Backyard Aquaponics
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Gday folks

Ive been looking for Info on Maron but not had much luck, there are hundreds of threads mentioned using the search function and i have read most of them but for the main part they contain passing mention rather than helpfull info so i thought a dedicated thread would be a good idea so....

here is some links to people system threads containing Marron
http://backyardaquaponics.com/forum/vie ... n&start=60
http://backyardaquaponics.com/forum/vie ... &start=285
http://backyardaquaponics.com/forum/vie ... n&start=30
http://backyardaquaponics.com/forum/vie ... on#p295280
http://backyardaquaponics.com/forum/vie ... on#p299667
http://backyardaquaponics.com/forum/vie ... lit=Marron
http://backyardaquaponics.com/forum/vie ... lit=Marron
http://backyardaquaponics.com/forum/vie ... on#p274152

and some more info found here
http://www.truebluemarron.com.au/education.htm

here is what i could find at fisherys
http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/sec/aqua/species/Marron.php

lots of good info here if you want to go commercial in dams and ponds but not much for tanks / ap

and recently via email Troutman told me this


so now im wondering if anyone as anymore Info about Keeping Marron in AP prefferaby first hand experience but any info that can be easily found would be great

i would be particulary interested in why they might need to be out of the water should they want to, would this be a sign that the water is not to their liking or just that they want to look around

Cheers
Pete

You will notice Ive had plenty to say on most of the links you attached Delgrade and that is for a reason. As most of the members know by now - Im crustacean mad!

There isnt much I dont know in regards to freshwater crustaceans. Ive been breeding, growing and trapping yabbies for as long as I can remember and have an extensive knowledge in everything about them. Marron are very similar in many ways (both from the cherax family) but there is a few things that you need to know.



Your right, if water quality is bad - they will leave in hunt for a new habitat. Although, the problem is when keeping marron in a hard bottom tank, whether it be cement or poly - can irritate the tail and eventually develop into sores so a sandy or soft bottom is required.

Temps need to be kept under 25deg.

Dont overfeed.

As with yabbies, PVC cut offs are needed for hides and I wouldnt suggest exceeding 6 per 2m square.

Anything else?

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Thankyou very much Charlie , just the sort of thing i was looking for

i was thinkin of stacking a few milk crates in my sump in staircase fashion so that they could escape the water ( without escaping the tank ) any thoughts on this ive seen that they try to climb out using pipes and cables which i can work around

and i guess i could add some sand to the bottom of the sump but i would have to take steps to keep it out of the pump or would a fine gravel do ive got a bucket left over from an aquarium somewhere, saves having to rob the kids sand pit
and i guess 3 per IBC as thats about a meter square, would that be as juveniles ? i was hoping to get 10 ( they are super cheap at that size ) with the plan of making a better habitat as they grow

whats your take of having them in with the fish ? im guessing it would be tricky

Cheers
Pete

Cheers
pete

Hi Delgrade. I have seen Marron head to higher land when water is set to rise. As with worms maybe they can read a barometer also. If marron dont 'like' where they are living they are quite happy to pack their bags as well !!! The trick is to work out a happy medium and also block any escape Maybe a marron pontoon is in order

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http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=14517

thanks rrjl6572 thats kinda what i had in mind

well here goes nothin ive placed an order for 10 juvenile marron (im splitting half with my father inlaw)
ive already got heaps of PVC pipe ofcuts in various sizes so all set with that

just got to work on making the sump ready for them now i found some bags of 3-5 mm gravel in the shed that i pinched from work years ago and havent got around to using yet so ill get that washed off and in asap

ill have to look at protecting the pump cable too now that i think about it

Cheers
pete

Sorry Delgrade forgot to get back to this one..


no need for this mate, with adequate aeration they do not need to surface.


I think gravel could possibly be worse than just the smooth tank bottom, I havnt experimented with this so I am unsure. You could use sand if you suspended the pump. A member has used sand before in there FT bottom for some reason but I cant remember who it was.


You will need to block any possibly route out of the tank via cables and pipes, especially because they will be small, the larger they are the harder it is for them to climb out.

A friend of mine has had Marron in his FT for about 3 years now and he has lost a few fish to them and also lost a couple of marron to the fish (which would have happened during the moulting process), its something that is extremely hard to avoid and I am working on this very issue constantly with my yabbies.

The guys at BYAP have had marron for some time too from my understanding so they may be able to help.

I have 2 big fella's in my FT now probably weighing in around 6-800g and the SP actually swim next to them/under them and lay next to them without an issue - its weird. Mind you I havnt done a tally lately

You could start with your 10 on just the plastic floor and keep an eye on them as they develop over the months and see how they go, check the underside for sores (especially around the sex glandes) There is a better chance of them adapting from an early age unlike mine which were already heavily advanced.

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Nice one Charlie

hope i get mine that big, also wanted to ask you about feeding them, i seem to recall catching yabbies etc with all sorts of stuff , dog pellets in stockings was a favorite or just meat, will they just eat the debris thats already around in my sump ? or should i get them some thing in particular ??

i read on the fisherys site that there is a crustation specific pellet availble but dont really want to fork out too much moolah

i am working on plans to encase my pump in a milk crate cage then wrap it with some shade cloth then slide the power cable and discharge hose through some 90mm storm water pipe to protect the cables from claws and still allow the float swich to work

Thanks again for your advice

Cheers
pete

I had to remake a cage for the pump in my aquarium system today to keep the shrimp from getting sucked in. I found that shade cloth actually holds the sand back quite well. I didnt need a very big one so i used a plastic clothes peg holder as the frame.

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I wouldnt fuss on the cray pellets which I think is what your refering to. They will feed on fish pellets, worms, lupins, grains, prawns, snails etc. They actually get a great deal of tucker from micro-organisms living on your FT walls and floor. Feed daily but keep an eye on left overs and you will soon pick up on a systematic feed rate, always remember marron need excellant water quality and poor conditions will see them deteriorate quickly. With the right feed and conditions you could see a good 100-200gram weight gain per year.

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Well here we go, 10 marron delvered friday , troutman said he reccons on about a 75% failure rate from the others he has sold

5 in the bottom of my IBC sump with a mesh lid to keep em in all seem happy so far. i had put 5 in a smaller tup suspended above the tank sunday night so i wouldnt have to do too much swiming in the IBC before work and even though i covered the tub with shade cloth one went missing

so i took 4 to my father inlaws this morning (monday) to put in his pond and by 1 pm my mother inlaw rang saying that there was a marron on the lawn heading for the boat which is about 10 m away she scooped it up and put it back, when we got back at 3 we couldnt find any they might be hiding in the plants ect but who knows

when people said they walk i thought it would be 1 or two weeks at least before they had a go not a few hours

Still at $2 each no great loss i suppose ......

cheers
pete

Yep - you cant give them ANY means of escape....because they will do just that.

Lesson learnt eh Delgrade

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yeah i think so charlie
i did warn him the neighbours warned him i even told him a few days before so he could get ready but no he forgot

still got mine though

a question (mostly for charlie but anyone can chip in )

i think one of my trout has some kind of fungal infection on his dorsal fin, i was thinking of chucking in some salt to see if i can help the poor fella out but im worried about the marron

will they tolerate the sudden shift in salinity ? i have been reading that they can handle up to 15 ppt ( wasnt goin to add that much ) but im worried about the rapid change which is noramly what kills the nastys in the fish

any thoughts

Cheers
Pete

Hi Delgrade, was only thinking of your marron on the weekend

glad to see still have them in check

and yes your right....marron can withstand salinity to around 17ppt... although not desirable.

You will be fine to salt your FT and I would suggest 2ppt to shock your fungal issue and its good practice to leave it somewhere around 1-2ppt anyway as it will assist in the slimey protective coating on the trout and mitigate any nitrite toxicity if it shall spike.

Marrron growth rate will decrease somewhere after 4-5ppt so I wouldnt go too close to level for long periods of time.

Keep in mind that after you salt it takes many months for it to disapate...even longer in winter as evaporation and transporation is minimal. If your fungal issue does not seem to be on the mend it would be better to hospital tank the effected fish to around 5-6ppt for half hour or so everyday for a couple of weeks.

Fungal issues are fairly common when introducing new fish as stress brings it on, usually better to salt before introduction and then those first couple of months....but you already know all that stuff.

Hope that helps champ

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~2012/2013~
~2014~
~Backyard farming~

I think we've ended up with a 100% failure rate in the long term with marron. Yabbies have been good, but the marron tend to be a little fussier I guess.

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