Springworks Microfarm Aquaponic Garden

I bought this as a gift for my wife who loves gardening, and fish. It was a perfect match. The system is fantastic, we have had it nearly a year by now and have grown cherry tomatoes, a variety of small peppers and chili plants, basil, parsley, and rosemary. We also have 7 different aquatic plants in the aquarium itself. There is little to no maintenance once it's established and running, I would recommend educating yourself on both aquarium keeping and plant growing so you know what to look out for. Common fish disease, including Ich, can wipe out your fish even when conditions seem fine and you know what to look out for.It's important to note, as it's frequently asked in the comments, this does NOT INCLUDE the 10 gallon aquarium. Your local chain retailer can sell you one for as little as $11.99. This does not include tank substrate like gravel or sand, and there is not a light for the aquarium itself. I suggest a submersible LED strip light with suction cups that can be applied to the inside top of the glass to provide light to the fish and potential aquatic plants. Don't overstock with fish, about seven 1.5 inch fish like platys, guppies, danios, or swordtails is plenty. The more fish you have, the more waste is produced, and the higher the nitrate levels will get, although a lot of that will be controlled by the plants.The setup was very easy, and it's a beautiful centerpiece in our living room that always draws attention and questions. Try to keep it away from windows and direct sunlight, because that can cause an outbreak of algae, which can turn your tank water a milky green color and coat everything inside with green and brown algae. The light provided should be enough all by itself for the growth of your plants and herbs. Keep in mind also that the system, full of water, and with everything else, will weigh about 120 to 140 lbs, so be sure whatever you are placing it on can hold that kind of weight.If they made these in bigger sizes, i'd buy another. I'd like to have a larger setup like a 55 gallon or 90 gallon tank, ready made like this one. I'm so happy with this model, it's high quality and a lot of fun to have in our home.

Very nice system! I've had it for over 4 weeks now ; the fish seem fine and the Genovese basil is coming in nicely. I *have* done a bit more to it than I apparently really needed to (I've vaccuumed the gravel and replaced the water at least once a week) ; this *may* have affected the growth rates of the basil a bit, but I thought it would help the fish and the basil IS growing, so....The system is very easy to set up. I would not hesitate to recommend this unit to anyone. Great customer service, too (thanks , Springworks, for answering all my e mail questions so promptly. MUCH appreciated! )I went with just Genovese basil for the first harvest, as I love the taste and scent of basil and it's the easiest, most fool-proof herb to grow , and you can never have too much basil!. For the tank, I have two mollies, two guppies, five cory cats, and a nerite snail. The plants in the tank are silk ; down the road I may try using real plants inside the tank.I've added some images, hopefully they'll load properly...There was a lot of glare on the glass so I don't know how well the images will show, but you can see 4+ weeks' worth of growth on the basil at least.

I had some minor issues in the beginning. One of the pieces that came with the unit was the wrong size. Normally I just send something back, but I emailed Springworks customer service with a couple of pictures of what I was talking about 4 pm Pacific time on a Sunday. I figured I would hear back on Monday or Tuesday. I got a response within an hour that it was the wrong part and they would get with their manufacturer and get the right one shipped out. In the meantime, I decided to be a responsible fish owner and cycle the tank with ammonia. The part came within a week, and everything worked great. I went ahead and got it started without fish, using a mix of seeds and a couple of small plants. Everything is growing like crazy. I finally added my fish a couple of weeks ago and they are happy. It looks really nice in my living room. I have nothing bad to say about it.

Light keeps falling down and the seeds received say they were to be sold by 2015....not worth the money in my opinion

This is a really nice starter kit. I've had mine running for 3 years+. When the pump died it was easy to replace. I am, however, having a very hard time replacing the bulb. They listed a replacement in the comments, but amazon doesn't have it any more.

the description and the questions make this product very confusing. I wouldn't buy it. the description doesn't tell anything about the fish tank. The answers to some questions say a fish tank does not come with it. Then some reviews say everything comes with it , even water conditioners... just too confusing.

My aquaponics farm is up and running. The fish are happy, the plants are growing, it's great. I have it in my classroom at school. The only thing I wish I would have known is how much money I would have to spend beyond the list price. I had to buy gravel and a tank and of course the fish. Probably if I would have read the fine print, I would have known that there would be more costs. My students love it though!

Very disappointed in this setup they show you can grow beautiful food in the top but the light is terrible and the seedlings grow 2 inches fall over and die if you buy plants already grown some of them may stay alive but not worth the moneyI have contacted customer service 2 weeks ago with no response buy another setup this one is not worth it