Micro-aquaculture animals/livestock?

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by david n, Dec 19, 2008.

  1. david n

    david n Junior Member

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    I have 10 aquaculture tubs around 1/2 meter square each (any bigger the dog climbs into them).

    Finding suitable productive aquatic plants has been easy, but I thought it would be nice to raise some productive edible creatures in them too, everything I've read says the tubs are too small to produce any respectable quantities of meat, I thought sounds like a job for permaculture.

    For a while I thought I'd read somewhere mosquito larvae are scooped up, cooked and eaten in Borneo or somewhere, but must have dreamt that.

    I'm going to investigate the New Zealand freshwater prawn, they seem wildly prolific, and are apparently raised in pots by fishermen etc. The fact that there is no record of humans eating them is a bit of a stumbling block, although all crustacians are thought to be non-toxic, disease may be the problem, they eat rotting fish.

    I'm in New Zealand but I imagine anything that exists in hotter climates probably has a smaller cousin here. Any ideas, conventional or unconventional, much appreciated.
     
  2. david n

    david n Junior Member

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    Re: Micro-aquaculture animals/livestock?

    One good thing I've noticed about the plastic tubs is that lots of insects land on the water but can't get out, mainly it seems because of the steep plastic sides, Perfect food for freshwater crayfish, it's hard to imagine the crayfish multiplying much in such small tubs, more a place to store them I'd have thought, perhaps they'll surprise me.
     
  3. Ev

    Ev Junior Member

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    Re: Micro-aquaculture animals/livestock?

    Someone I know raises marron in such tubs, I would think along those lines or small fish and incorporate some grow beds aquaponic style.
     
  4. milifestyle

    milifestyle New Member

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    Re: Micro-aquaculture animals/livestock?

    I posted this in another thread, luck happens my magazine is still opened at that page on my desk...

    www.aquaponics.net.au
     
  5. jazzienature

    jazzienature New Member

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    Re: Micro-aquaculture animals/livestock?

    Fresh water crayfish/blueclaw are the way to go. The will feed off insects that fall into the tube, but you need to remember if hungry they'll eat anything. This includes each other and plants (roots too). Rocks or logs will need to be added as they need homes, small rocks isn't a bad idea they like to dig a little. For a tank/tube 45cm - 50 cm long by 15 -25 cm can support 2 ,maybe 3 crayfish otherwise they'll eat or kill each other, territorial little suckers. If treated well (they don't mind murky water) and regularly feed; 1 or 2 is a good feed for a single person and if used in salad you might even feed a pair. Although like eels (which you could also house and eat when quite small think sardines (small bones, better flavour)) this would require restocking unless you kept a breeding pair and you want to place them in clean water for at leats 24 to 48 hours before cooking and eating. This allows their systems to be cleaned out and will remove any muddy flavour that may flavour the flesh. Google the little suckers, if nothing else they look cool.
     
  6. david n

    david n Junior Member

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    Re: Micro-aquaculture animals/livestock?

    Yes freshwater crays seem wise, I was reading if you pull off a leg, another one will grow back in its' place, a sustainable, renewable resource, you don't even have to kill the cray to get an endless supply of food! I'm only kidding.

    Mosquito larvae

    Out of curiosity I cooked up a few mosquito larvae and tasted them (didn't swallow) , pretty insipid, maybe a hint of shrimp (insects often taste like their close relatives, crustaceans).

    I figure millions of people must have ingested mosquito larvae while drinking water, there's not a single report of toxicity on the net for something so incredibly common.... still there's no report of anyone deliberately eating them either... a few reports of people eating mature mosquitoes mainly in Africa).

    On present info Mozzies left for the goldfish and maybe dragonfly nymphs, don't think crays are interested.

    Still if they were edible they would be a way to get a lot of (tasteless ) food out of a little space.
     

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