Eco-Cycle Aquaponic Kit with Grow Light (for Indoor Use)
Got a standard 20-gallon aquarium at home? With EcoLife's aquaponic kit you can turn your aquarium into an aquaponic food production unit that can provide you and your family with fresh greens and herbs all year round, while keeping your fish happy! Aptly named Eco-Cycle, this small-scale hydroponic garden designed for indoor use creates a re-circulating eco system where the fish feed the plants and the plants clean the water for the fish. And, in the end, you eat the plants. EcoLife's Eco-Cycle kit comes with a T5 HO indoor grow light fixture which helps keep your herbs and vegetables happy all year long, even in winter when natural sunlight is in short supply in most parts of the United States. The Eco-Cycle kit is perfect for any home, office or classroom with a standard 20-gallon aquarium.
Primer on Aquaponics
Aquaponics symbiotically combines aquaculture, or the raising of aquatic animals such as fish, snails or shrimp, and hydroponics, a method of growing vegetables, herbs and other plants in nutrient-rich water rather than soil. Large, commercial aquaponic farms producing food for sale have been around for a while, but thanks to some innovative minds out there, aquaponic kits designed for home use are increasingly available. If you don't have an aquarium at home but would like to give aquaponic herb gardening a try, without spending much money, you might want to check out AquaFarm's 2-in-1 fish tank and herb growing kit. Be aware, though, that this aquaponic system is very small (the fish tank only holds 3 gallons of water) and it doesn't come with a grow light. Therefore, those who are more serious about aquaponic indoor gardening are likely better off getting EcoLife's Eco-Cycle kit, which comes with a grow light and which is designed to fit on top of a standard 20-gallon aquarium, or any other fish tank with a 12 x 24-inch footprint. To learn more about Eco-Cycle's aquaponic kit, keep reading.
Fish Poop Nourishes the Plants Which in Turn Help Keep the Aquarium Clean
The concept behind EcoLife's aquaponic plant growing kit is ingeniously simple: you feed the fish, the fish feed the plants, and the plants feed you. Here's how to system works in a little more detail: A submersible pump installed in the aquarium brings up water mixed with fish poop and other organic matter, and after some initial filtration, the water reaches the roots of the plants that are sitting in the perforated pots filled with water and a soil-free growing medium (typically clay pellets, similar to those used in other hydroponic systems). With the help of the beneficial bacteria that live in the growing medium, the waste produced by the fish is turned into nutrients that the plants can absorb and use to build new plant tissue. Once the waste has been broken down and the nutrients have been absorbed by the plants, the now clean water is released back to the aquarium or fish tank.
Why Get a Kit with a Grow Light
While a built-in grow light may add to the cost of a hydroponic or aquaponic herb and vegetable growing kit, it may well be worth the extra investment if you want to make the most out of your indoor herb or vegetable garden. While there are plenty of plants that are easy to grow hydroponically or aquaponically even without a grow light, the yields are likely to be much bigger if you use a grow light. What's more, if you're starting seeds during winter months, the seedlings may end up looking stringy and pale if grown without a grow light. To make your aquaponic gardening projects as successful as possible, Eco-Cycle's aquaponic kit comes with a grow light that's suitable for indoor use, so you don't have to buy one separately.
Can't wait to get your own Eco-Cycle Kit? You can learn more about EcoLife's eco-friendly indoor garden kit, read user reviews submitted by Amazon users, or buy one these cool kits here.
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