Aquaponics Part 1 'ish.......

Finally into retirement and today commenced with a start to clearing up of my old system. I'm not going to rush it. It's remained untouched for over 2 years. Couple of hours each day should see us up and running in about three weeks.

I'm cheating in someways as I will be using some of the old water so start up timing should be quicker. And as I am forever an optimist I'll start the seedling next week !!

I will be buying hybrid fish from our local petrol station. Thinking one tank cat fish and one tilapia. Thats right you read that correctly, a petrol station! A guy there has a stall on the side of the forecourt.  Been there for years before I came up here 15 years ago. Sells fish, frogs, prawns and assorted plants etc so good place to stop off. We have bought from him in the past. Thats how we stocked our pond.

So my first day at it...... but looking at the before and after shots I hope I've got them the right way round.  Looks like very little got done !!


Before and after shots of todays work......

Before.........

After...... looking a bit better......... only a bit..........long way to go but at least I cleared up the under growth and no snakes.... or scorpions. So lucky start.


The hardest part is going to be getting the grow table sorted.  Needs re-leveling. Thinking of new steel bars as underside supports and then some fibre board before i reinstall the polystyrene channel.  (which has in part suffered severe damage due to rats in the store getting hungry.).  Can't win on that one.

Crayfish 13

Thought it would be a couple of weeks before I posted about the crays. But we were clearing us and found one more pregnant female. She was in with female and was just beginning to show eggs/babies. In fact I think she was just starting to "extrude them" if thats the correct terminology.  Doubt it !!!!

Female Crayfish being relocated using a bucket !

Anyway while sorting out a new home for her in the third tank we watched one small one cast off its shell.  I took some photos then a short video.  Quite amazing.  The video is less than 1 minutes long and the little fella does so much.  Worth watching.

Looking really strange like they are blowing apart.   

Crayfish Part 12

Just started raining so they seem to have sensed it and come out of hiding.  Still waiting on  the mothers to drop a few little ones just have to wait. Time is all it takes.

Crayfish Part 11

We've moved up to Ban Muang following my retirement for engineering work at the end of May. We brought the Crayfish up with us. It was a difficult journey as we put them all together in a Polystyrene  Box with just water and an air pump. It was a 7 hour journey and they took some rough and tumbles along the way. Sadly a few small ones died and a few others lost a claw or 2 !

We have now got them set up in our Sala area of the house. Two tanks. The main one with all the Crayfish and a few fish, except for three pregnant Crays which we have separated out into another tank. Now its time to sit back and watch them grow.

Suspended Air Pump.  Air con unit is for us not them !

Taking up valuable floor space !

Relaxing on their "pipe" homes.