Anyone know about raising crayfish or f/w shrimp

[Kevin]

I have been considering starting up a cage culture operation here. I own some acreage on a fairly large lake just north of tampa. I think it would be suitable for this type of set up. I really would appreciate any info on freshwater crayfish culture or asian freshwater tiger shrimp culture, that you all may have come across.

[gardengirl72]

I think crayfish are cool. I think unless you have a natural environment like a pond or swamp on your property they may be dificult. They would be great in a permaculture chain that included a lot of waste products I think as well.

[Kevin]

I think crayfish are cool. I think unless you have a natural environment like a pond or swamp on your property they may be dificult. They would be great in a permaculture chain that included a lot of waste products I think as well.

Hey Patti, I also thought you would need a natural pond environment to raise these . ( I have access to this, and this is why I have been interested in this type of Aquaculture) . However , my outlook on this changed when I read Plantoneonme's post in (has anyone raised fish for food).The link that was posted , led me to www.backyardaquaponics.com .This is an australian aquaponics company. their forum is absolutely unbelievable. Evidently the australians have been raising crayfish in barrels for quite some time. They don't call them crayfish however, they call them yabbies and morrens. The amount of info here is enormous .It is a very large international forum. To make a long story short, crawfish can be used in small backyard aquaponic (permaculture) systems.Check out this website.

[gardengirl72]

I agree they are great thinkers down under. My problem is I live in the north east and I think they have the same climate as Arizona or Texas. Their ideas will be great for you, you are in Florida right?

[Kevin]

I agree they are great thinkers down under. My problem is I live in the north east and I think they have the same climate as Arizona or Texas. Their ideas will be great for you, you are in Florida right?

Hey patti , yeah I live in florida.There are several members on this forum that post from florida , louisianna, texas , and even one from new jersy. I also have found out that some folks as far north as kentucky are in the freshwater tiger shrimp game. don't count this possibility out without seriously looking into it.

[Lori & Brent Crowder]

I am not an expert on this issue but do know a few things that may be helpful. Raising cray fish is easy and they bread all the time or should I say constantly. However they may breed but they do not make eggs as much as they breed.

Once the female breeds she can be fertile for a long time. (not sure how long) She will only make eggs if the time is right. The right food the right water temps, the right space and the right population. You put a boy and girl together and they will breed but you will have to put her by herself alone before she will make eggs.

Everybody thinks they eat meat. They do but their main diet is vegetation. Every body thinks they live in swamps and dirty water. They do but they prefer warmer clean water. Every body thinks they eat dead fish and clean the bottom of rivers. This is also not true. In fact if you can't eat the fish neither will they. Every body thinks they are dirty but again this is not true they are cleaner then most people.

One thing about them is they can live out of water for a long time or forever for the mater but they must be kept cool and moist. They can travel miles from pond to pond and they can infest a pond in as little as a few months. They will eat them selves to death as they eat 2 times their body weight every day. They are very good at defending themselves against fish 20 times their size and are only eaten while escaping. They can catch fish 5 times their size and eat it.

If you have a pond now it will change after introducing these buggers in there. They do grow fast but they only grow as fast as how much they eat.

For some reason their dodo is bad for the water and will need constant filtration. Most ponds with crayfish will have dirty water but it is because of them having to much of a population. They will start eating each other if there is not enough food, and then the pond will die and nothing will be able to live there. The will deplete the water of oxygen in a matter of a few days and for the lack of words kill the water.

Any little bit of a chemical in the water can kill them and once dead their body gives off some kind of poison that can kill the rest of the batch.

But after all that I have just wrote I would not stop eating them for nothing. They are so good with lemon butter. I go trapping for them all the time and purge them for one or two days before eating them but most people just hose them down and cook.

I think they are very smart critters. They have great noses that can smell food a long way away. They can travel over land and smell a new pond to live in. When a pond dries up they will dig into the ground of the bottom of the pond something like 3 feet deep and live all summer without water and food for months They do not like fast moving water but you can find them in rivers but in slow currents. Crayfish can live in water the freezes and up to 90 degrees I think. One thing you should do is raise crayfish and tailapia together. The tailapia will help keep the pond clean.

Shrimp on the other hand are hard to grow but the do make eggs very easy and will keep breeding until the pond is full of them. There are very clean animals too, but there water has to clean and cool all the time and I would check on summer water temps of your pond before trying shrimp. I think the water must be below 60 degrees for shrimp.

I hope I did not scare you to much and I think you can do it but I would think of crayfish as a side line not a main product.

[Kittikity]

*suddenly invisioning rows of raised beds style tilapia ponds and crawfish barrels* darn it.. so many ideas, so little money.. lol

[Kevin]

I agree they are great thinkers down under. My problem is I live in the north east and I think they have the same climate as Arizona or Texas. Their ideas will be great for you, you are in Florida right?

Hey patti , I was just doing some research on this and I came across this link (www.seagrant.umn.edu), Type in crayfish in their search engine. This should answer your question on climate . It seems like the university of minnesota is growing them in rice paddies there,and in wisconsin.

[Kittikity]

Does anyone know where you can get tilapia? I've only found one place you can order some from, but they claim their's are all male..

[Kevin]

Hey Lori and Brent, Thank you , This is exactly the kind of local info I am looking for. This really does make sense ,and it kind of explains the success the aussie's are having. The aquaponic systems they are using ,constantly filters and oxygenates the water in their grow tanks.

[gardengirl72]

As we continue to deplete the ocean aquaculture will be SUPER IMPORTANT. I hope to do a bunch of videos this year on it. But we shall see.

[captainde2]

Kevin

If you are interested in stocking your lake for personal or commercial reason you have to figure out what kind of fish or shell fish you want to use. Many are considered invasive and you could be fined if caught transporting these fish Tilapia for example are all over the place but are illegal to transport also known as nile perch. Your best bet is to contact the FWC and tell them what your doing or ask to speak with a biologist that can help. If your area is good for farming shrimp they might even give you the larval shrimp. The shrimp are also considered invasive. Contact them if you plan to use the stuff for sale! For personal use well just know the things you put in could wipe out what you have! And if their is a water shed from your lake you could introduce these species into the area, not good. Also a fresh water products license is easy to get , at about 25$ you will need this to sale your catch!

[captainde2]

If you live in Fl anywhere south of Jacksonville you can catch wild Tilapia everywhere believe it! They have been introduced into our ecosystem and their here to stay! I often attempt to clean small lakes and ponds out for people who want native species to survive, these fish can be caught very easily with a cast net, and grow fast. Their also known as nile perch here in fl!

[captainde2]

I have been considering starting up a cage culture operation here. I own some acreage on a fairly large lake just north of tampa. I think it would be suitable for this type of set up. I really would appreciate any info on freshwater crayfish culture or asian freshwater tiger shrimp culture, that you all may have come across.
Kevin

If you are interested in stocking your lake for personal or commercial reason you have to figure out what kind of fish or shell fish you want to use. Many are considered invasive and you could be fined if caught transporting these fish Tilapia for example are all over the place but are illegal to transport also known as nile perch. Your best bet is to contact the FWC and tell them what your doing or ask to speak with a biologist that can help. If your area is good for farming shrimp they might even give you the larval shrimp. The shrimp are also considered invasive. Contact them if you plan to use the stuff for sale! For personal use well just know the things you put in could wipe out what you have! And if their is a water shed from your lake you could introduce these species into the area, not good. Also a fresh water products license is easy to get , at about 25$ you will need this to sale your catch!

[captainde2]

Does anyone know where you can get tilapia? I've only found one place you can order some from, but they claim their's are all male..
If you live in FL You can catch Tilapia for free everywhere You just need a cast net. Go look for the beds along the sides of ponds and lakes and you will see the fish! Their commonly found on golf courses.

[Kevin]

Kevin

If you are interested in stocking your lake for personal or commercial reason you have to figure out what kind of fish or shell fish you want to use. Many are considered invasive and you could be fined if caught transporting these fish Tilapia for example are all over the place but are illegal to transport also known as nile perch. Your best bet is to contact the FWC and tell them what your doing or ask to speak with a biologist that can help. If your area is good for farming shrimp they might even give you the larval shrimp. The shrimp are also considered invasive. Contact them if you plan to use the stuff for sale! For personal use well just know the things you put in could wipe out what you have! And if their is a water shed from your lake you could introduce these species into the area, not good. Also a fresh water products license is easy to get , at about 25$ you will need this to sale your catch!
Hey captainde2 Sorry I have taken so long to respond to your post I have been in New Orleans for a week and a half. Thanks for the info . Since I originally posted this thread I have run into stumbling blocks with the FWC . Mainly on the legality of open versus closed aquaculture systems. But like any thing else in florida you pay the fees and jump through the hoops and it's legal. The commercial products licenses both salt and fresh ,I have held for the past 30 years. If you do have any info on anyone currently farming either tiger shrimp or indigenous crawfish in florida Please let me know.

[Garden Green]

I've never raised crayfish (crawfish where I'm from or if you want to get really technical, mud bugs), but I grew up eating them. Lots. I agree they are very good in a good butter sauce.

Anyway, the bit about the shrimp caught my attention and I came across this website that has just a ton of information about raising shrimp and crawfish with a lengthy species list on the left hand side of the site. I spent a couple of hours digging through it and am fairly taken aback at how many folks are growing their own shrimp and crawfish.

The site is laid out nicely, with popout pics of the species in question when you run your mouse over the names of shrimp, crawfish and snails, too. The articles tell you about the species, background, breeding, sexing, feeding, water parameters, etc. Articles for newbies in there, too. Lots of very clear and very large pictures. Fairly impressive site, definitely has my attention. I read on!

http://www.planetinverts.com/

[Aspen]

I love this thread, but I have to laugh--I can't swing a dead cat on my property without hitting a crawfish-or crawdad-or mud bug! They are down near the slough in my woods row. I see their mounds everywhere.

I have never eaten one, though. And I know I could never do the head-sucking thing. Nope, not gonna happen.

P.S. I do not, nor do I advocate, the swinging of cats, dead or alive. It is just a figure of speech around here.

[Kevin]

I've never raised crayfish (crawfish where I'm from or if you want to get really technical, mud bugs), but I grew up eating them. Lots. I agree they are very good in a good butter sauce.

Anyway, the bit about the shrimp caught my attention and I came across this website that has just a ton of information about raising shrimp and crawfish with a lengthy species list on the left hand side of the site. I spent a couple of hours digging through it and am fairly taken aback at how many folks are growing their own shrimp and crawfish.

The site is laid out nicely, with popout pics of the species in question when you run your mouse over the names of shrimp, crawfish and snails, too. The articles tell you about the species, background, breeding, sexing, feeding, water parameters, etc. Articles for newbies in there, too. Lots of very clear and very large pictures. Fairly impressive site, definitely has my attention. I read on!

http://www.planetinverts.com/

Hey Garden Green, This really is an impressive website, Thank You for posting this , Kevin

[Garden Green]

Isn't it just impressive, though? You're welcome, too. I've enjoyed browsing through and reading up on the different kinds of shrimp and crawfish. I had no clue that it was a hobby on that scale.