A Community and Forum For Aquaponic Gardeners

Special care or requirements for Crayfish?

What are the special things to do to make a system good for crayfish?

I know they like some hides to use while their shells are hardening after a molt but what else?

How do you keep them from escaping the tank and turning into dried out creatures when they go for a walk?

Do they need a substrate on the bottom of the tank or are they fine on a glass or plastic surface?

Will they burrow through liner if you get one of the burrowing kind (mud bugs)?

What do you feed them?

How much space per creature since they tend to be territorial?

And what kind of water temps for the different kinds you grow? Like what conditions do the Red Claw like?

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jon Parr on August 30, 2011 at 12:03pm

Yes, sometimes, TC. I lost one the first night I got them, and another about a month later. Of the babies, a few ended up in the tilapia fry tank next door. Keep airlines, pipes, and cords away from the sidewall, and rim the tank tops to make it rough to climb out. I've seen 18" wading pools sided with 24" aluminum siding to make a non-climb wall. Oddly, I seem to lose tilapia at about the same ratio, 1-2 when I stock a new tank. Redclaws seem to explore for a bit, and if they can find no exit they calm down and quit looking. Pipe condos help in keeping them content

Permalink Reply by TCLynx on August 30, 2011 at 3:03pm

I would hate to stock an exotic species in an outdoor system in Florida and be responsible for escapes into nature. That is the biggest reason I ask and probably the reason that redclaw probably require an aquaculture permit and inspections here in FL.

Permalink Reply by Miguel Afonso on August 30, 2011 at 4:03pm

Interesting Crayfish Grow ing density study

Permalink Reply by chuck on September 22, 2011 at 9:58am

soooooo... i have got a 6000 gallon tank thinking of puting rafts on top and redclaw under. i know about the problems involved with just finding the buggers under rafts but nothing ventured.... i my have to visit stickfin.

Permalink Reply by Chi Ma on September 22, 2011 at 10:49am

I think in Fl you will need a permit to raise Red Claw.

clay hartwig said:

soooooo... i have got a 6000 gallon tank thinking of puting rafts on top and redclaw under. i know about the problems involved with just finding the buggers under rafts but nothing ventured.... i my have to visit stickfin.

Permalink Reply by TCLynx on September 23, 2011 at 8:10am

Yea, I believe you need a aquapculture permit for them in Florida and inspections of your site to raise most non-native species if they are allowed at all. They want to make sure they won't escape or people can't easily come in and release them into the wild.

Permalink Reply by Allen Pattillo on October 21, 2011 at 10:10am

Redclaw are some interesting critters. Fish have the ability to use all the 3D space in a water body, but crayfish cannot and do not efficiently use the space provided. You can use mesh substrates and other materials (nothing that will break down and cause BOD problems) to increase the available 3D space for the crayfish. Juvenile redclaw are very cannibalistic, so providing A LOT of substrate and hiding places for them is key (something that mimics the natural vegetation of their natal grounds). Typically, I would use 6-8" sections of 2" PVC pipe for shelters, but I have seen corrugated pipe used and even stacked together and bound in a honeycomb pattern to provide more space. Rolled plastic mesh cylinders or blocks work well too. Then you simply designate a feeding area and shelter area. Redclaw are nice in that they do not burrow much at all, so they do fine in tank culture. You shouldn't have to worry about them trying to burrow through liners. Having areas for the crayfish to exit the water can be beneficial, however, if the water quality becomes poor. Redclaw, as with all crayfish, are escape artists, so I keep air lines (yes they will climb them like Chuck Norris) and other climbable surfaces in areas that won't allow them to crawl out. Lids on tanks is a great idea!

Water exchanges should occur at least once per hour (entire volume of each tank is replaced hourly). Redclaw crayfish are extremely tolerant of poor water quality. I have measured TAN of 3ppm, with no mass dieoffs. However, crayfish are very sensitive to copper compounds, so mind your plumbing and don't use copper sulfate. Calcium is a very necessary component for redeclaw. Be sure to maintain calcium hardness of at least 40 ppm. You can use ag lime (calcium carbonate) in combination with other calcium salts like CaCl (calcium chloride). Sea salt contains micro nutrients necessary for crayfish; salinity should be less than 1 ppt. Water temp for redclaw is optimal at 82 F (28 C) and the photoperiod promotes breeding at 14L : 10D, otherwise you can use 12 L :12 D.

Adult redclaw are considered gregarious, and they are not very aggressive/territorial (for crayfish). However, general stocking recommendations it to start with 200 grams of crayfish per square meter in tanks, then allow them to grow to 400 g/m2 and divide the stock into 2 separate tanks at 200 g/m2. The molting stage of the crayfish is the most vulnerable to handling stress and cannibalism, so be sure provide shelters for cover. Crayfish tend to molt outside of the shelters, but then return to their hiding spots to harden. This process occurs over about a week, with 2 days of real danger. Crayfish generally just like to have a place to call home, I leave shelters in the water all the time. I have not ever provided a bottom substrate for the crayfish to walk in and have held them in glass, plastic, fiberglass, and HDPE tanks.

You can feed redclaw almost anything. They naturally eat vegetative matter, but take readily to feed. I used 35% protein sinking pelleted feed (shrimp diet), and 40% protein 'crawfish' diet; both produced by Rangen, Inc. (about $50/50 lbs). You should feed about 3% of the tank biomass daily and break up the feedings if possible. Crayfish are nibblers, so they eat a little at a time. Protein sources from vegetables (i.e.- soybean meal) works just fine - no animal protein required.

Good Luck!

Permalink Reply by Chi Ma on October 21, 2011 at 11:06am

Sweet post Allen. I'm just goofing around right now with them. I have hundreds of 1-2.5" ones right now in a 40 breeder tank. It is filled with java moss so they have a lot of 3d cover and something to nibble on. Right now it's survival of the fittest, i'm building brood stock for next year:)

Permalink Reply by Allen Pattillo on October 21, 2011 at 1:59pm

Cool man. I used onion or potato bag mesh to increase the hiding areas for the juveniles. It made it really thick in the tank. It was great for hiding places, but just make sure there is no water flow issues that can cause pockets of poor water quality.

Permalink Reply by Constance Bone on January 22, 2012 at 11:30pm

oooh yes! I plan on growing red claws for the boilpot! check out stickfins on google.

Cooking Cajun said:

Does anyone growing crayfish AP have plans on harvesting for eating versus bait? Nothing wrong with bait, don't get me wrong. I live in a fishing household :-)

But I'm Cajun and the thought of maybe raising my own crawfish to eat sounds tasty and I reckon too good to be true.

Thanks

C.C. (NW Florida Zone 8b)