Keeping Lobsters Alive

[ardhill]

Originally Posted by royplumber

how important is a cooler

I suppose it depend how well you can keep your tank at sea temperature, say about 8-12 degrees maybe?

All right in the winter if it is outside, but summer could be a bit of a problem.

[Ken]

Originally Posted by royplumber

6 months i thought id have to change seawater it every 3 days. I was going to keep them as a pet because they are great to whatch then when we have guest around it's fresh lobster for dinner. Would i need a filter yes/no how important is a cooler good idea about resturant having one whats his telephone number .

All your info is great and does not look to much trouble to keep

Lobsters in an aquarium pee and crap. They also accumulate toxins in their tissues if they are not removed by either biological, or mechanical means. Instant Ocean is a great artifical salt mix that takes the worry out of having microbes in the water and not having to lug vats of seawater. The bad thing about lobsters kept in tanks for a longish period is muscular waste and not nearly taste anything like live caughts. They are not Tilapia, not that Tilapia is all that great to eat.

Also, cooler water temps. promote better oxygenation and reduce lobster metabolic activity. However, don't just dump lobsters from warmer water into colder water. They need time to acclimate. BTW...six months between water changes is an awfully long time. Would you breathe the same air for six months without having it scrubbed everyday? Yuck.

[Ian B]

Blimey Roy. You'd come home from work, see it in the aquarium and the pot would be boiling within 20 minutes. So probably no need to change the water!

[Steve L.]

Originally Posted by wolf_diver

lobsters are for eating, get it down ya!!!

Wolfy

Yes, but not in Dorset where most of the cafe`s and restaurants close at lunch time and completely before tea-tea time.

I can say this as I was born in Weymouth and come from a long line of Dorsetonians.

[Dr T]

hummm.. thermidore ......



a

[Scuttler]

Originally Posted by Steve L.

Wolfy

Yes, but not in Dorset where most of the cafe`s and restaurants close at lunch time and completely before tea-tea time.

I can say this as I was born in Weymouth and come from a long line of Dorsetonians.

??????????? news to me...remind me which century this was......I have just been out for lunch....very nice it was too

[SteveCT]

Originally Posted by ardhill

Keeping Lobsters Alive!

Not sure if anyone on this forum would know how to do that

Now, ask how to cook them and you will get lots of answers

If you have any aquariums near you, someone there might be able to help though.

Can't you cleans all the water by putting a flame under the tank until they are nice and pink?

Steve
www.divetheworld.com

[louigi]

Find that if you use a uv fillter system that has a high filtration rate this will remove the toxins and areate the water enough to help the little buggers stay well however you will need to ensure that the tank is big enough for them to gain enough exercise to remain healthy also.
you will find that a good pet shop that spcializes in marine fish and invertabrates will help you with the information you need.
Best of luck and happy lobbie keeping.

[tiggerbiker]

one of my other hobbys is marine reef keeping.
i have a 4'x2'x2' reef tank and it has cost me £1000's to get set up and running. + an extra £45 per month on the electricity bill.

you need a large volume of water to keep a fair size lobster and you will need a lot of live rock to handle the filtration (currently selling at about £12-15 per Kg - i have 95Kg in my tank).
you will also need lots of high flow pumps to keep the water moving atleast 10-20x turnover an hour.
it will also take about 2-4 months for the tank to settle and mature before you put ANYTHING in it!

and you would need a seriously big chiller to keep the temperature stable - a pub beer chiller wont do it!
you would need a comercial unit to pull the water temp down to the right temperature.
then theres the protien skimmer, you would need a big skimmer for a big tank - i have a deltec APF600 which i paid £150 for - secondhand!!
then you have to test for density, PH, alkalinity, nitrates, nitrite, ammonia, phosphate, calcium, magnesium.

than after all that - one slight oversight with any of those water perameters and the whole system crashes and you suffer a total wipeout

[royplumber]

Originally Posted by tiggerbiker

than after all that - one slight oversight with any of those water perameters and the whole system crashes and you suffer a total wipeout

Blimy I thought fish tank in garden change water once a month and bingo. Looks like another idea fallen flat. Thanks for the wisdom & insight lads