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oneiron
07-05-2009, 09:37 AM
I am an expat from America currently living in the paradise of Chiang Mai, Thailand. I have built my dream house here with a backyard golf practice area. I am in the early stages of designing a backyard 4 Meter X 6 Meter Island Sala (a roofed outdoor kitchen and dining area) to be surrounded by a divided fish pond with Koi on one side for viewing and Tilapia on the other for eating which will be surrounded by growth beds to provide clean water to the fish. My major objective is to provide clean water to the fish and secondary objective is to grow vegetables and herbs that are not easy to obtain in Thailand. I am in the early stages of planning with a lot of questions. I will rely on internet searches for most of my questions but when I cannot find answers I will present questions to the forum. I am also interested in raising crayfish (particuarlly the Austrailian Red Claw) in a seperate concrete tank with a growth bed. (Nothing better than a good crawfish boil and I love Louisiana food and I would love to have a crawfish boil for my Thai neighbors)

My current questions are: 1. My current plans are for 8176 gallons of pond area equally divided between each side. I expect to have 50 Koi on one side and 150 Tilapia on the other. My currently plannned growth bed area is 328 Sq. Ft. As planned is this sufficient growth bed quantity for the fish. All of my research calls for maximun stocking density which will not be maintained in my pond. 2. I am currently divided between the ebb and flow system and the constant flow system using wicking plastic containers for the plants. Any suggestions on this woud be appreciated. I see pluses and minuses with each system. Any suggestions welcomed. 3. Are there any members with information on how to obtain Red Claw Crayfish in Thailand? I have searched intensively and found 1 contact but he has a verbal agreement with his client and cannot sell to me.

badflash
07-05-2009, 03:49 PM
Welcome to the forum!

The problem with tilapia is that they breed like crazy. If you have that much space, they will expand until they overpopulate. Start a thread in the appropriate forum for your questions and will get at them.

PM me and I may be able to put you onto a source of redclaws.

jackalope
07-06-2009, 06:58 PM
oneiron Welcome to the Forum :D

Wow, it sounds like you have a pretty nice place there ..... apparently you don't have any winter ;-0.

Seems like you could get Aussie Redclaw from Australia, it being so close and all ..... with so many tropical fish shippers and growers in Thailand, you'd think that there would be an outlet right there! If not, I'm sure badflash can fix you up with some contacts ;-0. I'm using the constant flow system and it works well, the only timer I have is for the lighting ........ my system is very small compared to what you are planning, so I'd be the last one to offer advice on the system that might be best for your particular situation ;-0 I do believe that you could have a much larger grow-bed system than what you're planning, but as badflash asking the questions in the appropriate forums would be the best ;-0

Anyways, Welcome to the Forum ;-0

oneiron
07-09-2009, 05:15 AM
Thank you Jackalope for your welcome. You are correct there is no winter here. Chaing Mai is on the 20th parallel. The sun goes to +- 23 degrees. It is currently almost directly over us. There are three seasons here: Cool, Hot and Rainy. The cool season is from November to Feburary with highs in the low to mid 80's and lows in the mid 50's fairenheit. The hot season is from March to Mid May with highs in the high upper 90's to mid 100's and lows in the low 70's. The rainy season and what I consider the best season is from Mid May to October with highs in upper 80's to low 90's and lows in the mid 70's. The rain usually comes in the late evening and during the night. The days usually have overcast skies and it is quite pleasant. Also during this season everything grows, weeds, grass, plants, vegetables and a lot of rice. As you are from Montana, you will probably find it funny that in the cool season the Thai's wear what could be called ski suits. I also thought this was funny when I arrived during the cool season but now after being adjusted, I now wear a coat during the cool season. I am usually not into forum boards, in fact I think this is the first one that I have ever posted on. I like to do research on my own before asking questions. I find this board to be very informative and I will read it thouroghly before asking any more questions. As for finding the Red Claw Crayfish (they are called crawfish where I come from in Florida) I know they are here in Thailand. I have seen them at a local market for 60 Baht (US $1.80) but they only had males. I have found a person who raises them but he has an exclusive contract and cannot sell to me. I have checked Australia web sites that ship but none have information on shipping to Thailand. There are import laws that I would have to check before purchasing from overseas and as I am not yet fluent in the Thai language, I am finding that very difficult.