Aquaponics in Paradise

Are you in Hawaii?  Join this group!
  • Larry Yonashiro

    Hi Albert,

    Looks like you're doing a lot with aquaponics in Hawaii.  I'm just starting out.  Where do you get your prawns from?

  • Raychel A Watkins

    Hi Albert and Larry

    Glad you started this group.  Sorry Albert I find your website to hard to navigate.  I am not a techie and when things frustrate me I just back off.  this site is rigtht up my alley because I can be dumb and still do it.  I got 4 new WWOOFers last week and they are great.  One thing about having them come in and help you introduce people to aquaponics and you get some work done. 

  • Larry Yonashiro

    Hi Raychel,

    Amazing that just a few days ago I was surfing this site and came across some of your comments.  I was impressed to the point that I talked to my wife, Patty, about you and what you're doing and some of the realizations you've had on your aquaponics journey.  Thanks for sharing.  We're still riding high after our training from Tim and Susanne this past October.  Haven't gone into it far enough for reality to hit us yet.  Still waiting for the nitrogen cycle to kick in.

  • AlbertF

    Hi Larry, There is a woman who is selling prawns for grow out but if you just want a few, there's Tamashiro or this little shop in Chinatown, next to Oahu Market. A few people over in my forums also mentioned some streams.
    Sorry to hear that Raychel, the forums are the traditional format - I guess you already familiar with this website.
  • Larry Yonashiro

    Thanks, Albert.  On Maui, I guess I'll have to check out the streams and make sure I'm not getting crayfish!
  • AlbertF

    Theres gotta be a place that sells live prawns on Maui. Did you want them for grow out or do what I did, and get some large ones to keep your raft clean?
  • Larry Yonashiro

    Exactly what you did.  Scavengers.  I want them to keep my troughs clean without eating my vegetable roots and mosquito fish.  Right now, I plan to get gammarus hopefully to do this.  This is still in the planning stages.  I'm still waiting for my fishless nitrogen cycle to kick in.  This AM I think I saw a trace of nitrites, maybe 0.25ppm, but the ammonia is still at 1ppm.
  • AlbertF

    are you using feeder fish, no fish, urea or hummonia?
  • Larry Yonashiro

    Ammonium Chloride.
  • Raychel A Watkins

    Hey Albert you say you can get prawns for grow out. How many do you get.  You say Tamashiro and china town are those the big ones already .  I have about 4 troughs and I need something to keep them clean.  1 trough 4 x 48, 1 4x25, and 2 2x25.  I know they are territorial so how many do you put in your troughs?  Mahalo for any advice
  • AlbertF

    im no expert, but ive read that if you buy 500 youre only get 250 after grow out. not sure on space requirements however.
    you can try the prawns page on my forums or over at aquaculturehub.

    i can tell you however, that in my experiments that 5 small ones in a 20 gallon tank, was 1 too many.

    my 3'x8' raft, i had 3 small ones and 1 small one, there are only 2 now.

    perhaps with more cages/walls you could cut down on the territorial stuff but how would you still allow waterflow?
  • AlbertF

    unfinished sentence: "you can try the prawns page on my forums or over at aquaculturehub" - to find the lady who has them for grow out.
  • Raychel A Watkins

    Albert be sure and let me know when you are going to the group buy of the clay media
  • AlbertF

    raychel, should be soon. please check forums for updates.

    also found this re:prawns. "Volume and added substrate in holding tanks should allow each brooder approximately two square feet of surface area."
  • AlbertF

    a texas hatchery recommends:
    Post larvae to day 45: Up to 40 animals per square foot.
    Post larvae to day 60: Up to 20 animals per square foot.
    From day 60 to day 90: No more than 2 animals per square foot.
    After day 90: One to two and one-half square feet per animal.
  • Chris Smith

    Aloha everybody. I a a little disappointed that half of the Big Island is cut off the image above. In the area of map that is cut off lies a major % of out states aquaponics systems! AT least the map has the Kona side where our farm is.

     

    There seems to be much interest in prawns so  I start a discussion on it.

  • AlbertF

    sorry chris, im at work and dont access to my tools, i'll fix it later.
  • Chris Smith

    The new image is much better. Mahalo!
  • Raychel A Watkins

    Aloha Albert.  Is the meet up at my place still in the works for the 7th of May.  I guess noon till 6pm would be good.  Don't have any famous speakers but I have a pool to go swimming in if anyone chooses.  I am looking forward to it.  Is the hydronton sale still going forward.  Where do we pick it up Mahalo.
  • Raychel A Watkins

    Aloha all you members of the aquaponic community that live in Hawaii.  We need to talk to each other now and then to know what is going on.  Solidarity is the only way we are going to advance aquaponics here in Hawaii.  I know the University is doing all these different things but we the back yarders need to get together.  Join this group and lets start the chatter. Think about investigating the AQuaponic Association.  Glen Martinez is bringing a farm tour here on the 7th of Feb at 4 pm.  We are then going to Ma'o farms to talk Farmers Union and eat Kau Kau,  Consider comming out to Waianae and join us