Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I'm wondering if anyone can tell me where and how much redclaw are over in the US? Closest place to Nevada. I've had someone asking me via email and figured I'd ask here if anyone has bought any.

Need a better description for the Name, or even better would be the Botanical Name.

A neighbor was raising a large crawfish years ago, but the birds ate them, he quit, but when I last saw him he couldn't recall the botanical name.

you can ask earthbound for the science name or in less time it takes you to be asinine you could have googled it.


Earthbound,
They are considered invasive and illegal in texas. There arent illegal in all states yet, but i do not know where to source them. Sorry, i know that doesnt halp.

Are we talking about "normal" crawdads/crayfish here, or a special prohibited variety?

I tried raising I don't know how many (lots) "normal" (don't know the breed) crayfish in years past, because they're fairly cheap live by the pound at my local Asian grocery store (and you get a lot of them per pound), but in the end they either killed each other or were eaten by my tilapia (which frankly don't deserve such a fancy diet).

Raising blue-fin crab was an even shorter-lived endeavor as they battled each other to the death fairly quickly. I thought I'd given them enough room, but alas - apparently not.

the australian red claw...

not to be confused with the Louisiana swap red.

Redclaw, the Australian native one... I have told the guy not to bother with them in AP but he is wanting to do some trial with them.. Obviously they aren't easy to find there, I'll tell him to go with the one expensive supplier he had found..

Ah! Thanks for the clarification!

HI ive tried to keep them.(cherax quadricarinatus)
one, at night they seem to wake up and spend all night trying to climb out the tank,pipes, air hose or heater wires must have a lid on anything you put them in.
two,my one very large male got killed my his two females and consumed.

Just dont seem that easy to keep alive..mybe need lots go for a pond..

Stickfins in Florida still has and breeds redclaw. I had bought in the past with good results. They have sold their facilities and the prices have gone (way) up due to having minimum orders.... looks like the minimum order for juvies (1.5 - 3 inches) is 50 @ $5 each plus shipping of $100, so $350.00 minimum.

I have seen redclaw in various aquarium/pet shops though. I'd bet if they are legal n your state you can probably have a couple ordered from your local aquarium supply store.

There also various aquarium forums (and a crayfish specific forum) that people have all sorts of species available. I am sure they can get redclaw via one of those.

I also had ordered directly from AU. There were no restrictions at the time, not sure so much today. Had ordered as part of a group (6 of us) to california, and the person there redistributed to the rest of us. Customs could be a hassle.

I don't think many of the aquaponics solutions proposed over the years work well enough for anything more than providing the occasional meal. You also need to be aware of your facilities - they love to wander and will escape from the smallest opening. And they will eat each other if they are hungry or they just look for a diet change.

I think before I bought redclaw again, I would take a look at the more recent breeding work done in the au. I had bought the "walkamin" variety, but those are passé these days. They did grow fast enough but some of the recent research has led to better strains. I am not sure how fast the ones from the aquarium trade would grow.

Poppa

Thanks for the details poppa, that's probably the supplier he found I guess. Interesting, I'll link him to this thread...

I know this thread is a little out dated but there is a new supplier via eBay from Florida who will ship. He sells 4, 2-3" Red Claw for $70 (including shipping). I got some tilapia from him, but not the red claw yet... He's very nice and answers all your questions! His shipping is done very well too!

Been thinking about trying some Red Claw in my little set up with my tilapia. I've read that it shouldn't be a problem. We will see...

Jen, FYI if you are not looking for any specific strain of redclaw (Lots of breeding work done in the AU) one thing you might try is the local aquarium shop. I have seen them in the local PetCo and DAVE's Soda and pet food city. they are easily recognizable and you can get them under $10 apiece.

Just to reiterate, they WILL escape. When I get ready to try them again, they will be in individual cages.

Just a few weeks ago I saw some for sale for cheap in craig's list just down the road from me here in Chesapeake, VA. They were asking $5 apiece for 3" red claws.

Checked back a few days later and the add was removed. Must have sold them all.

What kind of temps can they handle???

I don't heat my water and have seen it as low as 45deg F so far.

I know the crawdads up in NGeorgia could on occation get up to about 5 to 6". They could handle well below freezing temps and never saw temps get above say 55deg F in that cold mountain water during the Summer.

Just looking for something to act as a cleanup crew down on the bottom of the tank.

Redclaw are native to the AU. Don't take the cold well. Some states don't restrict them as it is said they will not survive the winters. That said, I had a 10 inch bugger climb out of the tank (In the house) and found him out of doors trying to climb a snow bank. Not sure how long he had been out there but he survived once I returned him to the tank. I would keep them in the 60 - 80F range.

I keep my house at 65 in the winter with no added heat for the tanks and they did well. lol of course that could be one reason they were always trying to escape!

Alright. Thanks for the heads up on temps!