I want to raise lobsters, like plenty of them and breed them, what all do I need?
- Thread starter UKTone
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thincat
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Takes more then just an aquarium...Lobsters are cold water animals and you would need to get a chiller and a very big AQ at that. My advice is to get a book are at least do a search on google.
cmor1701d
Aquarium Advice Addict
Lease a piece of the ocean and set up a lobster farm?
pat8you
Aquarium Advice Addict
Is this just because you like eating them or because you really like them as pets?
@ thincat yeah I know I need more than just an aquarium, they need "hard" (they were talking about calcium by crunching up eggs and microwaving them and putting them in the water to increase calcium and also kills bacteria) and I learned some more stuff from here How to Raise Red Claw Lobsters | eHow.com (they said to use limestone flour to increase calcium). I mainly just need to know what size would be best to take care of plenty of lobsters since they say a 1 pound lobster usually carries 8000 eggs and 9 pound lobsters can carry more than 100,000 eggs, but they say out of every 50,000 eggs, only 2 are expected to survive to legal size (what does legal size mean? They don't explain much here Lobster FAQ — FactMonster.com) and why don't the others make it to legal size?
I will search for a book, but not really sure what to put in the search, I will go to books.google.com first.
To have them as pets, but if one dies of old age, is it safe/ok to eat them? Or does it depend on how long they have dead?
In any case it'll be a while before I get the nerve to eat any.
I will search for a book, but not really sure what to put in the search, I will go to books.google.com first.
To have them as pets, but if one dies of old age, is it safe/ok to eat them? Or does it depend on how long they have dead?
In any case it'll be a while before I get the nerve to eat any.
cmor1701d
Aquarium Advice Addict
So waht exactly are you looking to raise? The first article is about FRESH WATER crayfish. The second is about the American lobsters, whcih are SALT WATER species.
I don't beleive Salt Water lobsters can be bred/raised in captivity.
If you are talking about crayfish I will move this thread to the FW section.
I don't beleive Salt Water lobsters can be bred/raised in captivity.
If you are talking about crayfish I will move this thread to the FW section.
I'm guessing by the egg : size ratio, the OP is discussing SW. A 9 pound mudbug would be scary! lol
Tone- The largest obstacles (literally and figuratively) are water volume and cooling. You'll need to maintain a temp of 40-50 through the use of chillers. They are slow growing, disease prone, animals that require a very large volume of water. Commercial lobster farming is only now being tentatively attempted and is still more expensive than the catch so it is only being pursued by a few companies. I'd suggest starting off with a FW crayfish or shrimp variety to test the waters so to speak.
Welcome to AA btw!
Tone- The largest obstacles (literally and figuratively) are water volume and cooling. You'll need to maintain a temp of 40-50 through the use of chillers. They are slow growing, disease prone, animals that require a very large volume of water. Commercial lobster farming is only now being tentatively attempted and is still more expensive than the catch so it is only being pursued by a few companies. I'd suggest starting off with a FW crayfish or shrimp variety to test the waters so to speak.
Welcome to AA btw!
Deep Seven
Aquarium Advice Addict
UKTone said:
I just guessing based off what I know of other species, but mostly creatures with such a low survival rate end up as food for a lot of other creatures during their lifespan. Especially when the lobsters are tiny, creatures that might not normally eat lobster will snack on the babies.
And if one lobster lays 50,000 eggs (with the help of a male), and two of those eggs survive to reproduce, then thats a stable population.
Edit: Just wanted to add, salmon have a similar survival rate in the wild (around 2% I think), but in a farm setting thats reversed and around 95% survival to harvest size.
DragonFish71
Great white snark
@ HN1
Mudbugs with Old Bay seasoning! Yummmmm
Mudbugs with Old Bay seasoning! Yummmmm
thincat
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"(what does legal size mean?)" Legal size is a lobster big enough to have had a chance to spawn in the wild.
cmor1701d
Aquarium Advice Addict
Legal size is 3¼" carapice (back of eyes to end of body, not including the tail). It means, big enough to eat.
BillD
Aquarium Advice Addict
Red claw crayfish, is the way to go for this type of project. They grow quickly, reach a decent size and aren't terribly cannibalistic. They do require warm water, but are raised in very simple setups in Australia, for eating. So, while they aren't real lobsters, they are more practical and much prettier.
glassbird
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Legal size also means that the lobster is big enough to legally catch. It is judged big enough if the length of the carapace is over 3.25 inches. Every lobster collected by commercial lobstermen is measured with a gauge...and if it is too small (or is an eggbearing female) it is thrown back into the water. Getting caught with an illegal lobster is a huge deal, and you can lose your license right quick.
Pet Dinosaurs
Aquarium Advice Newbie
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lobster farm
What about restaraunts like Ruth's Chris and some Red Lobsters that have aquariums in the front of the house, those get eaten. Are they red claw lobsters?
I'm guessing by the egg : size ratio, the OP is discussing SW. A 9 pound mudbug would be scary! lol
Tone- The largest obstacles (literally and figuratively) are water volume and cooling. You'll need to maintain a temp of 40-50 through the use of chillers. They are slow growing, disease prone, animals that require a very large volume of water. Commercial lobster farming is only now being tentatively attempted and is still more expensive than the catch so it is only being pursued by a few companies. I'd suggest starting off with a FW crayfish or shrimp variety to test the waters so to speak.
Welcome to AA btw!
What about restaraunts like Ruth's Chris and some Red Lobsters that have aquariums in the front of the house, those get eaten. Are they red claw lobsters?
reefdiver
Aquarium Advice Addict
those lobsters dont spend a lot of time in that tank. I work at a grocery store they usually live like two weeks in there tanks.
Those aquariums are temporary residences and not met to "farm" the lobsters. They simply keep them healthy enough to be fresh when chosen. They also are relatively high water volume tanks and almost always include chillers. They come up for sale somewhat regularly on CL and some forums.
Welcome to AA btw!
maxst2
Aquarium Advice FINatic
God.. how i'd love to raise my own lobsters... that'd be some good eats there.
Dary421
Aquarium Advice Addict
You might want to check with your local dept of fish and game,....I'm sure it's probably illegal unless you have the right permits/ licenses etc and seeing how they have their own " fishing" seasons ,....I really doubt you could do it anyway
SnailySophi
Aquarium Advice Freak
+1 I couldn't agree more. Livin' the life- lobster all night ( Idk how i came up with that?.....?.....)
mattrox
Aquarium Advice Addict
Cherax quadricarinatus is red claw, Cherax destructor is what we call Yabbies.
Red Claw can be kept at tropical temps. Yabbies are fine in a temperate climate and could be kept at 'room temp'.
http://www.growfish.com.au/Grow/Files/fn082.pdf
If you are raising them as pets (and plenty of them) get a 6x2x2 tank and grow plenty of java moss. Have a reasonably thick substrate of pool filter sand and plenty of cobbles, slate and drift wood. Have plenty of filtration too.
Red Claw can be kept at tropical temps. Yabbies are fine in a temperate climate and could be kept at 'room temp'.
http://www.growfish.com.au/Grow/Files/fn082.pdf
If you are raising them as pets (and plenty of them) get a 6x2x2 tank and grow plenty of java moss. Have a reasonably thick substrate of pool filter sand and plenty of cobbles, slate and drift wood. Have plenty of filtration too.
