Friday, March 29

Water Garden Is an Amazing Mini Aquaponics Ecosystem for Your Home

Return to the Roots Aquatic Garden is an ideal choice for those interested in aquaponics, mini-ecosystems and free-standing aquariums, but don’t have much space.

Even those who are new to aquariums or fish tanks will be absolutely delighted with this product!

The concept of aquaponics is extremely interesting: You grow fish and plants (edible, if you will!) in the same ecosystem, with the waste the fish produce providing nutrients for the plants, while the plants themselves filter and clean the water for the fish.

Sort of like helping me help you. Pretty cool, huh?

The best part is that this kind of arrangement works! This form of aquaculture is popular with the autonomous communities because it is low maintenance and high yielding.

Although most do it on a much larger scale…. you can still have your own mini-aquaponic ecosystem at home, with minimal space and absolutely spectacular equipment.

Note to self: We receive commissions for purchases made through the links in this article.

Water Garden by Back to the Roots takes things to a whole new level and makes it not only extremely accessible, but also very simple.

Instead of building your own water gun that might not work, just buy it and you’re good to go. It works, it looks great and it’s as cool as it gets!

 

The water garden is also quite small (13.4 x 13.4 x 9.5 inches), so it’s definitely suitable for beginners or those who don’t really know if they want to get involved with something like this.

Or those who live in a smaller house or apartment and just don’t have room for a big one.

Back to the water garden: It is described as a self-cleaning aquarium that grows organic shoots and herbs, requires no water changes and only requires occasional maintenance: maybe once every few months!

With purchase you will receive a beautiful 3 gallon aquarium, gravel, organic seeds, growth stones, a natural de-chlorinator and fish food. In other words, everything you need to get your ecosystem in order.

There is also a coupon for bettas if you don’t have a fish to populate your ecosystem with…. but you can choose any other fish (or shrimp) that fits well in a small aquarium.

Still, it’s probably best to start with the beta, especially if you’re a beginner.

Establishing an aquatic ecosystem in the water garden

Just fill it with water, plant the seeds, add fish and enjoy this amazing ecosystem on your table or whenever you find a good place for it in your home.

However, aquarists recommend leaving the aquarium water for a while to stabilize. This project will take a few weeks. During this time, beneficial bacteria thrive in the water, allowing the fish to live in good conditions.

To ensure a smooth transition of your Betta fish to its new habitat, let the water rest for a few weeks first. Nevertheless, seeds can be planted during this period and the ecosystem can be started.

I’ve seen people keep it in the kitchen for quick access to plants – and there’s nothing like fresh mint leaves for a cold drink, or maybe fresh basil for homemade pasta….

Now if you look at the reviews of this product on Amazon, you will see that many of them are negative, but don’t get discouraged!

Firstly, many negative opinions relate to an older model, and can therefore be considered obsolete.

By going back to their roots, they have actually improved their product and made it into a truly effective aquaponics system.

 

However, it’s also not very easy to maintain – so don’t expect to be able to fill it with water, put fish in it, plant seeds in it and then harvest it from the inside.

First, you need to get out of the aquarium cycle – this is common if you want to raise healthy fish – basically this means adding water, the provided substrate (and maybe a little more), maybe one or two live aquatic plants, and waiting a few weeks for the beneficial bacteria to accumulate in the aquarium (I would recommend Marimo Ball, as it requires almost no maintenance and is extremely durable).

Then you can add your betta (or a few microfishes, but not many, as the aquarium itself is very small).

Personally, I would recommend adding a shrimp or two to help clean the tank (red shrimp are very resistant, but you may want something less colorful if you choose beta, or it might attack them).

Maybe add a snail (or just a snail if you don’t want shrimp). Make sure it is a snail that does not reproduce, otherwise you will soon have too many for your tank. A good choice is the Zebra Nerite snail – even if you add a few, they won’t reproduce. They also keep the glass clean, which is a bonus.

In addition, you will probably need a thermometer/thermostat combination to maintain the ideal water temperature for the fish.

Pariahs are tough fish and they don’t need a thermometer if you keep the room warm, but it’s best not to take any chances.

As mentioned earlier, it may be necessary to make minor repairs to the tank every few months, as the balance will inevitably go up at some point.

This is not a difficult job, but you will probably need to clean the tank from time to time, although the plants above filter the water well.

Here you can see the water garden in action on Youtube, an update posted on the Alberta Urban Garden channel two months after the installation of this system. As you can see, it works very well and maintenance is not very difficult:

I am very fascinated by this project and I find it really interesting!

I’ve always been a fan of self-sustaining ecosystems or something, so if I could own one – which also gives me some herbs that I can actually consume – that would make everything even better.

Sure, it’s more of a hobby and a nice view than a source of food, but it’s worth it in my opinion.

The kids will love it too and it will teach them a lot about how things work in nature, how plants grow and even how to care for fish and plants. It would make a great gift for them, but be prepared to do most of the maintenance yourself!

So stop by the Amazon Water Garden and get yours today. I’d love to hear it. I hope you appreciate it!

Alternative water garden

There are other mini weather systems for sale, even if you don’t currently have a wide variety of products.

But if for some reason you want to try something else (maybe bigger or just different), this is the alternative for now:

Water lily garden

 

In my opinion, the best alternative – or the best option if you want something more.

It’s designed for a regular 10 gallon aquarium, allowing you to grow a lot more plants (and keep more fish or beetles really happy), but keep in mind that you only have the system, not the aquarium or ceiling lights.

You can check it here.

And that’s it. Not only are you familiar with the popular water garden Back to the Roots, but you also have another option if you want to try the whole aquarium thing.

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