Bringing crab on

[jamiebrennan]

Just a quick couple of questions, ive got a few peelers and theyre not ready yet, ive got a pump and me sea water and a fridge. Do i keep them in the fridge and run the pump into it or keep them outside and put them in the fridge when theyre just popping? Cheers.

[Marty.E.]

Jamie
It depends when you want to bring the peelers on. I keep mine out of the fridge in a tank until they become a bit soft either side of the body, inside of the nippers. It's then that I put them into the fridge under a wet cloth and hold them back for the weekend matches up north or peel them off for the freezer.
Cheers
Marty

[jamiebrennan]

Cheers Marty, do you use the pump when theyre in the tank? How much water do i need to put in? Thanks

[rod-the-cod]

i use a black recycle box with about 3 inches of sea water and plenty of air

[tonybax]

jamie
you will find that as the days get warmer and the water in ya tank warms up you will have to check them more regular or they will be out there shells much quicker.

[Mogthemackem]

It sounds like you've got exactly the same setup as me rod. They will pop faster when the water warms up a bit Jamie. They're like my little pets at the moment. I check them before and after work every day as I made the mistake of not doing that last year and had a lot more softies in my freezer than I wanted. I usually have my box on an angle so they can get slightly out of the water if they want. Also when you put a cloth over them make sure the cloth isn't soaking wet as somehow they can still pop. If you're really desparate to keep them in their shell you can do what Bill does. He puts an elastic band round they're shell if they're trying to pop too early lol

[codonly]

jamie,check ya pms

[jamiebrennan]

Cheers fellas, couldnt get online yesterday due to bt being crap! I can usually keep the crab healthy and alive but not enough to get them to pop, lost a few last summer and dont want to make the same mistakes. I wasnt sure if i could keep them alive out of the fridge for any length of time, is room temp ok for them or do they need a bit of a chilly area. Thanks Guys!

[tonybax]

they will survive in warm water jamie as long as you keep it well aeriated but the downside is they pop quicker

[Mogthemackem]

A good little tip on those warmer days Jamie is little freezer blocks. I sometimes just pop one of those into my tank on a morning when I think it's going to be a warm day. You can pop them back in the freezer over night as it should be cold enough then anyway. Just to emphasise to keep checking them though as I didn't have time when I got in yesterday and this morning 2 had popped. One was lovely and snotty so I just clipped out the lungs and into the freezer but the other was really firming up. I think I'll put that one back in the sea when I get home tonight as he beat me fair and square.