We’re so excited about this newly designed Mini Indoor Plug-In & Grow Food Forever™ Aquaponics System, the FFGS-M5, that we can’t wait to announce it even though we’re not quite ready to sell it yet. What are we waiting for? We want to do a test run on it and actually see beautiful heads of butter lettuce and other leafy greens growing in it before we put it on the market even though we know this new system is going to work like a charm because we’ve already tested the Fluorescent Grow Light we’re using.
Here’s a picture of that T5 Fluorescent growing out lettuce in our Growroom.
Of course, we’ve already tested our syphon; but our standard syphon in this new system acts like a Rapid Cycle Syphon which means it siphons about every 7 minutes instead of every 15 minutes. A Rapid-Cycle Grow Bed allows for a greater amount of dissolved oxygen to be present in the grow bed without the need of extra aerators and air pumps. This added dissolved oxygen helps with processing and conversion that creates plant nutrients. Here’s a picture of the DO (Dissolved Oxygen) count in this new Mini System’s Fish Tank.
We’ve also created a whole new growing system we are calling the Hydro-Foam Hybrid Growing System; and you’re seeing it here for the first time the day after it debuted on our website last night.
No one else is using this ultra efficient way to grow leafy greens. Hydro-Foam marries a Hydroton flood and drain system with a Raft system in the same Grow Bed. Traditional Raft Systems float polystyrene on top of a continuously flooded grow bed, often with plants in net pots placed in the raft. A traditional Hydroton deep media grow bed runs a flood and drain cycle through the media in which the plants are planted. The Hydro-Foam Hybrid floats a polystyrene board designed with optimally spaced holes and filled with net pots on top of the Hydroton, which is at precisely the right height to insure the water wets the roots of your plants. Hydro-Foam reduces evaporation of the water in the bed; and once your plants start growing leaves, the Hydro-Foam protects them from exposure to wicked up water that causes bottom leaves to become moldy. Here is a picture of a Hydro-Foam Hybrid Grow Bed growing lettuce in our Growroom Lab right now. We are using LED’s now in our Growroom Lab, which is why the color of the leaves appears to be purple. 
Absolutely everything is included in this PLUG-IN & GROW Mini Food Forever™ Aquaponics System. The Deep-Media, EZ Reach, Rapid Cycle Hybrid Grow Bed features over 5 sq. ft. of growing area and comes with it’s EZ-Clean Bell Syphon, a highly efficient Water-Delivery System, a Hydro-Foam Hybrid Growing System with Hydroton and all Bulkhead Fittings and Valves. The 30 Gallon Rectangular Translucent Covered Fish Tank is made of food grade polyethylene and is 22″ deep. It comes with pre-installed Bulkheads, a Submersible Pump and Plumbing, an Air Pump and Aerator, a Jet Back Aeration Sprayer, a digitally controlled 200 watt Heater and a Fluorescent Fish Tank Light. The included T5 Fluorescent Grow Light comes with a a Timer that can also run your Fluorescent Fish Tank Light. The Grow Bed sits above the Fish Tank and both sit on a reinforced multi-level Stand with a handy top self. The Accessories Kit that is also included has an API Fresh Water Test Kit, Starter Bacteria, Water Cleaning Solution, a Fish Net, 90 Days of Tech Support and an Assembly and System Start-up Manual.
We’ve added a Light Reflecting Shroud to the top of the system to keep the important growing light in while keeping it out of your eyes. This is a Complete Indoor Mini System, which has been designed for the interior of a home or schoolroom. The black and white neutral colors of the FFGS-M5 have been chosen to blend with other home appliances like stoves and refrigerators. To make the FFGS-M5 even more home decor friendly, we are even offering 13 different custom colors and designs for the trim around the Light Reflecting Shroud. You are seeing one of those 13 pattern and color choices below. This one is #1.
If you’ve been thinking about trying Aquaponics; this is the perfect starter system with which to do it. There is absolutely no guesswork involved. When we make our Buy Button live on our website page, this system will be fully tested and ready to go to work growing lettuce, spinach, basil, cilantro and other leafy green vegetables right in your kitchen, dining room or “edible schoolroom”.
To get in on our Introductory Sale in which we will be offering the first six FFGS-M5 Systems for less than the listed retail price of $1495, just email us at:
urbanfarmer@aquaponicsusa.com
These six FFGS-M5 Systems will be using the T5 Fluorescent Grow Lights that we used in our Growroom Lab for about three months. Start growing your own healthy, organic leafy greens right in your own home or schoolroom with the FFGS-M5; and thank you for following our Aquaponics USA Blog.
AquaponicsUSA's Blog 
Hi, I like your idea. Do you have info on what it will cost to run for a year and how much is produced each year?
LikeLike
Hi Wendy: As we described in our Blog, we just designed this system and haven’t even made the buy button live yet. So, No, we don’t know what it’s going to cost us to run it for a year or what we can produce. We do know it will produce your own healthy, organic herbs and leafy greens; and depending on how good a kitchen farmer you are, we suspect you could pretty much supply yourself with all the lettuce you could eat. Thanks for your interest in Aquaponics USA.
LikeLike
I like your system it looks like you bought it all at home depot. What parts do you make?
LikeLike
Hi Aquaman: When you go to our website page that shows all of our systems, you see a notice that says this: “We’ve carefully selected high quality off-the-shelf components which we’ve combined to create the best systems possible for your dollar.” We’ve also posted some very informative articles on our Blog, also accessible from our website, which pretty much tell you how to build your own system. So anyone following us can, if they choose to, build their own system. Of course, not all the components are from Home Depot; but we’re sure glad they built one recently right in our little desert town and find ourselves there often. The trick to doing aquaponics is to understand the ratios. It really is all about the ratios. That Bell Syphon our system designer created is really important too as is the understanding of how important the DO (dissolved oxygen) is in a system. Here’s the catch. Once someone has learned how to put a system together and then found and purchased all the parts necessary, they discover it isn’t worth building their own because we are selling our systems at such economical prices and we guarantee they will work and offer tech support too. We say it’s for 90 Days, but we’re willing to hold hands with our customers for as long as it takes. Appreciate your interest in Aquaponics USA.
LikeLike
Good morning Aqua,
Thank you for all of your research and work in Aquaponics, I have just found out about it and I am trying to suck up enough of information to try it in the near future. Your systems look very professionally setup and functionality is good.
I was wondering if you know of anyone trying fresh water shrimp or prawns instead of fish??
Later,
John
LikeLike
Hi John: So pleased you’ve discovered Aquaponics. It’s an amazing way to grow veggies and fish as you now know. We don’t personally know of anyone growing fresh water shrimp or prawns but it is possible. Actually, we’ve heard that they will co-habitate but we haven’t tried it ourselves.
Best of Luck with your Aquaponics adventure,
Grace
LikeLike