Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Just thought I'd post up a quick topic about how I have successfully bred redclaw crayfish in the past.

I kept three adult crayfish in a tank with a saratoga, a couple of barramundi and a murray cod. They had plenty of structure, pvc pipes, hollow logs etc to hide from the predatory fish from, which for most of the time was sufficient occasionally the cod would manage to get one of them usually just after shedding.

Two were males, the other was female. With no extra care the female would 'berry' fairly frequently, probably about once a month? and pretty much all year round.

Once the female was pregnant we moved her to a tank on her own. Once the eggs hatched we moved her out after a couple of days back into the main tank. we then distributed the babies amongst 9 breeding tanks with thick gravel on the bottom ( fine grade gravel ). Through trial and error we discovered the best way to do it was by using a syphon to suck the buggers up and into a bucket.

For feed we just used the smallest sinking pellets we could find. They tend to dig a fair bit under the gravel when they're really small so often you'll barely see any above the gravel line. We used to always find them in the runoff water when doing water changes, just syphoned the water through a fish net to catch them and put them back in.

It was really simple and hassle free. When they got to about 2 inches we'd put a few at a time in the turtle tank who loved chasing and smashing them.

How do these work out in an aquaponics system? I have read that they can be kept fairly dense if plenty of shelter is provided. What type of fish are they comparable to in water quality tolerance? Also, I live in Fl and was wondering if anyone there can suggest a source for these (I read that they are permitted in isolated tanks).

I would appreciate any other information on these pertinent to the above questions. Thanks--

Hi MBS, Welcome!
How close is Boynton Beach, FL? Miami Aquaculture has them, and they'll ship, but going to get them would be cheaper. They have books too, if you can't learn everything you feel you need here. http://www.miami-aquaculture.com/redclaw.htm

Thanks janetpelletier,
Actually, I contacted miami aquaculture and they informed me that a license is required by me before they can sell them. I don't understand this as my reading indicated that the only restriction in Fl was that they be kept enclosed (tank etc.). I contacted a Co. in TX and they also told me they could not ship to Fl without the recipient having the proper license(?).

is getting a licence difficult?

I wonder if they are talking about an Aquaculture license? I wouldn't think it would be required of a hobbyist, but even if it is, you might only have to pay $50 to get one. Whether you renew the license next year is of course up to you. It might be worth a call to your Department of Agriculture to ask exactly what you need. If it is as simple as a form and $50, and you can get set up with breeding stock, then it might be worth it.

Look here
http://myfwc.com/permits/FWFish_import.pdf

Thanks for that link janet. I bet the aquaculture certificate is what's being referred to. However, this makes no sense from the standpoint of miami aquaculture not being able to sell to me, as this specifically says the license is required to "import" into the state. In this case the dealer and I are both in Fl(?).

mbs, So give Miami Aquaculture another call and ask just exactly what they do want. That's what matters, after all. Be sure to emphasize that you are a hobbyist, not a business. (if that is in fact what you are. )

Does anyone know if it's okay to leave baby redclaw in with females for any length of time.

I've got 8 berried females in this box, and another 6 in another box - after some initial muscle flexing they all seem to be getting on fine in this amount of space.
There is gravel in the onion bag, and I thought I'd read somewhere that the little ones will move into the onion bag/gravel to get away from the larger ones?

The issue is now I've got some little ones coming out (lots more to come), and they just seem to want to wander around under mum. Perhaps they'll move away when they get a bit bigger?
Any thoughts?

My money is on the big one.

Generally speaking, if you aren't raising anything for sale or fingerlings/babies, then fish and game doesn't care what you do you.

I recently just called California fish and game department, the biologist on site called me back and said I didn't need any permits and that I could raise whatever I wanted, so long as it was in a closed tank, not near any bodies of water... which is the case.

Kogane you may want to check with enforcement first. Thats where it counts anyway!

Nope Fish and game is the end all when it comes to me having fish.

I am in Kansas and would like to get a pair or two of the Red claws. Can anyone help me out.

I'm researching on adding these to a tilapia tank and have a few questions if anyone has the time and knowledge to answer!

1) If I wanted to raise them fairly casually, and I didn't remove any berried females from the tank, do you think any of the spawn would survive?

2) Would Tilapia bother the Red Claws if I didn't separate them with netting or a cage? I would like to just keep them in the same tank with an abundance of PVC hiding places.

3) Are they tasty?