Abalone

DBarsotti · Sep 17, 2011

Who has one? Who has kept one? What was your experience? Let's hear it.

Recently they've really struck my interest and once I move my tank I want to plumb my 15g QT tank into my system and possibly put a few in there. I realize they don't do much but I love to eat them so I think it'd be cool to raise some.

I can't seem to find any for sale anywhere now a days, anyone got any leads?
I'd really like to get some aquacultured/farmed ones since I've read wild species are struggling in some areas due to disease and overfishing.

revhtree · Sep 17, 2011

They are beautiful! LOL! HA!

Reef UP · Sep 17, 2011

Check out reef geeks! I think they have some and I don't know if it'd be safe to eat them if they were raised in your tank

DBarsotti · Sep 17, 2011

haha, i didn't mean i'd raise them to eat them, i should of made that more clear, i just want to raise some for fun.

DBarsotti · Sep 17, 2011

revhtree said:
They are beautiful! LOL! HA!

ha yes rev i know they are ugly little suckers ha

ghostman · Sep 17, 2011

I have 3 of them, and have had one of them for a couple years. Mostly nocturnal, great algae eaters, mostly on the glass but do go onto rock. Easily does the work of several snails. Nothing in my tanks bother them. Largest one is probably the size of a computer mouse. Never fed them, never ate them either

but now you got me thinking....

DBarsotti · Sep 17, 2011

haha, Thats awesome!

I really want to get a few. I don't see why you couldn't eat them? I mean if i raise one for several years i probably wouldn't want to eat it after all that time but i'm just saying..

As for not seeing them, i would dedicate a little 15g tank for them so i could feed them regularly, perhaps make it a little clam / loney tank. that'd be sweet

Got any pictures??

ghostman · Sep 17, 2011

Ill take a pic, but as already said, they aren't very photogenic:bigsmile:I'll try to take a pic of them tonight and post it. After reading this, I had to check on them since it's been a few days since I've seen them. They were all sleeping in the same spot behind the rocks like they always do.

DBarsotti · Sep 17, 2011

ghostman said:
Ill take a pic, but as already said, they aren't very photogenic:bigsmile:I'll try to take a pic of them tonight and post it. After reading this, I had to check on them since it's been a few days since I've seen them. They were all sleeping in the same spot behind the rocks like they always do.

awesome! i'd like to see a picture even if its crappy ha

KLR · Sep 17, 2011

I HAVE TONS! no joke

I got some from the lfs on LR and they are reproducing like CRAZY. I've watched them spawn before,well I think they were, and I probably have about 50 or so in the 1/4-1/2in. range and hundreds in the tiny size...

DBarsotti · Sep 17, 2011

KLR said:
I HAVE TONS! no joke

I got some from the lfs on LR and they are reproducing like CRAZY. I've watched them spawn before,well I think they were, and I probably have about 50 or so in the 1/4-1/2in. range and hundreds in the tiny size...

seriously?? Pictures!!

secretreefer · Sep 17, 2011

it's farmin' time...lol! dude seriously abalone is 30 - 50 bucks a can. ... can you say homegrown organic abalone?

DBarsotti · Sep 17, 2011

If they are spawning and reproducing thats crazy because i've been reading about that and they're broadcast spawners so thats hecka neat

ghostman · Sep 22, 2011

Here's a couple bad pics of my largest one, taken with an iPhone at night! It's also my first time posting pics, so please bear with me!!! I think the pics are rotated 90degrees. As mentioned before, he is as big as a computer mouse, and just as fuzzy. For reference, that duncan colony in the background of the first pic is about as big as a 16" softball-too many heads to count:smile:

KLR · Sep 22, 2011

DBarsotti said:
seriously?? Pictures!!

Ill work on it.

I have all kinds

Brown
Pink/Red Swirl(Only one of these,im guessing its the girl,lol)
Big fuzzy looking one(Only one of these aswell,grandpa)
Mettalic
and other patterns

TTTTOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNSSSSSSS of tiny ones,in the 1/12in. size

jestersix · Sep 22, 2011

LMK if you find a source, I've been looking for some for a while with no luck!

DBarsotti · Sep 22, 2011

ghostman said:
Here's a couple bad pics of my largest one, taken with an iPhone at night! It's also my first time posting pics, so please bear with me!!! I think the pics are rotated 90degrees. As mentioned before, he is as big as a computer mouse, and just as fuzzy. For reference, that duncan colony in the background of the first pic is about as big as a 16" softball-too many heads to count:smile:

I cant see the pictures?

KLR said:
Ill work on it.

I have all kinds

Brown
Pink/Red Swirl(Only one of these,im guessing its the girl,lol)
Big fuzzy looking one(Only one of these aswell,grandpa)
Mettalic
and other patterns

TTTTOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNSSSSSSS of tiny ones,in the 1/12in. size