Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I'm wondering if crayfish are a good species to work with. I've heard that they produce more waste than the average fish. Has anyone had a good experience with them?

They need to be freshwater crayfish and from my experience the ones that we get here do not produce a lot of nutrient at all. We have freshwater marron, they do not eat a lot, are a little fussy about their water conditions including temperature and quality and are prone to going walkabout when the rains come. Not to mention a few stories that I have heard about them biting through the power chord

i've got marmokreb crayfish in my big tank.. still working on building up the population.. just had my 3rd hatching a few weeks ago.. once they get a bit bigger they'll go into the pool.. with my temps, i'll need 2 years for growout.. i'll let you know how it goes..

I'm playing with Redclaw. I have had two issues with them, both already mentioned.

1.) They tend to like to go sightseeing. One day they are in the tank, the next they are off exploring the house. I don't mean just wandering around the shop, i mean down the stairs, across the house! They seem to like dark places, so it was not unusual to find them in my boots and shoes. I eventually got tired of checking my shoes and have screened and weighted down tops to my aquariums.

It's not really a separate item, but crayfish do have a pungent oder after 3 days into a walkabout. A 15 inch crayfish has ample odor capabilities.

2.) They tend to eat anything covered in algae. In my case, my outside tank is constructed of wire mesh, a layer of fanfold insulation (like you find under house siding) and then a layer of greenhouse poly film. The poly film lays flat to the bottom of the tank, but the sides are a series of creases. These creases tend to get coated in algae. Crayfish eat algae. Crayfish eat anything the algae is growing on. 1500 gallons of water will not stay in a tank if eaten. 'Nuff said.

Poppa

u mean to say crayfish ate through ur tank? what maerial?

i was kinda thinking about throwing some in, sounds like it might be a good idea to help keep algea down.

Last year I had a bunch of crayfish (I'm just north of you, in Frisco), and they lasted most of the summer and into the fall (although they did hate the heat), and made it through many moltings. Some of them got pretty big! But then I managed to accidentally kill most of them.

The two or three survivors went in to the tank I have in the ground to overwinter, along with some tilapia and my single monster catfish, but I've seen no trace of them so far this spring (I'm cleaning out that tank this weekend, so I'll update you if they in fact made it) and expect that the catfish probably ate them. We'll see!

By the way, I seriously doubt that I'll ever get them to reproduce, even if I replenish my stock. I read through SRAC's information on them (https://srac.tamu.edu/index.cfm/event/C ... ategory/9/ ) and since my IBCs and other tanks don't have a good layer of mud on the bottom, I don't think I can provide them with an adequate nesting environment.

One bit of advice, taken from experience: If you get a herd of crayfish established, so that they're happy and growing, do NOT add a second helping of them straight from the grocery store (which is where I got all my crayfish livestock). Your adapted ones will eat all the stressed-out newcomers in no time.