The Premise. In the ocean, fish and plants seem to live together without too much need for intervention. However, growing plants in the home can be tedious. Constant feeding and watering can fall the wayside resulting in sad or even dead vegetation. Similarly, owning a fish can make for a fun companion, but tank cleanings and constant maintenance of the aquarium can become annoying.
The Product. An ecosystem in a box, AquaSprouts offers the best of both owning a fish and growing plants in your home. AquaSprouts’ product is basically a fish tank with a place to grow plants on top. The waste from the fish is pumped up into the plants and acts as their food source. In this way, the plants keep the tank clean so that you don’t have to. The clean water is then released back down into the tank. Simply feed the fish and the rest takes cares of itself. The tank looks very sleek and simple, but with lush vegetation growing on top. Options for fish include goldfish, betas, tetras and guppies and these fish can support growing lettuce, basil, garlic, mint, cilantro and a slew of other herbal delights.
The Pitch. The video shown on this Kickstarter campaign shows the tank’s creators talking about their passion for aquaponics. They also explain how they have teamed up with experienced product designers in order to make their tank even more sophisticated. In order to continue, however, they need funding in order to make the manufacturing process more efficient. AquaSprouts hopes to raise $100,000 in its 31-day campaign.
The Perks. The reward tiers are where AquaSprouts falter a little bit. There are several early-bird specials, but none seem to offer both the garden and the tank. For $139 backers receive just the garden and for $149 backers only receive the tank. It isn’t until $179 that backers actually receive both together. Presumably, the other tiers offer more of a DIY alternative, but an expensive one. Reward tiers go all the way up to $10,000 with an estimated delivery date of August 2014 for the product itself.
The Potential. AquaSprouts is certainly a very cool concept and an attractive implementation. The idea of having one’s very own ecosystem in their home is appealing to many. However, there are very similar products out there for far cheaper. Back the Roots offers the smaller Aqua Farm for $60. AquaSprouts offers a bigger variety of fish and plantlife, but for triple the price. Still though, the concept is interesting and does offer a fun and functional addition to animal/plant life enthusiasts.