Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi I am from Australia and i have a pet yabbie which i need some help with.

I have a yabbie (Sonny) don’t know the sex, which I brought about 2 months ago, he is an active little thing, anyway my tank has ammonia in it which I am treating, I have brought a new tank which is all set up just waiting on my dad to set the filter in it (which he is doing tonight) and he is ready to be put in his new home, now to get down to why I am emailing you, 2 days ago I fed him a bit of carrot which he loves he never touched it, he didn’t even go running over to it like he usually does when I put it in the tank, so yesterday morning before I went to work I put a bit of turtle food in there which again he loves and will go running to it but again he didn’t it fell to the floor and that’s where it was when I left, I left so not sure if he ate it or not but anyway when I got home last night I noticed that he was a bit funny he wasn’t as active as usual and didn’t really look himself (don’t ask me how I know that but I just do), but didn’t think much of it, but I woke up this morning turned his light on and there he was flipped on his back and only moving a little bit (not much at all, his legs were the only thing moving and it was very little movement) I flipped him over and he started slowly moving and went to the top of his barrel and just stayed there I dropped in some more turtle food and it landed on the back of him he didn’t move, he just stayed there, he didn’t even flinch when the food touched him, can you tell me if he is sick and slowly dying or could he be shedding his shell? He has shed his shell before about a month ago but I was away on holidays so I didn’t see what he was like and went through. I came home to the empty shell on the floor of the fish tank And if he is shedding then should I leave him in that tank until he dose shed or is it safe to move him into his new tank? Can Anyone help me please!

Hi Leahjane

Firstly what size is your tank, how old is the water and how old do you think sonny is?

From what you say there is no filter in the tank yet so first impression is the water is at toxic levels, you say your treating the amm - how?

I would do a complete water change out with some de-chlorinated water.

Are you removing uneaten food? Rotting food will compound your water toxicity.

Yabbies need filtered water more so than fish as they are filthy creatures. Get that filter in asap. And depending on water volume you may require aeration too.

I doubt he/she is shedding as that will happen overnight not over days.

A golden rule-of-thumb for a lot of instances where your water is contaminated (and an old Navy mantra, to hide the evidence )

Dilution is the pollution solution!

+1 Charlie to clean up waste and change the water with clean, de-gassed water (if you don't have any, then just use tap water and keep it circulating, don't use dechlorinator chemicals). Aeration is important in a sick system as it keeps the water moving, aids to off-gassing and of course oxygenates the water.

In addition, I'd also fill the new system with clean water or fill a few clean buckets with some clean water and allow this to stand for 24-48hours (or 12-24 hours if you can provide some pumping/aeration/movement) so you have a reserve of off-gassed water for another water change. I'd repeat the daily water changes until you can get the filtration, pumps and aeration sorted out.


Scott

P.S. I have never kept yabbies (or any shellfish for that matter, except crazy-crabs but that was a long time ago) so I am assuming what is good for fish would also be good for Sonny.

P.P.S. I don't know what your quality is like: Are you in the 'burbs or country, maybe near a unpolluted freshwater stream which may contain healthy populations of fish and/or shellfish?

Yabbies can handle a fair bit more than most fish, call them the talapia of the crustacean world. But good water quality is still paramount.

Oh and if you want to know if he's a he or a her, use this diagram.