I'm missing my Orange Dwarf Crayfish, has anyone seen him lately?

OhYesItsMe · 02-16-2013, 08:10 PM

As i have planted and added driftw wood to my 20 gallon tank, my little orange dwarf crayfish has been getting better at hiding, if I cant see him at first glance, i know where he is, hes hiding on a small piece of drift wood with java ferns growing on it, i usually only see him a few times a week. When i was feeding the fish today, i realized i havent seen him in a week. I thoroughly checked the small piece of wood twice, the filter intake and all over. He didnt jump because he has severe acrophobia, rarely goes off the substrate of his little piece of wood, and i checked the carpet. Do ou think he really crammed himself in the wood (I had to break the wood while it was wet with the java fern on it because the piece from my 55 was too big for my 20 and a saw would not work so i had to use one of those flat headed awl things and a hammer and it made the wood kind of sloppy and rigid looking). Ill check agian tomorow when i do a water change, what do you think could have happened?

C. King · 02-16-2013, 11:16 PM

Don't worry just yet; inverts are master ninjas at hiding. I had bought 4 shrimp, but hadn't seen any in a month, so bought a few more. Then I did a real good cleaning, taking out driftwood, etc., and all the shrimp were there! My first shrimp is now a year old, and huge for a ghost shrimp (as big as my adult cardinal tetras) and I still can't find him most of the time. So wait until you do a good cleaning (being very careful in case he is hidden) and you still can't find him before coming to any dire conclusions. If he did die, his body could be eaten, but surely the shell would still be evident.