Acclimation Procedures for the Australian Red Claw Crayfish, Cherax quadricarinatus

Abstract

Procedures to acclimate red claw crayfish, Cherax quadricarinatus, juveniles after transport times of 24 and 48 hours are described. Animals were kept in tanks and subjected to a purging process during 48 hours before shipping and packing. Acclimation tanks should have enough bottom area to avoid excessive aggregation of animals. Plastic onion bag nets added to the tank provide additional shelter for the juveniles. Oxygen levels should be maintained above 6 ppm and the temperature increased no more than 1 °C per hour. Using the described procedures, survival rates obtained 126 days after shipping and acclimation were 88.7% and 72.7% for the animals that had a transport time of 24 and 48 hours, respectively.