Episode: 13
Title: How to get the Best Results from your Seafood
Broadcast: Nov 11th
Presenter: Calinda Anderson

Marron are endemic to the south west of Australia and are definitely a luxury food. Many people today are growing them at home, whether they have an aquaponics system or just a pond. You too could be growing and enjoying this delicacy.

• Marron are carnivorous and generally nocturnal. Firstly, a hard shelled pond is ideal- liners are okay but they could get damaged.
• Marron love a cool, shady spot. They thrive in temperatures of 16-18 degrees. They will tolerate lows of 5 but when the temperature exceeds 22 degrees, they will start to stress. If you can only offer a full sun position in summer you will struggle.
• Most importantly you need to filter and oxygenate the water. This will be dependent on the size of pond you have and the amount of marron you wish to grow. Seek expert advice.
• When marron are in a small confined space like a pond, creating a comfortable habitat makes sense. You can use water plants and driftwood for a more natural approach or you can use PVC pipe, which create little caves.
• Invest in a marron hide. The hide gives marron a chance to get off the base. They can move up and down the water columns and live and rest in the layers. It’s like multi-story living within the pond.
• As marron grow they shed their shells and it’s at this time they’re their most vulnerable. It takes 24-48 hours for their shell to harden so your marron need plenty of places to hide.
• To get marron to grow to their full potential (around 30 cms) quality food specifically for crustaceans is important. The right food will promote growth and good shell development.
• Ideally you’ll separate the males from the females as once they start breeding- they just stop growing.
• Tips- cover your power cords, marron have been known to cut through them; and net the pond to prevent escaping.

The Garden Gurus
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