Rating: 4.7 out of 5 Cost:$$$$
Pros
- Compact design, can fit your desk at work
- Easy to clean, takes about 10 minutes for the cleaning process
- Employs aquaponic filtration
- Brings a whole ecosystem to your home or office
Cons
- Slightly expensive
- We would like to see it offered in bigger sizes also
Is your desk at work dull, with not much to look at? Staring at your computer at work all day can get very tiring and monotonous. Not everyone has the luxury of going outside and getting fresh air. Well, there is no way you can bring the outdoors in, you can however bring a self sustaining plant inside with the EcoQube Aquarium. Not only that, you will have an aquarium which will be a really nice change of scenery for you.
The EcoQube is a compact, aquarium which can easily fit on your desk be it at home or office. At home, you can even use it as a piece of decoration in your living room. It enables you to keep fish and plants all at once and the best part is that it’s pretty much self sustaining.
Bring a small ecosystem home or to your office
Aqua Design Innovations, the creator behind EcoQube was founded by Kevin Liang and Eric Seun. Their main focus was to help individuals connect with the environment. The aquarium allows individuals to connect with plants and fish and while that is great, The innovation behind the tank is what really stands-out. Aquaponics is employed within the tank to ensure that plants grow while the tank is maintained.
How it works
Many individuals do not buy aquarium because of the work required to maintain it. With time algae builds up, which means you have to empty the tank and completely clean it. Taking all the fish out and temporary keeping them in a bowl of water while you clean out the tank. Depending on how big your tank is, the task can take quite some time and effort.
That is not the case with the EcoQube. The self-staining system within the aquarium helps it maintain itself. It employs a 3 step cycle, which is:
- Fish waste contains ammonia, which is broken down by bacteria into nitrates in the water.
- The plant intakes the nitrates which is used for its growth. This filters the water.
- With the help of the plant, water is returned clean into the aquarium.
The EcoQube only requires you to do two things:
- Feed the fish
- Make sure the water level of the aquarium is maintained
Comparing that to what a normal aquarium requires for maintenance is like a walk in the park.
The aquarium has four components overall:
- Aquarium along with the base
- Aquaponic filter
- LED UV sterilizer
- LED light
These components work together. The light not only lights up the aquarium but also provides light to the plant for growth. The UV sterilizer removes excess bacteria from overfeeding while the filter acts as a filter for the water between plant and tank.
The filter is uniquely designed so you don’t need to replace it. It has the capacity to pump up to 100 gallons per hour which ensures the water is fresh. This along with all the other components working ensures the EcoQuest remains clean.
EcoQube Setup
Everything you need to set up the EcoQube pretty much comes in the box, so you won’t really need any additional tools. The process is fairly simple and easy.
- Once you have all the components out of the box, the first thing you need to do is fit the filter into the aquarium. You want will put it along the long side of the aquarium.
- You then add the soil along the base along with any rocks or driftwood, for aesthetics. Also keep in mind that driftwood assists with the filtration process.
- Then, slowly pour conditioned water into the aquarium through the filter.
- You can now put the plant pot with the seeds into the filter.
- Connect the LED light.
And that’s it, you are done. The setup process should take about 10 minutes. You should leave the LED light on for around 6 hours a day, this will help your plant grow. Which should start to appear within 3 weeks. Once you see the plant growing, you can introduce fish into your ecosystem.
Maintaining the EcoQube
One of the most attractive benefits to getting an EcoQube is the fact that maintenance requires little effort. This is a major plus point because typically when it comes to aquarium, the maintenance is the worst part about it. People dread having to spend so much time and effort cleaning aquarium that they decide not to get one. Well, you don’t have to worry about that with the EcoQube. Maintenance only requires you dedicate around 8-10 minutes once a week. It has no complicated process for maintenance and this makes the EcoQube a great aquarium for just about anyone from adults to kids.
Conclusion
The EcoQube is an innovative take on an aquarium. Not just an aquarium, it allows you to bring a beautiful ecosystem in your home or office without taking up too much space. Now this is wonderful if you want to just put it on your desk. It won’t really serve a purpose of a big aquarium due to its size, the amount of fish you can have is limited.
The setup process is fairly easy and quick. Everything you need to setup the aquarium comes in the box, no additional tools will be required. Maintaining and cleaning the EcoQuest is as easy as the setup. The cleaning process is a breeze which saves you a huge amount of time compared to normal aquarium. Which makes it easy for even kids to take on the responsibility and maintain the aquarium on their own with little to no supervision.
If you are looking to liven up your home or office by adding an aquarium, we highly recommend you do with an EcoQube.