keeping yabbies advice?

[squire]

Would anybody be able to tell me a good way of keeping yabbies for longer? I often change the water but this seems to make only a little difference to their survival time?

[craigie]

Hi Squire,

The best way to keep Yabbies for extended periods of time (only a couple of days) is to place them in a container with wood shaving/Saw dust. They must be kept in a cool place and you could also moisten the shavings to maximise the "Pink Nippers" life span.
I've found that Yabbies left in water that is regularly changed, will only last a day or so, bloody painfull when you know how hard you worked to pump them.

Cheers
Craigie.

[squire]

thanks craigie I'll give it a go

[Brett_Finger]

i keep them if a tray in the eskey on ice over night, it slows them down,
then in the morning out in the sun for twenty min and there away a dip into some freah water that has been bought home as well for a good reviver then into un/treater pine shaveings,
thay will be powering all day no worries at all!!
Hookin, Brett

[mossy43]

The best way I have found is to get some seaweed (green fresh seaweed is the best) and put a layer of seaweed on the bottom of a large tray then place your yabbies on the weed and put another layer on top of them and place them in the crisper of your fridge. The yabbies tend to go to sleep and the next day put them in a warm place for a while and you would swear they were as fresh as the day you pumped them. Mossy :o

[reelcrazy]

Just wondering if any of the hints from above would be suitable for keeping prawns alive.

Appreciate if anyone has any clues. I thought about using a battery powered aquarium pump/aerator.

Thanks

[aquarius]

G,day Reelcrazy.....ive kept prawns alive for 2 days using an aqurium pump aerator......just take a bucket of salt water home with you so that the water can be changed at least once......you will need to put some sort of cover over them as they tend to try and jump out.......keep them in a cool place!!
good luck.
Cheers Brent ;D

[reelcrazy]

Thanks Brent

I'll keep a few extra batteries on the charge for the pump.

Live baits is the best bait, and live prawns are second to none.

I'll definitely keep the lid on them, I don't the way the cat eyeballs em and licks its chops.

Tom

[shano]

the best way i have found is like Aquarius said an airator i picked mine up from pick "n" pay sunnybankhills for $9 and runs on 2 "D" sized batteries it can run on 1 also but works harder and longer on 2. now like Aquarius also said bring home a bucket of fresh salt water and keep them in a cool place. if you dont change the water it will froth up and stink. also i have found if you see any dead ones in the bucket that haven't made it get rid of them promptly as i have found that they help in the dieing process of the others really fastas if it poisons the water.hope this helps .
cheers shano! ;D

[jaybee]

hey mossy bet ya missus just loves that eh...all that seaweed n live thingies in the bottom of the fridge roflmao ..don't make me laught it hurts LOL

[aquarius]

Reelcrazy i forgot to add 2 things to my last post.....if you are keeping the aerator in the house its best you spend a bit more money and buy a 240volt one.....the battery models make a loud humming sound......240volts is quiet as a mouse.
I think i paid about $20 for the 240volt aerator.
Bought it from a pet shop that sells heaps of tropical fish.
If you change the water just before you leave home you won't need the aerator...(.provided your not travelling to far) make sure you put fresh sea water in the container ASAP when you arrive at your destination.
Cheers Brent ;)

[trollsroyce]

pine shavings and a cooler brick in a six pack esky works well and they are supposed to be good bait for bass and yellow belly in the fresh

[Remo]

I have to agree with mosssy, wet seaweed is the go, if you can't get seaweed you can use newspaper torn in to long strips about 20mm wide dipped in to seawater, don't turn the paper to mush.

And into a esky in a tray on ice. I have polythrene blocks in ther esky so that the tray with the yabbies is a minium of 50mm away from the ice. ;)

Ray

[Fletch]

Yabbies are actually a tidal zone creature. The reason they die within a day is that they do not get to surface above the water. The best way I have found to keep them alive is to use a polystyrene fruit and vege box propped up on a 25 deg angle. The box should have enough water to submerge the yabbies, but should also make it easy for the yabbies to climb up the polystyrene and out of the water, change the water every day and you will keep these little suckers for several days.

If they do die, pad them dry with some really absorbent paper towel ($$$$$) and put them into a dry chinese take away container in the freezer, just cover the bottom of the tray, not more than 1 layer, when the guys defrost they are almost as good as live ones.

[Bros]

I asked the same question about 18mths ago and one of the best replies I got was to put them in a shallow tray with some water. I use a plastic tray about 600mm X 300mm and about 10mm deep. I get the freshly pumped and clean yabbies and put them on the tray and top up with water. A couple will die but you have to remove them every day and they last for a long time. I kept some for five days during winter but I don't know how long they would go in summer but you must remove the dead ones as soon as possible so they don't pollute the water.