Anyone got tips on keeping Redlaw alive? : redclaw, marron & yabbies

gammo42

G'day everyone, I am after some advice from any Redclaw experts on how I can possibly keep them alive in preparation for a feast.

When we go away camping each Easter we drop some opera houses in for the kids. We don't pull a whole lot each time so we try to collect over a period to make a feast.

We struggled to keep them alive this year. Next year I was thinking of trying damp hessian sacks in the shade.

Anyone had experience or got any better ideas? We do not have space on ice, that's where the beer and wine goes!!!

Thanks

Gammo

Dex38 · Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2010 5:30 pm Post subject:

An old fella next to me tried to keep them also and lost a lot of them. I put him onto the need to keep the PH levels right. Once he got the PH right he had no problems.

The critical pH range from what I read was 7-8.5.

Dex

gammo42 · Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2010 8:16 pm Post subject:

G'day Dex, anymore info on the PH levels?

When we go camping we are on a creek, in the middle of no where, without luxuries of extra buckets and copious amounts of ice let alone a PH test kit.

I know how to PH test my pool, what's the go with the redclaw???

Gammo

drifter · Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2010 8:53 pm Post subject:

Gammo42, how were you trying to keep them alive. What were you holding them in?

Dex38 · Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2010 9:35 pm Post subject:

Try any of the dpi websites for info on redclaw. My neighbour had dam water which was too hard. Off to the pet shop and a couple of tablets each water change and it was all fine again. No more little critters going wheels up. Have a look at this website - I put a space after one of the w's so it's not a live link.

Dex

www .dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries/aquaculture/publications/species-freshwater/freshwater-crayfish---aquaculture-prospects

gammo42 · Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2010 8:24 am Post subject:

Drifter,

we were just using buckets. The kids were tasked with keeping an eye on them but they were having too much fun and were easily distracted! The parents were having too much fun as well. :drinking2:

Tried buckets dry, and tried buckets with a little water in them.

The PH stuff Dex is referring to is not really what I am after. We want to catch em, keep em alive for approx 2 days, cook em before we go home!!!!

Gammo

drifter · Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2010 9:44 am Post subject:

What about taking a baby blow up pool placed in the shade with a few mangrove branches throw in. Should hold enough water to keep them alive for a few days (they may be using all the oxygen in the buckets and thats why they're dying). Have seen this method used successfully in NSW by rock fisherman in keeping live bait alive. Folds up to nothing when deflaited

Dex38 · Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2010 9:56 am Post subject:

Most critters just need clean water and oxygen. If you change your water every now and again things should be fine. Temperature seems to affect redclaw also. Piling them ontop of one another won't help either.

I've seen people use the rectangle foam containers which vegi's sometimes get delivered in at the supermarkets, ie Broccoli. Keep the lid on, buy a little battery powered aerator and things should be fine.

Old mate loved keeping yabbies in old baths. He cranked them up on one end to let them walk about.

Dex

punter · Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2010 11:10 am Post subject:

I've seen them kept for long periods in water troughs (for cattle) as long as the water is aerated, just a length of poly pipe drilled multiple times with water running through it into the tank....sorta waterfall.

ndf · Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2010 7:14 pm Post subject:

you can test the ph levels mate, cause ya always do that poop when ya camping. i have always just put them in old style wheat bag, keep it damp and cool. if ya have the luxury of just sitting it on the side of ya river then perfect. keep for days mate.

Dex38 · Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2010 7:44 pm Post subject:

Gammo and NDF. The question I was answering was how to keep Redclaw alive.

I assumed Gammo wanted to keep them alive for some time before doing something with them, my mistake.

Maybe ask the question you want answered and people will have half an idea what you are on about.

Dex

UNCLDUG · Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2010 8:09 pm Post subject: keepin red claw alive

the answer is alot more simple than PH ,airators and all the other time consuming things fellas , buy one more opera house ,close the entrances at each end and you know have a holding cage you can place back in the water they came from and top up whenever you like.seems pretty easy to me , hope this has helped you out Gammo :mrgreen:

matty · Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2010 8:30 pm Post subject:

Gammo. I have an old possum trap (about 1m x .4m x .4m) which I sit in the shallows and dump them in there. Pull them out before I go home. :chef2:

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