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View Full Version : Crawfish, Crawfish everywhere !!!!!



15mules
07-16-2013, 05:07 PM
Ok, everybody calm down, I am alright!! I do not have crawfish, everywhere, YET??

I do have a question though. I have not considered putting crawfish in my system, because I have read and have been told there is not way to filter the things out and keep them isolated to one tank in the system? I have heard that their offspring are so small they will bypass any filter and it is inevitable they will end up in every tanks and every part of your system. Now, because I am considering a DWR system, I do not want them in my troughs eating all of the plant roots.
So lets hear it from those of you who have "been there done that". Is this a myth, an internet fairytale, some evil untruth devised to keep those of us in AP away from the tasty little crustations?? Or is it true that they eventually will inhabit every part of your system and eat all of the plant roots, generally causing havoc???

O, I almost forgot I am originally from Louisiana and they are Crawfish, never even heard the term Crayfish, till I moved to Arkansas. Crayfish, that just sounds funny!!!

Roger L.
07-16-2013, 06:20 PM
Mudbugs 15mules! Suck dem heads and eat them tails. Oooooowheee!

15mules
07-16-2013, 06:34 PM
Makin me hungry just thinkin about it. Newspaper on the table, Crawfish dumped out and piled from end to end, some corn, some celery, some big ole mushrooms and little ole potatoes all boiled up in plenty of crab boil!!! Mouth burnin, Crawfish so hot make your eyes water, but they are so good you just can't stop eatin em. Man, I miss that about summer time in Lousiana.

That is why I would like to grow some, if they ain't gonna take over my system and eat all my plants.

Roger L.
07-16-2013, 06:46 PM
All I have heard says it takes a lot of square feet or they end up eating/killing each other over turf wars.

15mules
07-16-2013, 06:54 PM
I am just not sure why they could not be put in the troughs of a deep water raft system. I really did not think they would eat that many plant roots, especially if you did not filter all of the solids from the FT, seems like they would have plenty to eat around on without eating the plant roots, but maybe I am wrong. I have been told I was????

JCO
07-17-2013, 03:03 AM
15mules...

Again...it's odd you would mention crayfish....I have raised Australian Red Claw for food (the one you need to consider) and Florida Electric Blues for the aquarium trade. 8-)

Why is it odd, well because I am currently writing my next DIY guide book and it just happens to be on crayfish. :shock: :o

It is pretty close to being finished and it would have been already off the press, so's to speak, but time marches on and escapes me when I need to be at the keyboard instead of herding an 18 wheeler down the road to pay bills. :cry:

You are at least a few days away from your system so maybe I will have it done before it becomes a pressing matter for you, but I will tell you that you can raise them in a deep water raft system. :mrgreen:

15mules
07-17-2013, 04:27 AM
JCO,
Thanks for the info. I look forward to your new book, please let me know when it becomes available and I will gladly purchase a copy.

keith_r
07-17-2013, 05:14 AM
i've been raising marmokreb crayfish for a couple years.. mostly as a supplemental feed for my yellow perch, bluegill and tilapia..
marm's aren't as territorial as redclaws, but redclaws definitely grow big! i'd like to try them but my winters get too cold, and i don't want to spend that much heating my basement..
anyways, i keep my breeder crayfish in 55 gallon glass tanks, i filter these with sponge filters.. when i get a hatch, i feed the babies until they get to 1/2" or so then start using as feed..
i've let at least 40 larger marms go in the pool to grow out, i figure i'll have a meal of them in a year to a year and a half for me and the wife.. i love to eat em, but for me, they're more practical as a supplemental feed for my fish

Roger L.
07-17-2013, 07:45 AM
I like to eat a mess of mudbugs boiled with corn and potatoes and seasoned hotter than New Orleans in August. Am I wrong about how much room they need? JCO write, write, write! It's obvious I need the new book. Go ahead and send me a copy when it's done, and I will gladly cover whatever the cost is. The info in your DIY book is where I look first when I have an issue. I've said it before and will say it again, this forum and its many members have been more helpful to me than anywhere else I have gone! Thanks to you all and a special thanks to JCO for keeping it going. If in need I will do what I can.

15mules
07-17-2013, 10:05 AM
I can see where in a smaller system you may not be able to grow enough for human cosumption, but I am planning for an eventual 3000 plus ft. DWR grow bed area, I think this would give me enough area to raise a substantial amount, if they do not eat my plant roots, as I have been told they will??

keith_r
07-17-2013, 12:00 PM
not if you feed them enough..

JCO
07-17-2013, 12:13 PM
I'm not writing at this moment but I am at least thinking about it...it's off to work in a minute though. :mrgreen:

15mules
07-17-2013, 01:46 PM
I may try them in one of the smaller test systems I am planning. More available feed sources may very well be the key to keeping them from eating the plant roots. I would imagine if the migrated throughout the whole system it would not really hurt anything, as long as they did not eat the plant roots. The ones that made it to the fish tank would only become food for the fish I suppose??

keith_r
07-18-2013, 05:29 AM
yup..
crayfish are "detrivours" and usually only consume dead/rotting things.. a good sinking pellet (like catfish food) is an appropriate feed..i don't see baby crayfish being able to survive very long in a flood and drain growbed, unless you have a void (no media) in the bottom of the bed and don't flood all the way..
if you're only doing DWC troughs, you'll need some filtration, some young may get trapped in the filters but they would be fine until they outgrow the space
and yeah, the fish will eat them if they can fit them in their mouths

15mules
07-18-2013, 10:09 AM
My DWR system does not have a active filter, or seperate filter media etc., only FT pumped to grow troughs then back to fish tank. Plenty of aeration close to the bottom to keep the solids from simply settling in the FT and low density fish numbers, to only produce enough nutrients for the plants. I do not see the profit in trying to produce high numbers of fish.

dead_sled
07-18-2013, 10:21 AM
The filter is not only a place to collect the solids, it is a place for the bacteria to colonize and process the ammonia.

15mules
07-18-2013, 10:46 AM
The bacteria will colonize on the under surface of the rafts, the sides of the grow troughs, and more importantly on the plant roots themselves. This method has been well proven to work in systems that have been in commercial production for a number of years.

keith_r
07-18-2013, 11:21 AM
if you do have solids buildup on your roots, your plants will start to suffer from "root rot"..suffocating them slowly
but if your roots are nice and white, then whatever works for you!

the real "ratio" to worry about is the amount of feed to surface area where bacteria will be growing..
it hasn't been proven commercially by anyone using aquaponics where you have actual solid waste.. (i've yet to see a "successful" commercial ap system - when i say commercial ap, i mean supporting a business with just sales of veggies and/or fish, without having to offer training courses or "kits" or other sales to support the business)

on the other hand, i've seen numerous ap dwc (or dwr as you call it), fail because they did not take into account removal solid waste

it works in hydroponics when all the nutrients are in solution...and you aren't counting on the ammonia to be converted to nitrites, then to nitrates by bio-activity

15mules
07-18-2013, 01:34 PM
Kieth,
I hear you, and this is part of the fun in AP, proving and disproving our believes by actual trial and error. I look forward to getting my system up and going next month, so I can do just that. prove to myself what I believe is correct, or prove what I believe is incorrect, as long as we can admit our mistakes and move beyond them and do better, this is what matters. Like I have heard before "The only person who does not make a mistake is the person who never does anything". Make the best decision we can based on the best available information we have at the time.

Roger L.
07-20-2013, 07:39 AM
I was planning a raft system to to raise strawberries in and that brought an ideal to mind. Could I make another raft strictly for raising crayfish? I could add in some rocks build in cubby holes and add small clay pots for hideaways. This keeps the separate from the fish so no cohabitation problems. The water level would need to be a little higher and I believe I would work an expansion place to continue the raft. I was thinking about making this out of 6" or 8" round tubing with the top open for access. What does everyone think?

15mules
07-20-2013, 08:40 AM
Roger, I could be totally wrong on this as I do not have any crawfish, but this is what I have been told. The crawfish will eventually migrate to all parts of your system eventually, because the eggs, babies, whatever you want to call them are so small they easily go through your screens and get to the other areas. Make your screens to small and now you cannot keep the flow going for them stopping up all the time. I do not think crawfish would be a huge money maker in a commercial system although there does seem the possibility for some benefit to having them, so if they brought in any revenue, well that would just be extra. If I was planning a home system or hobby system, i would definitely experiment with them. I do not think it would be economically profitable to try and build a DWR trough just for crawfish. To be hones I think they would do better with the plants in there. But that is just my opinion.

keith_r
07-20-2013, 08:57 AM
be careful how you plan your hides, you could end up with solids buildup..
i don't think they'll end up all through the sytem like scuds do..
economically you could make more in the aquaria trade with some of the australian crayfish which grow quite a bit larger than crays in the US....if you've done any looking at yabbies, maron or whatever the heck else they call them down under, you'll recognize the names of these (check out what they sell for!);
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/aqua ... cfm?c=1075 (http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/aquarium-fish-supplies.cfm?c=1075)
it's all in how you look at it.. for a backyarder to "make money" on ap - even when scaled up to "hobby" farms, you just have to find your niche market
set some goals and go for it

15mules
07-20-2013, 11:42 AM
I think you have a good point Kieth. To many rock formations in the troughs could create a problem when it comes to interrupting the flow and creating areas for STUFF to build up. I also think you are right in a small scale set up specialty markets and the pet, hobby market would be the way to go.

Roger L.
07-20-2013, 03:34 PM
My goal is not as a business venture. My goal would be a mudbugs boil once a month for me and my lady.

15mules
07-20-2013, 04:02 PM
Roger,

But we are invited to the crawfish boil too, right?? :( I mean, we have been friends for almost a week now, we are friends, right? :cry: :D

urbanfarmer
07-20-2013, 04:16 PM
My goal is not as a business venture. My goal would be a mudbugs boil once a month for me and my lady.
That's where I'm at too these days!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Roger L.
07-20-2013, 06:43 PM
I'll post an announcement the morning of the boil and please RSVP by noon so I know how many mudbugs to harvest. Any and all are welcome. The travel arrangements are on you guys. There is no parking of mules in my neighborhood. ;)

JCO
07-20-2013, 11:47 PM
How 'bout pick ups at the bus station? :mrgreen:

Roger L.
07-21-2013, 07:50 AM
I'll go you one better than that JCO, you can perk yours right behind mine.

15mules
07-21-2013, 11:08 AM
No Mules allowed??? I can't imagine liv'in in such a place?? Must be a small town where everything is close enough to walk to, otherwise, What would a person do for transportation??

JCO
07-21-2013, 01:07 PM
Roger??????
you can perk yours right behind mine

Roger L.
07-21-2013, 01:11 PM
It is a perk! Damn spell corrector. Park :oops: :x

Roger L.
07-21-2013, 01:15 PM
15mules I bet you could rent a stall over at the riding stable in the park but then it is a 2 mile walk. Better be your fastest mule to get here from your neck of the woods by dinner time.

15mules
07-21-2013, 07:26 PM
Ok, Roger, in that case, you better give me a few weeks notice. I have a pretty fast mule!! But I don't walk to fast and two miles is a long way. :D

keith_r
07-30-2013, 10:46 AM
they're really more detrivores than anything... if you keep them fed with a decent food, supplement w/ iodide (for shell molting/shell formation) they'll leave the plants alone..
i've been thinking about some kind of "flow through" structure for them.. something liked stacked pallets with a bunch of pvc cutoffs between the layers
if i clear up some floor space in my basment, i'm going to try redclaws.. i'll use a water bed heating pad(s) to keep the temps of their water up, with the pool on couple of inches of isulation.. bubbble wrap the pool, and some floating plant rafts for the surface

larrymaden
10-11-2013, 09:36 AM
The Queensland Blue Lobster, or Redclaw (as Aussie farmers call it), Cherax quadricarinatus, is definitely the crayfish species to raise in any type of small or large commercial aquaponics systems, with proper system design, they will cause you none of the problems common to Procambarus clarkii and other 'rowdy' herbivorous crustaceans. You can find the best expert advice and select stocking juveniles in the world by going to EdenSustainableTechnologies dot com or contacting me, directly, for any help you might need with any Cherax species problems and solutions. We only work with serious commercial producers, so for small quantities of Redclaw juveniles, go to Christine Smithers, at Stick Fins Farm (farmingcrawfish dot com). Farming Redclaw for fun, food or profit is all about proper system design for successful culture resulting in the size and type of the many Redclaw products that you may seek to produce. This animal is extremely adaptable, cheap to feed, exceptionally docile and hardy for a crustacean, and very benign toward all other life forms, but adapting our systems to what makes it most comfortable also makes it its most productive. Never work against Mother Nature, when, she is always so willing and able to go right to work FOR you!

larrymaden
10-13-2013, 04:34 PM
Oh. I forgot, but I meant to reply to the comment by keith_r.
You are correct that they are detrivores, which means they eat tiny little morsels of deteriorating plant and animal proteins, teeming with bacteria and zooplankton, laying on or bouncing along the bottom. They are benthic feeders and benthic dwellers. Do not use PVC drops for Redclaw habitat or stack any habitat up for them to dwell in, as they do not make anywhere near efficient use of them, waste their energy pushing them around and they are not naturally high-rise apartment dwellers. Properly designed Cherax habitat is available on the net, and truly is more than worth the extra expense. Over the decades of its useful life it will pay back thousands of times its cost in increased survival rates and production.
Next "iodide" is a negative ionic oxide of iodine of the first order, as such they are fairly unstable and easily enter into other chemical reactions. Due to this Iodide compounds are normally used to add into feeds and foodstuffs for terrestrial animals to guard against iodine deficiency, which is destructive of the ability of the thyroid to control metabolism, often resulting in mental retardation.
Normally, sufficient iodine is naturally present in most seafoods in generally greater percentages than in terrestrial animals, because these oxides are water soluble, washing out of our soils and into our waters. It is highly unlikely that you will ever see a Redclaw deficient in iodine, tho' it is possible.
What you will see is Redclaw, or any other crustacean, which are deficient in Calcium, which is what they use to quickly harden their carapace, or exoskeleton, immediately after moulting.
I am always happy to help anyone who wants to do successful aquaculture, if you contact me.

Rick
03-14-2014, 05:08 AM
Crawfish is very good as food only need to take care while eating it first try to eat from tail end and ten come to head part also head section is very tine so easily one can eat and juices are delicious so you can try also suck total body of crawfish so that total meat come out of that there is one company who is supplying good Louisiana Crawfish Company (http://www.lacrawfish.com) so check it out there too!!

jessa banugan
05-03-2017, 09:52 PM
crawfish is very good food. like us here in the philippines.....