The Aquafarm Is A Self-Cleaning Fish Tank And Herb Garden In One.

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

The Graffiti Fishtank by Artist Dean Zeus Coleman

London Artist Dean Zeus Coleman (aka Zeus) is known for redefining traditional Graffiti with his three dimensional sculptures, paintings and typography. One of his unusual projects I simply had to share with you, given my fondness for aquariums, is this fabulous three dimensional graffiti typography fish tank.


detail:

From the back side as seen in an exhibit:


Zeus is incredibly talented and works in several different mediums. Here's a look at just a few of his sculptures, paintings and installations I find compelling:







all images courtesy of the artist

There's much more to see over at his blog. Go check it out.



Dean Zeus Coleman

No Room For An Aquarium? Think Again. 20 Unusual Places In Your Home For Fish Tanks.

I've been obsessed with fish tanks and aquariums for quite awhile. I even record Tanked (which I highly recommend). But I never seem to have the space needed to put a saltwater or freshwater aquarium in my home. Then again, I hadn't considered all the following options.

What about turning the surround of your fireplace into a giant aquarium?



Or how about adding it to a wide doorway?

above: both fireplace and doorway aquariums by Seavisions

Build it into an existing shelving unit:


Or just putting a tank into that fireplace you never use?


That space under your stairs may just be the perfect spot:


Or replacing that wet bar with a bar/aquarium

above: Bespoke Aquarium Bar and Glass Staircase, both designed by Ali Musani

Here are a bunch of possibilities that may not have crossed your mind, in rooms you may have not considered.

The Kitchen

Building it into your backsplash is a great look:


Poggenpohl and Aquafront have teamed up to design a series of new kitchens which contain built in fish tanks or aquariums. In the backsplash or the cabinetry, the tanks can hold saltwater fish, freshwater fish or even jellyfish:




You can put an aquarium in a kitchen island, above a cooktop or into the built-in cabinetry:


above: custom kitchen island aquarium by Commercial Marine Displays



Or even punctuate a cooktop with a built -in aquarium like the one below by Phil Kean:


You could always turn your kitchen table into an aquarium like this custom one created for a Fridgidaire showroom:



The Bathroom
Adding an aquarium to your bathroom is an option in either the tub surround, the shower walls, or at the edge of the tub, like the one pictured in what used to be the home of Kanye West.


above: custom bathroom aquarium by City Aquarium


The Plano Acquario Shower offers a built in aquarium wall as an option:


The Hollywood Hills bathroom of Kanye West (no longer owned by him):


And of course, Moody makes both a sink and a bathtub with built in aquariums:


The Moody Acquario tub:



There's even a toilet that houses fish, if you must.
The Aquariass by Oliver Beckert or the Fish n' Flush from AquaOne:


The Bedroom
How about an aquarium headboard?

above: from the Furnitureland South bed display and below: for NFL star Chad Ochocinco.


or in a bedroom fireplace:


And lastly, the TV Tank from Picturehouse hides your screen within a fishtank:


Custom aquarium designs, builds and installations are available from the following companies:
Seavisions
Okeanos Group
Aquarium Design Group
Aqua Design Group
Aquatic Design Company
City Aquarium
Acrylic Tank Manufacturing
Just Add Water (Jaws Aquariums)

Looking for wall mounted, tabletop and other fish tanks? 
Check out my Pinterest board of hip Aquariums and fish tanks