Algae In a Lobster Tank and How to Control It
We’ve all seen it. In fact if you’re reading this article you’re challenged with an excessive amount right now and hope to find a cure. First let’s look at what it is, and why it’s there. There literally are thousands of types of algae, specifically aquarium algae. Remember, your lobster tank is an aquarium! But in this article we’ll focus…
A Presentation at C.A.S.A. by Tom Olsen(Central Atlantic States Association of Food and Drug Officials)
On May 9, I had the pleasure of speaking to the C.A.S.A (Central Atlantic States Association of Food and Drug Officials) members at the 2023 Educational and Training Seminar in Pittsburgh, PA, about Molluscan Shellfish and Lobster Care. The three-day event at which exhibitors, university, consumer, industry, and regulatory representatives present relevant developments, materials, techniques, topics and issues in the food,…
“Crazing” — What Is It?
Does your tank look like this? Stress crazing, which appears as an area of tiny micro-cracks, occasionally shows up in areas on the surface of most thermoplastic sheets. This phenomena, although rare and preventable, is known to occur in many types of plastic sheet materials and occasionally shows up on the surface of acrylic aquariums, hot tubs, sneeze guards and…
Maintaining Your Lobster Tank During the Holidays
The busiest season for seafood sales is upon us! Everything you’ve worked for throughout the year comes to fruition during the Christmas and New Year’s selling season. It is important not to neglect your tank and keep it in good working condition. Remember, the more activity in a tank, the more it’s at risk of “crashing”, and no one wants…
Lobster Tank Maintenance
Is your lobster tank suddenly running warm? Does the water tend to get cloudy often? Do you suddenly find that there are dead lobsters in your tank? While there are a number of possibilities as to why you are experiencing these problems, the root cause can be attributed to regular maintenance on your tank or lack thereof. Routine maintenance on…
What to Expect Now That Your New Tank is Up and Running
New Tank Syndrome aka, “The Break in Period” In established tanks, just as in nature, toxic ammonia from lobster waste is broken down by bacteria into nitrite, which is itself broken down by a different group of bacteria into nitrate. In a new tank, those bacteria are not present in any quantity, and it takes time – 8 weeks under…
Soft Shell Lobsters
Lobsters go through many changes in their lives. Alike most species in the world, lobsters grow throughout their lifetime. In order to grow bigger, the lobsters must undergo a vital process called Molting. A lobster’s shell is hard and inelastic and therefore has limited space for growth. When it is a lobsters time to grow, it will begin forming a…
Bacterial Bloom
WHAT IS IT? Bacterial blooms are extremely common, especially in newly set up lobster tanks, or in those where overstocking has occurred or those that have just undergone a significant water change.. Heterotrophic bacteria feed on organic matter, such as decaying algae, lobster feces, and dead bacteria. These bacteria can rapidly reproduce, causing the tank to cloud up. When exactly…
“I’m Out of Salt”
“Can I use kosher salt, Epsom salt, or traditional table salt?” We get asked this question many times, especially in the busier summer months. Unfortunately the answer is no. Here’s why….. KOSHER SALT, TABLE SALT, HIMALAYAN SALT, SEA SALT – There are many varieties of food salt available on the grocery store shelves and the problem with using these in a salt water…
Live Shellfish Tank Maintenance
Pans should be inspected daily for dead or cracked product LLS does not recommend mussels to be stored in the tank. Water should be changed weekly or more frequently as needed when a strong smell is present. Open ball valve with system running to divert circulated water into the drain. Once all the water is pumped from the system turn…
Activated Carbon
When you serve a customer by hand picking a number of fresh lobsters out of the tank, do you expect to catch an unpleasant whiff or see the water filled with a cloudy fog? Obviously not and we have activated carbon to thank for that (Along with other process but we will save that for another day). Activated carbon can…
Excessive Protein
Does your tank look like this and you just cannot figure out why? Well rest assured, we have answers for you. Depending on the lobster tank model you have, the foam you see in the picture above will appear on top of the water on top of your tank or underneath the tank in your reservoir base (sump). This foam…
How Purging Lobsters Can Help Reduce Store Shrink
Nobody enjoys watching money go down the drain and nobody knows this better than the seafood department staff. A successful live lobster program requires maintenance and attention, which takes time, and time is a valuable commodity, especially in a retail operation! Too often do we find a tank of weak lobsters, and some dead, due to high ammonia levels. Purging…