# raising edible shrimp or crawfish?



## Vietguy357

I was just eating at a buffet the other day then I thought, can we buy live shrimp like the one they sell at the grocery stores and raise them and breed them. Maybe we could do it with crawfish too. Has anyone ever tried this or knew someone that did it?


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## JohnPaul

I'm pretty sure the shrimp that are normally eaten & served in restaurants are a saltwater species, not a freshwater. No idea what they would need as far as tank size, etc.

As for crayfish, I know one of the most commonly eaten species in Louisiana is _Procambarus clarkii_, which is also one of the most commonly kept aquarium species. So it would definitely be possible. To raise them in significant quantities you would need a really huge tank though, as they can get somewhat large (up to around 5-6" I think) and crayfish will cannibalize each other during molts if there are not a lot of hiding spaces.


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## Vietguy357

oh haha, I might try to raise crawlfish or saltwater shrimps in one of those big above ground pools. About 5000 gallon. It might be a cool thing to try later on.


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## Zapins

Its not economically a good idea to raise them yourself if you want to eat them.

The money you would spend on building a pond big enough with all the right filters and heaters, etc... would be more then 50 years worth of buying them once a month at the grocery shop. 

If you are simply interested in finding out IF its possible, then that's a different story.


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## neilshieh

plus they carry a whole bunch or crap that you wont want in tanks


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## tbcpat

I checked here to find info but it seems I know more than most. You can raise fresh water prawn they need a lot of room also or they will eat each other. Substrate can help. Look up aquaponics and aquaculture.
Good luck.


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## aquaman555

I don't know about shrimp, but crawfish as others said definitely could breed just as Zapins said though not economical for your own food supply. Down here you can get crawfish that are "pond" raised so you definitely could breed and raise them though.


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