Photo update on Aquaponics

The plant are not growing well, and most of them die off. I m not sure what happen and why? There water and light its there, might be not enough nutrition from the water.

Let see how it go about, else I got to redo the planting.

Nerite snails (some freshwater, and some blackish)

Nerite snail.. most of it are very colorful and in variety shape. And a very popular to planted tank, but to the small size, color and not able to breed in freshwater.

Most nerite snail are blackish. Mean, they were able to able to stay in both freshwater and blackish water, but they only breed in blackish water. Blackish water, its the conditions of the water, which are between saltwater and freshwater. Nerite will lay their egg in freshwater, then need blackish water for the egg to hatch, and when through a stage in order for it to grow big enough to transfer back to freshwater.

Here are some of it.

Earth Hour

What have you done for mother earth? One hour without light? Its that all you can do? And only because everyone do it, and you think its cool?

Earth Hour, its just a campaign to educate the people bout the important of our mother earth. What we have done, the damage are beyond repair. What will we leave for our next generation and children?

A little change and habit, do help a lot. Start by recycling; separate the rubbish into paper, tin and glass. Go for organic food, and yes its might be expensive, but goof for both you and earth. And tons more to go. My method.. aquaponics. :-)

"Take a look at your self in the mirror and make the change" by Micheal Jackson.

Apple Snail

Although you can easily found this snail around Asia, but their origin are not from Asia. This snail have been bring over to Asia to be breed to sell as food, escargot, but it turn into bad as it become easily breed and spreed over in major river and farm. Destroying most aquatic plant and also farming plant. One of the major effect are padi (rice) field.

Its now illegal to breed in Asia, and local are fighting to keep this snail way from their farm and river.

Apple snail come in with lots of variety and color. From gray to colorful blue and stripe. And they are the only type of snail which either male or female. Mean, you got to have a male and a female in order to breed it. And they lay their egg above water level.

Size, the biggest I ever have, its as big as a tennis ball!

Trapdoor snail

This snail also widely available in Malaysia river and pond. The size can go as big as a ping pong ball. Easily to keep and breed. This snail, although did not eat plant, but due to the dull color, its not so tempting to keep inside a planted tank.

Red Ramshorn snail

If you go around lurking in local river or pond, you would found something similar to this, but just in gray or dark color. Its normal ramshorn snail. Red Ramshorn are believe to be from oversea. Easily to keep and breed in tank. The red color are so nice with keeping in planted tank. The size will not go more then 1 inch.

Freshwater Snail - Assassin Snail

It will be surprisingly that there its people collecting and keeping freshwater snail as a pet. In Malaysia, this hobbies its still kind of rare, but in oversea, its normal.

There its few type of freshwater snail, but basically that one available in Malaysia, its limited.

Few of the popular type are Sulawesi snail, apple snail and nerite snail. 

This is Assassin Snail. Generally available in most riverbank in Malaysia. The shape and color its almost same as Trumpet Snail aka Malayan Trumpet Snail, except its have yellow stripe. The name, given, because its believe that this snail eat other snail!

Aquaponics Project no.1 - 2 weeks later

 

  

 

And this is the photo update after two weeks. Seem to me like the growth its bit slow.

Aquaponics Project no.1 - Day 5

Day 5, and more sprout coming out.

 

 

Video - redclaw crayfish molt

This is the recent video I manage to capture on the crayfish (red claw) molting process.

Aquaponics Project no.1

This is my first attempt of aquaponics project.

Date started : Jan 2010
Location : Inside house (leaving hall), Penang, Malaysia
Plant : siow pai tsai / sawi jepun / chinese cabbage / small leaf baby chinese cabbage
Live stock : red claw crayfish

I have setup the tank early with crayfish. And only started planting on 10 of Feb, 2010.

This is the 3rd day after I plant the seed. The seed I got it in pack from local super market for only RM 1.30, and inside like hundreds of small little tiny black seeds.

  

 

Red claw crayfish in tank video

This is the video of my red claw crayfish inside the tank. Its getting bigger after molded few times.

Crayfish farm

Visited one of the crayfish farm in Penang. Not really a big place. They breed the crayfish to sell to fish shop.

I was checking on the pool. They use semen, because its easy to clean. They feed the crayfish with plants and fish.

And they were breeding Red claw crayfish.

Places to hide

Crayfish are territorial species, and they don't like close to each other. So, I need to have a place for them to hide. I cut PVC pipe, in various size, to give them places to hide.

After a while.. of the crayfish immediately declare as his/ her home. 

Crayfish molting

Last nite, I found a "skin" of one of the crayfish. It molted.

This is a normal process for the crayfish to grow. They got to change the external skin, as it is hard. And during this process, crayfish are very vulnerable, as the new skin its soft.

Red claw info

Red Claw crayfish or scientific name Cherax quadricarinatus. Origin from Australia and its widely farm as commercial. Redclaw is a sought-after product with a delicate crustacean flavour.

Size can reach up to 600g. Each female can spawn up to 300 olive green eggs at one time. And take around 6 weeks for it to hatch. The mature life cycle its around 6 - 12 months.

The red claw crayfish is the only legal pet crayfish in the UK, other than the signal crayfish which can only be kept in certain parts of the UK.

Red claw crayfish in the river

Went for crayfish catching in one of our local river. Tips from one of my friend.

This is the river. Dirty and smelly.

This is what I manage to catch. Small size, around 4cm. Its a Red Claw  crayfish. They are very hardy and able to survive in a dirty water. For sure its not safe to eat, I believe the water its polluted and consist of heavy metal and mercury.

This is the video of the crayfish inside the tank.

Red claw crayfish / cherax quadricarinatus

Consider one of the most common crayfish available in Malaysia. And can found in some of the river.

Affnan, Malaysian Aquaponics.. very experience

As i was surfing the web for more info, I bounce to few website which its very information. One of it, its from our Malaysia, Affnan; http://affnan-aquaponics.blogspot.com

From his blog, seem like he is successfully grown

• Water Celery
• Basil
• Okra (lady finger)
• Chillies 
• Kesum (Vietnamese Coriander)

And few fishes also.

Malaysia's leading organic fruit and vegetable producers

Zenxin, www.zenxin.com.my, its one or the leading producer and export organic fruit and vegetable in Malaysia. Their organic products are mainly Asian leafy vegetables such as siew pak choy, choy sum, kang kong, gailan, and bok choy. They also have cucumber, long bean, French bean, bitter gourd, English spinach, round cabbage and organic tropical fruits such as dragon fruit, papaya, passion fruit, banana and pineapple.

They also use Aquaponics and Hydroponics to grow their plant.

Type of Vege for Aquaponics

This is few vegetable which I found in the web which say are suitable to grow using Aquaponics concept in Malaysia.

cabbage
chilli
cucumber

Cherry tomato

Aquaponics

Aquaponics, planting a plant such as vegetable or fruit using the hydroponic style (water base planting) together with aquatic life such as fish, shrimp and etc.

I was thinking to adopt this method for breeding crayfish.

Export Market

Up until today, China and the United States are today the biggest sources of import.

Signal crayfish

Scientific name : Pacifastacus leniusculus
Size : 15 cm long

European crayfish

Scientific name : Astacus astacus
Size : Male (16 cm long) & Female (12 cm long)
Mature for breeding after 3 - 4 years.
Breed in Oct and Nov. Fertilised eggs are carried by the female, attached to her pleopods, until the following May, when they hatch and disperse.


The most common species of crayfish in Europe and traditional foodstuff.

Mexico Crasyfish @ Acocil

Usually refer to : Cambarellus montezumae and Cambarellus zempoalensis

White river crawfish

Scientific name : Procambarus zonangulus

Red swamp crayfish

Scientific name : Procambarus clarkii
Native origin : Southeastern United States
Also known as : Louisiana crayfish
Average weight : 50 g
Size : 5 - 12 cm long
Average lifespan : 5 years

Eaten in Europe, China, Africa, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States and the Caribbean

Largest crayfish species..

The Tasmanian giant freshwater crayfish (Astacopsis gouldi) is the largest freshwater invertebrate in the world. The species is only found in Tasmania, Australia.

Average weight of 2 kg.

Local breeder

One of Malaysia crayfish breeder; Urusan Fast Aquafarming (M) Sdn Bhd. Located at Kota Bahru.

News link

Market selling price

From what found in the web, the selling price of crayfish as food in Malaysia its around RM 30 - RM 40 per kg, around 8 - 10 pcs of crayfish.

Crayfish as food

We will be focusing on few type of crayfish which can be eaten/ widely eaten such as:-

1. Red swamp crawfish
2. White river crawfish
3. Astacus astacus
4. Pacifastacus leniusculus
5. Mexican crayfish (acocil)

6. Cherax quadricarinatus (red claw)

World Largest Crayfish producer

98% of the crayfish harvested in the United States come from Louisiana, where the standard culinary terms are crawfish or écrevisses. Louisiana produces 90% of the crawfish in the world and 70% is consumed locally. 70-80% of crawfish produced in Louisiana are red swamp crawfish with the remaining 20-30% being white river crawfish.


View Louisiana in a larger map