How to grow lobsters at home?

The content of the article:

• • What are these creatures - lobsters
  • Why do you need to breed lobsters
  • I want a farm: where to start
  • What you need to know for breeding lobster
  • Pitfalls in crustacean farming
  • Where to Buy Specialized Lobster Aquariums

What are these creatures - lobsters

Lobsters are large marine crustaceans that are currently considered a delicacy. They can be up to 80 cm long and weigh up to 20 kg. Most often in restaurants you can find individuals 20-30 cm long. Another name for these creatures is lobsters. In Russia, they can be called this way and that. Their meat is highly valued all over the world. Usually these giants are caught in the seas and transported to processing sites. But modern restaurants require fresh raw materials. Therefore, very often the source of lobsters for such restaurants is home-made crustacean farms.

So, below we will tell you how to create such a farm yourself.

Why do you need to breed lobsters

Breeding lobsters at home has 2 goals. First, a large crustacean can be kept at home as a pet. Just imagine with what great interest your guests will be looking at this luxurious giant. Its lifespan is long enough for the lobster to keep you company for years to come.

And the second, more pressing goal is to sell fresh invertebrates to restaurants. In the latter case, in addition to love for crustaceans, you will need special knowledge and equipment.

I want a farm: where to start

What do we need to breed lobsters? As a concrete example, let's look at a situation where you want to grow them commercially.

Water

In this case, we are talking about both an aquarium and an indoor pool. A cheaper option would be a specialized aquarium.

To successfully breed livestock, you will need at least two tanks. Why - you will find out further. If you have free space (apartment, heated garage), then it is better to install aquanariums (large aquariums). In any case, it is better to start with them. And by the time your business gains momentum - invest your efforts and money in closed artificial reservoirs. Trust our experience!

You can check the volume and additional characteristics of water tanks with Aqua-Store specialists free of charge.

Feed

In the wild, lobsters behave like predators. They behave in the same way in an artificial environment. Therefore, it is advisable to avoid cohabitation of lobsters with other invertebrates.

The modern market offers ready-made combined feeds that can be safely used. They contain fats, proteins, chalk, minced fish, dry remains of small invertebrates, etc. Never feed your lobster carrion.

What you need to know for breeding lobster

Features of the behavior of lobsters

Since large crayfish are solitary predators, cannibalism is characteristic of them. The strong eats the weak.This is especially pronounced when young lobsters, recently born, and already large individuals live in one closed area. That is why we recommend preparing two tanks: for parents and for their children.

Let's note one more nuance: lobsters can compete for territory, so several aquariums may be needed for adults as well.

Features of the lobster aquarium

Let's note the most important characteristics of the aquarium and the water in it, which should be paid attention to when growing crustaceans:

• The volume of the aquarium;
• Bottom material;
• Physicochemical parameters of water;
• Water purification and filtration;
• Lack of other living creatures (even corals).

The volume of the aquarium should usually not be less than one hundred liters.

Lobsters dig holes, so the bottom must be loose so that the invertebrate can make a "home" for itself.

Crustaceans love clean water. Any contamination or change in the pH of the water will lead to disease, such as moulting or death of the lobster. Water purification should be carried out with special devices. You understand that just pouring out the old water and pouring new water is not enough. Therefore, it is necessary that specialists are engaged in the maintenance of the aquarium. This will make life easier for you and your crustaceans.

Lobsters are very aggressive, so they even attack corals. Make sure that there are no other living organisms in the aquarium other than a small amount of algae.

Pitfalls in crustacean farming

Like any livestock farming business, lobster farming comes with a financial cost.

The main challenge is that lobsters take a long time to reach sexual maturity. It will take more than one year until you can achieve the first offspring. Therefore, be patient and follow the plan outlined in advance.

When you start making a profit, things will go much better. It will be possible to think about expansion: the creation of artificial reservoirs. But for now, practice on the aquariums. Big business starts small.

Where to Buy Specialized Lobster Aquariums

The best lobster tank is the one made for them. You can find such aquariums in the Aqua-store company. Our experts know everything that crustaceans need for a happy life.

The Aqua-store company offers you not only aquariums, but also everything for the further breeding of lobsters. In addition, we are engaged in the maintenance of aquariums and the supply of consumables in the post-warranty period on very favorable terms.

While you are in business, we take care of your lobsters!

Exotic fish in solid aquariums,
spectacular bubble designs
with bright illumination - status decorations
for your interiors.

And it's very easy to get them in the Aqua-Store!

Breeding lobsters at home

Every year more and more restaurants include such a delicacy as lobster on the menu, so the demand for it is steadily growing. Why not start making money on this? Organizing lobster breeding at home is difficult, but still possible. For this, it is necessary to create suitable conditions and find clients.

We organize a suitable reservoir

You can use an artificially created pond or a natural one for breeding. At the same time, the presence of running water is not at all necessary, the main thing is that the lobsters have the opportunity to equip themselves with a suitable habitat, a burrow. Ideally, if the bottom is made of stone, if we are talking about a natural reservoir, a clay embankment is suitable. In this case, it will be much easier for the lobster to move along the bottom.

Some people try to use the aquarium for breeding. Lobsters will live there, of course, but it is unlikely to grow and reproduce on an industrial scale. Therefore, if you want to organize a profitable business, you should think about creating a special reservoir that will provide sufficient productivity.In addition, aquarium breeding is much more troublesome with feeding and cleaning, it is especially difficult to protect the younger generation from cannibalism on the part of adults.

Is the pool suitable

Another suitable option would be an indoor pool, in which all the suitable conditions for the life and development of this crustacean species are created. In this case, breeding can be carried out all year round, the lobsters will not hibernate, they will constantly feed and grow in size.

But one pool (or large capacity) may not be enough, so it is worth considering organizing several. In this case, it will be possible to increase your income at times. But we note right away that breeding lobsters at home is not a quick process, so you won't have to wait for a huge profit for the first year or two.

The depth of the reservoir should be at least 2 meters, while the area should be at least 40-50 sq. meters. You can even dig it up manually, but if it is possible to rent an excavator, this will greatly simplify the task. For a successful business of reservoirs, you will need at least 4. The bottom must be equipped with gravel and sand, and a grid should be installed in the reservoir itself. It is also necessary to constantly monitor the composition of the water and, if necessary, purify it.

Difficulties of doing business

Since the lobster develops rather slowly, and before one individual grows up and enters puberty, at least 5 years must pass, few people are in a hurry to do this business. It is much easier to organize their capture off the coast of Norway or in the Mediterranean Sea.

But if there is a desire to engage in just such an activity, it is necessary to take a responsible approach to the conditions of keeping lobsters, monitor the composition, quality and quantity of water, and regularly clean it. Water renewal should be approximately 30 percent. Lobsters also need their own microclimate.

This type of crustacean is quite whimsical in food and they will have to organize a special diet. For industrial purposes, special feeds are sold that help to increase the weight of one individual as soon as possible (which is only possible).

Preservation of offspring

Even if adults were purchased for breeding, it will be very difficult to keep the offspring from cannibalism. To do this, they need to organize a special meal. Therefore, many recommend keeping the nursery with small individuals separate from the reservoir in which adults grow. Until they grow up, it will take more than one year.

Food should be given as food, in this matter it is better to refrain from experiments and not to use dubious mixtures. Nutrition for lobsters should be as balanced as possible, for this the composition should contain fiber, protein, calcium. In the diet of adults, you can also see the following ingredients:

• Crude fat;
• Crude protein
• Minced fish;
• Bread;
• Fish flour;
• Calcium in the form of chalk;
• Invertebrates;
• Small crustaceans.

Who will be the client

It will not be difficult to organize sales of products. Any restaurant, especially an elite one, is always willing to arrange the supply of fresh raw materials. You also have to give high-quality advertising and submit ads to newspapers and magazines. This business is not that widespread, so there will be many clients.

How to Succeed in Business

Since it is difficult to do well on some lobsters, you might consider breeding other crustaceans in parallel, which grow faster and can be sold year-round (under indoor pool conditions). A suitable choice would be, for example, Australian cancer. This species is the fleshyest, but it can only be bred in indoor ponds. He is not whimsical in food and eats almost everything the same as lobster. Blue or marble crayfish are also excellent choices.

It is important to choose the right type of lobster for breeding, as some grow a little faster, some grow more slowly. The most popular types of lobster are Norwegian and American.

Business setup costs

The most expensive item in this business will be the organization of a reservoir for breeding lobster. The fact is that this crustacean is quite whimsical to the composition of the water and its purity. In addition, protective measures are needed for the reservoir from freezing. Its lower layers require special protection.

So, in general, you will need:

• Reservoirs or breeding tanks of sufficient size;
• Aerators to provide oxygen supply;
• Cleaning devices;
• Measuring devices for studying the state of water;
• Compound feed with a stock;
• Clear breeding technology.

Every year, the costs will be felt less and less, and with the start of the sale of adults, they will no longer be a burden at all.

Thus, breeding lobster is a rather long process that requires organization costs and the right approach to business. But if you look at the future, this business is definitely among the most profitable and profitable.

We recommend that you familiarize yourself with:

We recommend that you familiarize yourself with:

1. 

   Find a suitable place. To create a thriving lobster farm, you need space to build several feeders - underwater plantations. The important elements of the farm are: clean water, free of pollution and waste, flat terrain for installing feeders. It's also important to free up enough space for the lobsters. Lobsters can feed on each other while their shells are forming if they feel that the feeder is too tight. Make sure there is enough space to accommodate enough feeders to avoid overcrowding the lobster environment.

2. 

   Install feeders. Provide a good habitat for your lobsters by installing some clean feeders on your farm. They will not only attract lobsters to the farm, but also protect them from predators from the outside world and from each other. Place the troughs back-to-back, in even rows, so the lobsters can easily make their way to them.

3. 

   Provide good filtration. To protect lobsters from diseases that can quickly spread throughout the farm, purify the water. The best way to prevent disease is to clear waste from feeders. The automatic filtration system will ensure regular waste cleaning. The bio-filtration system will leave waste in the water, but convert it into less toxic nitrates that are not harmful to lobsters.

4. 

   Buy maggots. You can find suppliers of lobster larvae from nurseries or fish farms in Canada and the north Atlantic coast. After the lobster hatches from its shell, it will be small in size, with large eyes and a slender body. It is a larva and must go through 4 stages before it looks like a lobster.

5. 

   Feed your lobsters. Maintain their health and growth by feeding them regularly. In the wild, they eat small crustaceans, molluscs and fish. You can purchase suitable food from a maggot supplier. Lobster mixes are developed in Norway. On the farm, you can feed the lobsters with cod.

Breeding crayfish for sale at home is a profitable business. Conditions for successful breeding and approximate profit calculation.

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Breeding crayfish as a business cannot be called a new idea - the first crustacean farms were tried to be organized back in the pre-perestroika USSR in the Rostov region. But it is not yet known whether anyone fully understands the prospects for crustaceans. At first glance, they may seem fantastic.

For complete clarity, you must first understand the cancers themselves. Cancer is not just cancer. Cancers come in many different types, and their commercial value varies.

What are cancers

In our water bodies, there are six types of crayfish: broad-fingered (Astacus astacus), narrow-fingered (A. leptodactylus), American signal, or spotted (Pacifastacus leniusculus) and striped (Orconectes limosus), as well as Far Eastern Daurian and Vladivostok.

We sweep aside the overseas striped one at once - it is shallow, aggressive, of little use for food; in general, a weed and a pest. In Lithuania and Belarus, where they appeared not so long ago, they are trying to exterminate them.

Far Eastern crayfish are peaceful, but not suitable for business: small (12-13 cm maximum) and tasteless. They are used more often as bait for catching large fish.

The signal one is fastidious, like a broad-fingered, but smaller than a narrow-fingered one, so for now let's turn to the natives - a narrow-fingered and a wide-fingered one. Narrow-fingered is exactly the same cancer that everyone knows. You can start the cancer business with it, but first, let's remember the broad-fingered one.

River lobsters

Remember Dumas' Ten Years Later? Is the jailer persuading Iron Mask to eat? "Here are Marne crayfish, large as lobsters!" It was about the broad-footed crayfish. In the current catches (where they are still caught), wide-fingered ones reach 20 cm (narrow-fingered ones - 15-17 cm), and themselves are more massive and fleshy.

There is reliable information about the capture in the past of wide-fingered crayfish of 27 and even 33 cm - this is already the marketable size of large marine crustaceans (European and Norwegian lobster and lobster), which are marketed under the general name “lobster”. Comparative sizes of "medium" wide-clawed and narrow-clawed crayfish are visible in the figure, and there is no need to explain who is who there.

And if you also take into account that the wide-fingered one is much tastier than its counterpart and could occupy the gap on sale between the everyday food product - shrimp and expensive delicacies - sea lobsters, then we can no longer talk about home, but about really big business. Who knows, maybe this article will be read by a smart and enterprising person, and someday "Russian Lobster" will become a world brand ...

Where did the broad-fingered

Once "lobster-large" wide-fingered crayfish dominated water bodies throughout Europe, and their small cousins ​​huddled in nooks. But from the middle of the 19th century, when there was massive industrial pollution, the more resilient and unpretentious narrow-fingered ones began to displace them. Our crayfish interbreed with each other, hybrids die out, and gradually only narrow-fingered ones remain in the reservoir.

Now the broad-toed ones have remained only in the clean rivers of the Baltic basin and in some Karelian lakes. So a well-organized cancer business can also help save a rare, endangered species, which is at the same time a source of highly valuable animal protein.

What to expect from the cancer business

Business - breeding crayfish is attractive not only because of the prospects, but also because it can be started from scratch at home and with a small initial investment. The return can reach 200-300% (!) Within 3-4 years; specific figures are given below.

In addition, if the "cancer newbie" is not ambitious and does not see himself in dreams in the top 100 Forbes, but simply wants to have a stable good income for himself, then breeding crayfish is just what he needs.

And finally, a business on crayfish does not require a "headache" not only for small, but also for serious entrepreneurs: expensive and not always reliable marketing research, customer acquisition and other promotion. Cancers, like RankXerox products, do not need advertising. Just offer - the demand is guaranteed. But first you need to be patient and start with knowledge of the matter.

How to breed crayfish for sale

Formation of broodstock

Breeding crayfish as a home business requires some knowledge of crayfish biology. It is best to start with a narrow-fingered one - you can get master specimens almost everywhere, and it is unpretentious, but there will still be demand. With experience, you can take on a valuable and promising broad-fingered. It is better to involve a hydrobiologist as a partner on the shares.

Masterbatch specimens need to be caught by yourself.In a purchased crayfish, even if it crawls, the gills are already dry. Such a cancer, if it survives, then most likely will no longer multiply.

Crayfish are caught with special crayfish; For the drawing of the frame, see the figure. The frame is covered with a fine mesh. The bait is meat or fish waste, it is better "with a smell", but just a little, "for the smell." Cancer finds food by smell, but it is environmentally friendly and does not accumulate “nasty things” in itself. Having eaten obvious rotten stuff, he can get poisoned and then die.

Cancer is a nocturnal animal, and crayfish with bait is put in the evening, and in the morning they choose the catch. If 30-40 pieces are caught, this is already a broodstock; the rest can be put on sale. Crayfish are found in deep places under clay slopes.

We sort the catch on the spot - large ones for divorce, small ones for sale. Selling ones can be carried in a bucket, covered with a wet rag, and manufacturers - 10-15 pcs. in a 20 l plastic water tank with a wide mouth. It is better not to be greedy and to form a broodstock (30-50 pcs.) In 2-3 doses.

If it is more than half an hour's drive to the base, the water in the transport tank must be blown out with an aquarium spray from a rubber bulb or an aquarium air compressor connected to the on-board network through a low-power 12/200 V converter. Make sure that the output of the converter is 220V 50Hz; from "constant" the compressor does not work.

Shellfish farm equipment

To breed crayfish, you will need a shed, attic or annex, heated up to +15 degrees in winter. The key to commercial success is successful reproduction, but in winter crayfish hibernate, their life cycle is interrupted, and you don't expect a lot of income.

The crustacean should have 3-4 containers of at least 200 liters each. Old enamel baths, plastic tanks, etc. will do. Iron barrels and tanks are not suitable: if there are iron salts in the water, crayfish will multiply badly. The broodstock is initially evenly distributed among the containers.

The containers should contain fragments of hollow bricks, pieces of plastic pipes, etc. shelters for crayfish. The conviction - they say, you definitely need clay for digging holes, is untenable. Cancer is not a fool, and if there is a ready-made dwelling, it will not bother itself in vain.

An important secret about water: it should be soft (with the lowest possible content of calcium and magnesium salts, which give a precipitate during boiling), but with soluble mineral salts. Salts are needed for crayfish to build their shells. In general, crayfish come from the sea, and they love a little salty. The ideal option is artesian non-chlorinated tap water with the addition of 0.3 - 0.5 g of sea salt (it is now sold everywhere) per liter. Those. salt per liter - a quarter teaspoon. It seems to be a little, but it is very important for crayfish.

Keeping crayfish producers

Water in tanks with crayfish is purged, like in an aquarium. 1/10 - 1/5 of the water is replaced weekly with fresh. Do not forget to add some salt to the replacement water at the rate!

Crayfish are fed with vegetable (including boiled cereals) and meat waste in a ratio of 5/1. An important point: crayfish cannot stand fat! Lard, lard, etc. excluded from the diet. The norm for giving is 5-15 g per 10 cm of body length in the evening. Those. one bowl without a top of kitchen waste is enough for 20 or more meters of crayfish.

They are fed in the evening, in the morning the leftovers that have not been eaten are removed with an aquarium net. Crayfish are clean, and they reproduce in the mud little and poorly.

Reproduction of crayfish

From time to time, crayfish are taken out for inspection. Noticing the attached eggs or juveniles (these are fertilized and bearing females) from below on the abdomen, they are deposited in a separate container; the rest can be compacted.

When small crustaceans appear, they are placed in a separate container (which is why 3-4 baths are needed at once) with shelters and fed like adults. To grow faster, the feed can be passed through a meat grinder. Upon reaching 3-4 cm, the fry are planted, in the warm season, in a growing reservoir. In the cold, they are kept "on a general basis" until the outside is +15 degrees average daily.

Growing to marketable size

Breeding pond for crayfish - a pit with clay or hard slopes and a bottom of at least 30 square meters. m. The depth of the pit is very important: so that in winter it does not freeze to the bottom, but not less than 1 m. 1/10 of the bottom area is a wintering pool, a meter deeper. The pit can be either approximately square or in the form of a trench, whichever is best on the site.

In the pit, shelters are needed, the same as in the spawning grounds. In order not to bother with a water change, it is necessary to provide for the supply of a water supply that is not chlorinated or rain settled (not in an iron container) and an outflow from the upper part. Replacement water can be supplied either in portions weekly, or in a half-match trickle or in frequent drops all the time. The supply rate is 1/20 - 1/50 part weekly, but so that evaporation does not exceed the supply and the water level does not fall. We add some salt to the water, as in the spawning grounds, but do not pour salt into the water immediately, but dilute it in a bucket and gradually pour out the solution.

It is very good to buy a few branches of unpretentious aquarium plants at the pet store: elodea, hornwort. Crayfish also need a vitamin supplement. But do not buy vallisneria and arrowhead: they will cover the entire reservoir over the summer, and crayfish eat them badly. It is better not to take plants from a river or pond: we will bring in competitors, parasites and infection.

The stocking rate of juveniles is 10-30 pcs. for 1 sq. m. growing reservoir. In fact, we are digging a hole, which is possible on the site, and planting, how many have bred by the spring.

We feed the same as in the spawning grounds, at half the rate. It is better to lower the food to the bottom on a hoop tightened with a window netting in the evening, and in the morning to raise the remains up, and at the same time see how much they have grown. If you are ready for sale, we start up rakolovka or several.

It takes 3-4 years from the moment of fertilization of the female to commercial fishing, so be patient.

Commercial results of home breeding

And now we come to the most "tasty" part of crayfish breeding - the business plan.

Initial expenses in the enlarged version - 100-200 thousand rubles. within 3-4 years on their site. Basically - digging a hole with an excavator and water for a change. There is no point in renting a reservoir - such a lease is provided for no more than a year. Cancers grow to marketable size for 3-4 years, and where is the guarantee that the lease will be extended? Especially if they see that the goods have gone.

Now we are looking at eating. On average, from a hundred square meters of water, with regular catching of large ones, 2-2.5 tons of crayfish are obtained per summer. In any case, in biology, this is a quite achievable indicator. Let you be a beginner, and got over the summer with 50 sq. m half a ton.

The very last curmudgeon - the owner of a local pub, 250 rubles each. for a kilo it will take without looking, but at retail you can sell it for 400. We get for the 3rd year over the summer in the worst case, 125,000, and "normally" - 200,000.

That is, even if 4/5 of the juveniles planted for growth have died due to inexperience, in the 3rd year you can already recoup all the initial costs.

If you manage to grow it by 100 square meters, this is a 10x10 m pit, at least half of the planted (and this is quite possible, because in the process of leaving the experience you willy-nilly will pick up), then you can not remove for the same third year less than 400,000 rubles, or 200% of the original. Scattered over the years - 66.7% per year. Forex, and nothing more. But without deception, on their own honest work.