Mariculture

9. In the simplest classroom-sized aquaponic system, the fish live in a standard fish tank. A pump that sits in the tank with the fish pumps the water (and fish wastes) up to a series of troughs sitting nested into the top of the tank. As the water sprays out of the pipes leading from the pump, it picks up oxygen, and flows down the troughs. Plastic pots sitting in the troughs contain blocks of rockwool, a sterile growing media similar in appearance to fiberglass. The water and dissolved fish wastes feed up into the rockwool by capillary action, where bacteria are cultivated. The bacteria do their thing on the ammonia and feed plants like lettuce or basil that are also growing on the rockwool cube. The cleansed water then flows down the trough, and pours into the fish area in the tank, completing the cycle. In the simplest classroom-sized aquaponic system, the fish live in a standard fish tank. A pump that sits in the tank with the fish pumps the water (and fish wastes) up to a series of troughs sitting nested into the top of the tank. As the water sprays out of the pipes leading from the pump, it picks up oxygen, and flows down the troughs. Plastic pots sitting in the troughs contain blocks of rockwool, a sterile growing media similar in appearance to fiberglass. The water and dissolved fish wastes feed up into the rockwool by capillary action, where bacteria are cultivated. The bacteria do their thing on the ammonia and feed plants like lettuce or basil that are also growing on the rockwool cube. The cleansed water then flows down the trough, and pours into the fish area in the tank, completing the cycle.

10. Aquaponic systems are semi-experimental. The whole field of aquaponics is brand new; there are probably less than 500 systems in existence in the world. An aquaponic system is NEARLY a total recycling system. Your plants can be fed directly to the fish, the fish wastes feed the bacteria, and the bacteria wastes feed the plants. Great! But FISH GROW! As the fish grow they consume energy (matter) that is removed from the recycling system. The energy, in the form of various nutrient elements, needs to be restored in the system for continued good growth. You need to FEED THE FISH! An aquaponic system isn't overly choosy on the variety of fish inhabiting its tank. What it is choosy about is the nutrient loading and temperature of the water. The core of the system is the bacteria. Bacteria perform best when they are warm; nitrating bacteria like it best around 75-80 F. Bacteria adapt to nearly any nutrient loading, but since the bacteria take literally days to adapt to changes in their environment, constant changes in volumes of feed will wreck havoc on your bacteria population. If the fish are little or few in your system, there aren't enough nutrients (wastes) flowing through the system to sustain good plant growth. But the system has to be designed for waste removal at the largest size that the fish will reach. Too little fish = too little "wastes." What to do? FEED THE PLANTS! To fertilize the plants you can introduce nutrients in two ways: in the water or on the leaves. Putting nutrients in the water with the fish is the most efficient. The problem is that nutrients are not an "approved" additive for food grade fish in a hydroponic system. You can legally add nutrients to a catfish or bass pond, but not in a recirculating system. The other way of getting nutrients into a plant is by foliar feeding the plant, spraying water and nutrients onto the leaves of the plant. Fans may be needed to prevent growth of mold or other diseases on the plants. Plants need more than water and nutrients (which the aquaponic system supplies in abundance). They need light! Up to their light saturation point, any time you increase the amount of light a plant gets, you increase the growth rate. Ten percent more light gives eight percent more growth. The more plant growth, the better the nitrate removal of the system. But remember, those extra lights produce heat. Too much light and heat in a small area can be deadly. Aquaponic systems are semi-experimental. The whole field of aquaponics is brand new; there are probably less than 500 systems in existence in the world. An aquaponic system is NEARLY a total recycling system. Your plants can be fed directly to the fish, the fish wastes feed the bacteria, and the bacteria wastes feed the plants. Great! But FISH GROW! As the fish grow they consume energy (matter) that is removed from the recycling system. The energy, in the form of various nutrient elements, needs to be restored in the system for continued good growth. You need to FEED THE FISH! An aquaponic system isn't overly choosy on the variety of fish inhabiting its tank. What it is choosy about is the nutrient loading and temperature of the water. The core of the system is the bacteria. Bacteria perform best when they are warm; nitrating bacteria like it best around 75-80 F. Bacteria adapt to nearly any nutrient loading, but since the bacteria take literally days to adapt to changes in their environment, constant changes in volumes of feed will wreck havoc on your bacteria population. If the fish are little or few in your system, there aren't enough nutrients (wastes) flowing through the system to sustain good plant growth. But the system has to be designed for waste removal at the largest size that the fish will reach. Too little fish = too little "wastes." What to do? FEED THE PLANTS! To fertilize the plants you can introduce nutrients in two ways: in the water or on the leaves. Putting nutrients in the water with the fish is the most efficient. The problem is that nutrients are not an "approved" additive for food grade fish in a hydroponic system. You can legally add nutrients to a catfish or bass pond, but not in a recirculating system. The other way of getting nutrients into a plant is by foliar feeding the plant, spraying water and nutrients onto the leaves of the plant. Fans may be needed to prevent growth of mold or other diseases on the plants. Plants need more than water and nutrients (which the aquaponic system supplies in abundance). They need light! Up to their light saturation point, any time you increase the amount of light a plant gets, you increase the growth rate. Ten percent more light gives eight percent more growth. The more plant growth, the better the nitrate removal of the system. But remember, those extra lights produce heat. Too much light and heat in a small area can be deadly.

15. Introduction Hawaiian fishponds represent more than a way of farming. They portray the strength and the unity that the Hawaiian people had. The remnants of fishponds remind us of the past and paints a picture of humanity harmonized with nature. To attempt to revive the remnant fishponds could be impossible because of the laws imposed by the government, the cost of repairing the pond and the labor involved. At present time, there is 370 fishponds that can be seen by the remnants of rockwalls and makaha openings.(DHM Planners, 1989) Most of the remnants are overgrown with weeds, swamp-infested or sadly eroded. There are five different types of Hawaiian fishponds: Loko kuapa, loko �umeiki, loko pu�uone, loko i�a kalo and loko wai. Loko kuapa and loko umeiki are seawater ponds, loko pu�uone is a brackish water pond, loko i�a kalo and loko wai are freshwater ponds. Each pond has different characteristics and locations. Some ponds, usually a loko kuapa, were made kapu, or prohibited, by the konohiki, the chief of a certain land division, or an alii, the chief of the island, because of the tasty and choice fish such as the ulua (crevally), kumu (goatfish), kahala (amberjack), manini and palani (surgeon), oio (bonefish), and uhu (parrotfish) raised in the ponds. These fish were kept in a separate pond to breed and raised so they could easily be harvested by hand. Other fish were also raised in the pond. The most common fish raised in a fishpond was �ama�ama (mullet) and awa (milkfish). An idealistic ahupua�a had each type of pond from the forestream to the ocean. (see figure 1) There were also other things that the people could not do in reguards to fishponds . It was kapu for women to walk on the pond wall during their menstruation, �lest the kuapa [wall] be defiled.� (Kamakau, 1869b.) The aliis also prohibited the disposal of human, animal, and kitchen refuse into the fishponds. Introduction Hawaiian fishponds represent more than a way of farming. They portray the strength and the unity that the Hawaiian people had. The remnants of fishponds remind us of the past and paints a picture of humanity harmonized with nature. To attempt to revive the remnant fishponds could be impossible because of the laws imposed by the government, the cost of repairing the pond and the labor involved. At present time, there is 370 fishponds that can be seen by the remnants of rockwalls and makaha openings.(DHM Planners, 1989) Most of the remnants are overgrown with weeds, swamp-infested or sadly eroded. There are five different types of Hawaiian fishponds: Loko kuapa, loko �umeiki, loko pu�uone, loko i�a kalo and loko wai. Loko kuapa and loko umeiki are seawater ponds, loko pu�uone is a brackish water pond, loko i�a kalo and loko wai are freshwater ponds. Each pond has different characteristics and locations. Some ponds, usually a loko kuapa, were made kapu, or prohibited, by the konohiki, the chief of a certain land division, or an alii, the chief of the island, because of the tasty and choice fish such as the ulua (crevally), kumu (goatfish), kahala (amberjack), manini and palani (surgeon), oio (bonefish), and uhu (parrotfish) raised in the ponds. These fish were kept in a separate pond to breed and raised so they could easily be harvested by hand. Other fish were also raised in the pond. The most common fish raised in a fishpond was �ama�ama (mullet) and awa (milkfish). An idealistic ahupua�a had each type of pond from the forestream to the ocean. (see figure 1) There were also other things that the people could not do in reguards to fishponds . It was kapu for women to walk on the pond wall during their menstruation, �lest the kuapa [wall] be defiled.� (Kamakau, 1869b.) The aliis also prohibited the disposal of human, animal, and kitchen refuse into the fishponds.

16. TheAhupua�a

17. Fishing Shrinesko�a

18. Hawaiian Fish Pondsloko i�a