Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

We have around 30 yabbies in an 800L setup with two smallish growbeds (14 tomato plants) will yabbie poo be enough? They don't seem to be pooing as much now that they are all settled in... but maybe its just being pumped into the beds?

I'm hoping the yabbies will breed when the weather warms up so we'll be intensifying the stocking rate if this happens.

They have been in there for a week and a half, the water is crystal(ish) clear and there isn't much detious laying around the bottom. I fed them a 1/2 to 3/4 of carrot yesterday and its pretty much all gone... so they MUST be doing something!

Yabbies like variety in their diet Imy... get hold of some yabbie pellets...

I give mine (15) about 1/2 a cup of pellets every second day... along with carrot, vege scraps and other bits and pieces....

Yabbies and Marron etc don't eat a lot so therefore they won't poo a lot but I suppose if plants are healthy it's enough, problem is that if you don't have enough poo it is hard to get any fish to live with yabbies as they will eat the fish or vice versa, also 30 yabbies in 800lt is about the limit, they will breed but eat the babies, yabbies will eat each other if not happy or overcrowded

we have guppies in with the redclaw and the plants seem to be doing well

Guppies for Gippy but sounds good, I have Western Pygmy Perch (a native) with my Marron, they only grow to 65mm they eat a lot, they eat duckweed faster than it can grow, local garden shop gives me plenty though, there is a Southern Pygmy Perch if you want an exotic, don't know about the legalities of having them over their, but this link shows they are in Gippsland Basin http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/angling/27E-S ... worked.htm

I'm thinking of putting in a couple of goldies. I hope they sleep with both eyes open!

I was told that in my tank (shallow and wide) I could have around 100 yabbies and they will all get along fine if they are well fed and have more hides than yabbies.

Any other suggestions for food would be great. The carrot works because it sinks. I've tried a few things but some don't sink so its a bit of a case of cut it up, plonk a bit in, if it floats, the chooks get it. I've also been feeding chopped frozen brocolli, cauli, corn and peas.

Member DBird in this forum has around 100 in a 6 foot round tank they seem happy enough has a few tyres for them to hide in they look a tad over crowded, he feeds them pellets and rabbit, he ties pieces of rabbit to string and they strip it to the bone in no time

Yeah, I occassionaly throw in the remainder of a T-bone after tea... nothing left by morning...

Oh, and they'll eat a bit of budgie seed as well ....

Wow... seed is a cool idea, loads of fats. I think I have some seed left over from the days when I fed the birds outside.

I thought you weren't supposed to feed them meat? I guess, like any crustaecan, they'll eat about anything?

What about dog/cat/chook pellets? Would they dissolve too much and leave nasties?

Probably.... chook,dog,cat food....and they could have all sorts of unknowns in them...

I wouldn't...

Yabbie pellets are available from co-ops ie Landmark, Elders etc for about $30 for 25kg bag which will last for ages they only need about 1 pellet a week each

Chook food has been discussed before, and aparently it has some undesirables in it.

Look up a mob called "park Feeds" (probably not on internet, try white pages online) they are up in the wheatbelt (dalwallinu, 270k nne of perth) They do a dedicated food in pellet form... smells real bad but apparently marron and yabbies love it. I have had good results catching yabbies and marran with dog pellets but its the smell that brings them in, not the taste. I have mates feeding them in dams with lupins.. not sure how that goes for them... but they have done it for years. I think protein speaks volumes for most animals, for growth etc...