Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I am contemplating growing crayfish in higher densitys. I dont know if there is a thread on this so am starting this one. I posted some of this info on another thread but felt it needed its own. The problem with Crays is if you just have the flat bottom for them they are all be stuck closer togather and will fight. If you throw in a bunch of tubes and junk they will be happier but will still get at eachother and you will get a buildup of waste in the junk. Crayfish like hiding places and will fight alot more to defend them. One idea I had was to take a circular tank and devide it with screens like spokes extending out to near the center. The lower part of the screens (2"-4") would be about 1/8" holes and the rest would be about 1/4"-3/8". You could put a few or just one Cray in each cage and feed sinking food that is smaller than the upper screen hole size. The food would sink to the bottom and catch on the small screen where the crays could eat it. The crays would stir up the food and cause it to spread around to the other cages in a somewhat even manner. You would need to induce a circular flow around the tank and the food would spread through the larger screen. The crays would also keep the screens clean. You could do about the same with floating food with the small screen at the surface but I think it would work better on the bottom. You could put a few in each cage if you put in a hide for each probably a piece to 2" PVC would work for my local variety. It would probably work best in a shallow circular tank. I was going to try this for raising Crays. I can draw pics of this design if you want. If anyone tries one these I would like to know how it works. Any thoughts?

If you're looking into high density, check these guys out. www.blueyabby.com Can't get much more high density than that..

Even found a system for sale on the net http://brisbane.gumtree.com.au/c-Busine ... 156656173#

Their figures don't seem to add up though, system produces 5kg a week and you can make $35,000 a year from it? That works out at $135 a kg for the yabbies.. Good luck finding a buyer at that price.

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Yeah - that'd be great ! Could do what I really want to do and get the hell out of mining at that price !!!!

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Interesting system I dont really see how the feeding would work very well but it must.

I think the idea of the feeding is that it's suspended in the water, and perhaps the water is just agitated and not filtered for a while after feeding... Dunno, remembered reading somewhere that they had feed suspended in the water...

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EB, you wouldn't happen to know how they feed the yabbys in the bottles???

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http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=6945

sorry already asked...

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There is room for all God's creatures,
Right next to the mashed potatos
The purpose of government is to provide service,
The purpose of the media is to provide vasoline.
http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=6945

Hi, I have been reasonably sucsesfull with yabbies in my system, I use a strip of shade clothe that is folded and suspended with a flote and lots of them close together for the yabbies to hide in, at feeding time i sprickle floting pellets over the top of them all and the yabbies simply come up in turn to get there share, this seams to work well in the warmer months and in the winter when yabbies are mostly dormant i put them in little indervidual cages on the bottom of the tanks and eat whate ever i dont have room for, i can post some pictures if you would like.

Please do, sounds like you are doing something like what is being done for Freshwater prawn with the netting. Also interested in your cages. What would work for them should work with any agressive crustation even crabs. Thanks Bill.

_________________
There is room for all God's creatures,
Right next to the mashed potatos
The purpose of government is to provide service,
The purpose of the media is to provide vasoline.
http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=6945

Hi EB
If the yabbie breeding system is so good why are they selling?
20 grand seems pretty expensive.
Remember I started a challenge for ideas on intensifing yabbies would love to see more ideas come in!
Grunta can you posted some pics of your shade cloth idea?

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"The Desertrat"

"The best fertiliser in the garden is footprints"

View my system : viewtopic.php?f=18&t=6424&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

My guess is they payed a lot for it and it didnt work and now they are trying to get there money back

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I'm not real sure I understand the apeal of crawfish. In the states, they are pretty small, tastless and hard to make a meal of. OK - crawfish ettoufe is good, but all the work is done for you. I can understand some of the big yabbies and Marron you get in AU, but these little things we have are just hard to get full on.

I actually had the blue water special tonight: 1/2lb snow crab, 12 shrimp and 24 crawfish. Plus corn and potatoes. It was good, but most the crawfish came home in a doggie bag as they are so much more trouble then shrimp or crab and taste nowhere as good.

Someone please tell me what I am missing????

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Test system (deprecated): viewtopic.php?f=18&t=6894

My thoughts also FF
If you were serious about setting up commercial yabbie system I'm sure you could buy in components and design a system far cheaper

_________________
"The Desertrat"

"The best fertiliser in the garden is footprints"

View my system : viewtopic.php?f=18&t=6424&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

Hi DV
Yabbies are very good eating a clean subtle taste that lends itself to light marinating
So that you can experience a yabbie meal first hand I would like to invite you and family over for a meal, my AP yabbies will be ready in about 2 to 3 months time. Look forward to having you over!

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"The Desertrat"

"The best fertiliser in the garden is footprints"

View my system : viewtopic.php?f=18&t=6424&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

would love to, but a tad bit far to go for dinner... ...the reading I have done on Marron has me very envious. There is a place in AU - true blue marron, that would be willing to ship, but they said the price for a breeding pair would be the same cost as a crate of live ones. Seems I will probably never get to try them.

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Test system (deprecated): viewtopic.php?f=18&t=6894