Yabbies

[GotCrabs]

I'm heading to Adelaide on Wednesday for a Doc's appointment and was thinking of popping in somewhere and sussing out some Yabbies and Shrimp, firstly where would I be able to check some Yabbies out in Adelaide, I'm going to the Flinders Hospital, anywhere near by? Also, would Yabbies be OK with Shrimp? Do they need heating? Would they be acceptable outside in a tank? Cheers.

[revolutionhope]

Hey crabs ive been researching this quite a bit tonight as I've been jnspired by yepys post too myself !

From what ive read they wont need a heated tank - they can survive from near freezing up to 35+

They will eat fish or shrimp if hungry but they're usuqlly not very effective hunters.

Some people have had bad experiences with losing all their fish to yabbies while others haven't lost any.

ive found a few people about the place recommending keeping yabbies with cherry shrimp so should be ok.

Im thinking to do this myself in a wide 2 1/2 foot tank i have doing nothing - with an otto power filter, some ornaments and artificial plants as it seems yabbies will destroy any live plants and I know shrimp will appreciate having some places to hang out.

One forum member elsewhere suggested that yabbies won't pose any threat to the fish below so if you have space maybe that is an option :-)

Seriously though I wanna keep one with shrimp too I think it looks like an amazing combination !!

Love n peace

Will

[revolutionhope]

Oh yeh im thinking of getting a yabby from gumtree myself, I thought about getting a yabby some time ago and had trouble tracking them down at aquarium shops.

Ps if u want some rcs culls by any chance then let me know id be more than happy to give you a bunch to risk becoming dinner for the yabby.

[GotCrabs]

I'm thinking I might pop 1 or 2 yabbies in a tank outside, Mum really wants some and has for awhile so thought I might check 'em out.

 

Got heaps of RCS, so will be alright, thanks.

 

Was just looking at yabbies online at AquaGreen and think I might go with them and grab some Spotted Blue Eyes as well, I'll make my mind up in a day or 2, ha.

[kizshrimp]

Yevy has started something here with that yabby thread! 

 

You should both be able to just go catch a yabby, and so should anyone else in this country who wants one. I suggest an ordinary bait trap into a farm dam, municipal lake or often aqueducts have them too. Failing that, most fishing shops sell live yabbies as bait and occasionally aquarium shops sell them too. If grown up from small in good clean water most yabbies will be blue. Bait the trap with aquarium food. I often recommend Aquagreen as a supplier but in this case I don't. Dave sells quadricarinatus and bicarinatus, both tropical species. You guys want cold tolerant southern species, destructor if that's still the right name. I think it got broken up. BTW if you buy from an aquarium you may encounter the same problem, ie quadricarinatus sold as a normal yabby. Best to catch them, locally if you can. 

 

Crabs - yabbies will be better outside than RCS, won't need heating as Will suggests and will probably work out ok with small shrimp as Yevy's post shows. They may not get along with other yabbies however. They're soft just after moulting and prone to attacks. Similar with fish, if the fish are decent sized they may eat the yabby after moulting, if they're smaller they might become food. Believe me the yabby will be happy to eat a fish, just a matter of time till one ends up caught. 

 

Spotted Blue Eyes are lovely fish and Dave's form is a nice one. They won't go in cold water but might not damage a shrimp population too much in a tank. Threadfin Rainbows are probably less of a threat to shrimp though. 

[GotCrabs]

Yeah I checked out Threadthin Rainbows last night also, nice fish, they or the Spotted Blue Eyes will go in the main shrimp tank, the yabbies would go in the tank outside, but since you said that the ones from AquaGreen wouldn't be ideal for our Southern cooler weather then I'm thinking I'm going to have to find some locally, no idea where though mind you, all good, but yes the Threadthins are quite nice.

[northboy]

Be careful of where you Yabby's come from, some don't take cold well, some of the ones from up here wont take cold, so just be careful.

 

That is a pink form red claw I had and that one did not take cold, there is also a blood red form of  Cherax depressus that wont take cold, if its from your way it should be AOK 

 

 

Bob

[fishmosy]

I used to keep these as a kid. Be sure to keep tight lids on your tanks and make sure they cant be lifted. Any airlines or pipework going into the tank will be used by the yabbies to climb out. In fact, My yabbies regularly went for walks, out of my room and down the hallway. Would find them in the morning, half dried out but they were alright once they went back into the tank. Early one morning (2am) my mum was woken by one trying to climb a box of tissues beside her bed (a good 10 metres away from tanks). Suffice to say I didnt keep many yabbies after that.

[GotCrabs]

Yeah looked at AquaGreen's Yabbies but they prefer the top end weather conditions which wouldn't help them down here, so will have to look around online locally, didn't have time to check fish stores today in Adelaide, too busy with Doc appointments.

[kizshrimp]

Hey Crabs, surely there's a farm dam or something around where you are. I've caught yabbies right up in the Northern Flinders Ranges so they'll take arid, just need a little bit of water. 

 

Bob, I've seen other pics of your amazing pink yabbies before. I think I read that you lost the line but might have got some back from a customer. Do you have them going again now? 

[GotCrabs]

Yeah I'll suss out online through Mum's Facebook if people in the area have any.

[Anaeflurane]

Aggies Aquariums have some Yabbies in stock at the moment.

Chuck them a call on 83957099 *Disclaimer, I do not work for them, just my LFS*

They are on Main North Road just before Parafield Airport (Bunnings) if coming from the city.

[GotCrabs]

Aggies Aquariums have some Yabbies in stock at the moment.

Chuck them a call on 83957099 *Disclaimer, I do not work for them, just my LFS*

They are on Main North Road just before Parafield Airport (Bunnings) if coming from the city.

 

Drove straight past it yesterday when I was in Adelaide for Doc's appointments, haha, didn't have time on the way to and from the apps, haha.

[shrimpaddict]

Drove straight past it yesterday when I was in Adelaide for Doc's appointments, haha, didn't have time on the way to and from the apps, haha.

We get some nice looking ones up north NSW I've been wanting to go catch some crays up in the rainforest lately found out theys ones are only 20 mins from were I live

[shrimpaddict]

We get some nice looking ones up north NSW I've been wanting to go catch some crays up in the rainforest lately found out theys ones are only 20 mins from were I live

[shrimpaddict]

[northboy]

Be careful Shrimpaddict all spiny crays except the Murray cray are a no take species, there is some beauty's out there to. Up here they are on the tops of the highest mountains and each peak is different.

 

Kizshrimp what the customer had was not the same DAM, so line lost, I will at some time go looking for the red mini for breeding

 

 

Bob

[kizshrimp]

Oh Bob, that sucks. In the post I read you sounded pretty excited to be getting them back too. Sorry to hear it fell through. Yeah mini red sounds awesome, is that the depressus you mentioned above? I'm keen to get hold of some mini crays!! 

 

Yeah what Bob said addict, be careful. That Lamington blue and white cray is lovely, I've seen them before going overland through the rainforest, looking for a new creek I guess. Great shots if they're yours! There's a brilliant dwarf red one around Sydney too, but they're both protected as Bob says. 

Also Spinys are just bastards in tanks, really destructive. They look amazing though! 

 

Down here we have a few different spinys pretty close to me, there's a mid size blue and apparently a rare red form of probably the same species. There's a big black one called kershawi with a bright orange mouth and underside. 

[GotCrabs]

Ordered two yabbies this morning, $5 each, will have them next Friday, obviously not getting sent straight away, haha, so have plenty of time to set the tank up, ideas? They'll need somewhere to hide right? Do I need a substrate? Plants are pretty much useless also aren't they?

[jayc]

Breeding Yabbies is a great idea.

 

The culls can go towards ... dinner     

[2OFUS]

A good diy home for a yabbie

2 or 4 litre icecream container

Cut a opening in the top (where the lid goes)

Then put it in the tank with the top of the container on the substrate (where the lid used to be) then cover it in big rocks and gravel :)

[northboy]

Kizshrimp, there is a very slim chance I can get some pinks back, but don't hold you breath, they were a light blue cull from a red claw farm when I first got them and the pink turned up first generation.

I am kicking my self for loosing them.

 

Cray fish have not been looked at up here like most things, there is some very good looking areas around Weipa, a group of us did a Fish survey on the Irwin place at Weipa a few years back and there is lots of reasons to get back and have a look at all sorts of things and cray's and Crabs are high on the list.

 

 

Bob

[kizshrimp]

Bob, I hope you can get the pinks back more for you than me - pretty sure Red Claws are noxious listed here in Victoria. But no doubt those pinks were stunning and I reckon worth breeding if you can get them again. 

What I'm interested in are the small colourful species that I'm allowed to keep and I'm hoping you get some going soon enough. 

 

The freshwater crabs are yet another super interesting thing that I'd love to try breeding some day. Some of the species you've posted pics of are just breathtaking. Hope you get back to Weipa for a look around soon. 

[northboy]

Kiz there is a number of Deperess species and sub species that are well worth breeding and can get up to the 7cm max size, usually around the 5 mark, the colour range is really good, Black with red claws, Red, Blue both light and dark and greenish.

 

One day, time and space. I will try to post some photos soon for every one, once again its one of those thing you are most likely not going to find on the Net.

 

That is not my photo, but that is one of the small ones

 

 

Bob

[kizshrimp]

That's awesome Bob, nice colourful 5-7cm yabs are just what I want. Please do post some more pics when you get a chance!