-raised fish, oysters, prawns) with hydroponics (growing plants in a water base). Very cool stuff! Aquaponics has been around for decades, many facilities are on quite a large scale with jungles of tomato plants, herbs and other plants (300 varieties have been tested so far) living in a symbiotic relationship with tilapia, crayfish, perch, catfish and other edible fish. The practice itself is even more ancient and was found in Aztec culture as well as many Asian civilizations (China and Thailand, for instance) that raised fish within the local rice paddies.

This sustainable method of growing food, for the most part, has been relegated to large commercial companies and universities. Right now, however, two entrepreneurs - Nikhil Arora and Alejandro Valez - are trying to change that. They've come up with a way for everyone to have a aquaponic sytem in their own home. Names sound familiar? Nikhil and Alejandro are the creative geniuses behind Back to the Roots, the grow it yourself mushroom kit in a box. These guys have been on fire this year, winning numerous awards for their ingenuity and business sense - the White House's Empact100 award (celebrating entrepreneurs under the age of 30 with revenues over $100 million), Nikhil Arora was named 2012 Inc. 30 Under 30, and Alejandro Valez was named to Forbes' 2012 30 Under 30.

Their new idea is sure to change how people grow food. Here's how it works - The product is a self-contained fish tank with plants on the top. The tank cleans itself and you harvest the crops on top when they're ready. You put the water in the tank, along with any kind of fish you want - colorful fish from the pet store. The kit comes with your choice of seeds - beans, basil, thyme, baby greens, oregano, mint, parsley, spinach, and others - which you plant in a pebble mixture on top of the aquarium. You feed the fish with the enclosed fish food, the fish create waste products. The plants take up the nutrients and clean the water at the same time. A closed system that can produce fresh food all year long.

The Home Aquaponics system is still in the development phase as of this writing. Nikhil and Alejandro are raising production funds by taking pre-orders for the kit. Check out the Kickstarter Project. Contributors will be one of the first to get the Aquaponic Home Kit. If it goes the way of the Back to the Roots idea, this may turn out to be the next big thing of the Food Revolution!