Blue Crawfish

[PatronusBestia]

Hello everyone,

Today I bought a blue crawfish. At the store I was told it is strickly freshwater and eats pellets and fish (dead ones or trying to catch live ones). He also said I could feed pieces of fish I buy at the grocery store as long as they don't contain preservatives, wether they are fresh or saltwater fish.
Since we all know how "accurate" information from the store can be, I was wandering if I can really feed pieces of saltwater fish.

At the moment I have the crawfish (who is about 3" long) in a 20 gallon tank with my feeder guppies and some ghost shrimp, which I both keep to feed my black ghost knifefish, who is in a 55 gal (soon to be moved to a 125 gal).
How big can I expect the crawfish to get and will he need to be moved to a bigger tank?

I have him in the tank now for 3 hours and at first he was walking around and checking out things. Now he is sitting in a corner with his tail slightly curled under. When I dropped some pellets in right infront of him, he started eagerly eating them right away.
Although I provided a hiding spot for him, he's sitting in the open corner. Is that normal and what about his tail slighty curled under?

If anyone can provide me with information about this cool critter, I would greatly appreciate it.

[fishfreaks]

yes, it is normal for them to just sit there with their tail curled under. they molt so i think it's fine in a 20 gallon. the crawdad is fairly new to the tank so i would give it a bit more time to find its hiding place. also when they molt, their body will be soft for a few days while its new shell hardens.

[PatronusBestia]

Thank you fishfreaks for your quick answer.
How do I know when the crawfish is about to molt?

[fishfreaks]

well mine usually go into hiding, and the bend their tails far under their body and "scratch" themselves.

[PatronusBestia]

Yesterday he started blocking off both openings of his hideout (which he finally found, lol) and didn't eat anymore. And now I now why..... He molted tonight!!!! Too bad I missed it and couldn't watch him.
How long will it take for his new "skin" to harden and for him to come out and eat?
I don't want to disturb him until he's ready, before I remove the old "skin" from the tank.
Can I keep the shedded "skin" and preserve it somehow? It just looks so cool. Maybe drying it, or putting it in formalin?

[fishfreaks]

it usuallt takes about a week to harden, i dont know about preserving it, i never thought about that. as long as there are no aggressive fish in the tank, the crawdad most likely will come out of hiding for a meal.

[PatronusBestia]

Thank you very much for your help. Before I could fish out the shell, he started eating it. So I thought he might need the calcium from it and left it for him to eat. He ate it all except one claw!!!
Now he's all lively again and walking around. And he's more beautiful than he was before the molting.
One problem though. The guppies in the tank have ick now. How can I treat them without hurting the crawfish?
Please help.

[fishfreaks]

in my experience i havent had any bad outcomes from using ich meds with a crayfish. as long as his/her shell is hard, then you should be fine

[PatronusBestia]

ok, thank you again for you quick response

[PatronusBestia]

Wow, I had a big scare yesterday morning.
When I went to turn on the lights, I couldn't find the crawfish (named him Crusty, lol).
After looking and looking, I finally found him of the floor trying to attack me!!!!! lol

I had no idea that those guys would climb the filter tube and get out. When I told the guy at the store, he said he's never seen them do that.

Well, he's back in the tank, of course, and seems to be fine. I found some slate that I still had laying around from other tanks and blocked all "exit routes".

Is this normal for him trying to escape? How long can he survive without water?

[fishfreaks]

yes, it is normal. we've had one escape on us and we still haven't found him your lfs may have a piece or plastic that you put onto the rim of the tank to keep him from escaping. as for how long they can live...i believe it's until they dry up.

[mlefev]

They're survivors too. My cousin lost one of his (I think he kept every kind of reptile, crustacean, amphibian, and other crawling hopping thing at one point in time) We found it happily curled up in a wet towel that was hanging over the edge of his sister's bathtub.

[PatronusBestia]

We still have some plexieglass sheets in the garage. My husband is going to cut out a top that fits perfectly without leaving space for him to escape.
Since that leaves no exit for anyone, my killi will be able to move in, too. Bet he'll enjoy the bigger quarters and the occacional baby guppy.
One more question to feeding Crusty. What kind of fish would be best to buy frozen to feed to him. Would Smelt be a good idea? I buy those for a treat for my cats all the time, so there wouldn't be any wasted leftovers.

[PatronusBestia]

by cats I mean the furry ones, felines not fish. lol

[mlefev]

Originally Posted by PatronusBestia

We still have some plexieglass sheets in the garage. My husband is going to cut out a top that fits perfectly without leaving space for him to escape.
Since that leaves no exit for anyone, my killi will be able to move in, too. Bet he'll enjoy the bigger quarters and the occacional baby guppy.
One more question to feeding Crusty. What kind of fish would be best to buy frozen to feed to him. Would Smelt be a good idea? I buy those for a treat for my cats all the time, so there wouldn't be any wasted leftovers.

All my cousin's crayfish would eat was bacon pieces...warmed but not cooked fully, and bits of freshwater fish. They might eat smelt, but i'm not completely sure.

[PatronusBestia]

I found a website for blue crayfish and they say that they can drown, if they're in water deeper than 2-3 inches above them unless you put a bubblestone in. So I did and after Crusty finally found it, he's now holding the bubblestone with both claws, lol.
The link is www.bluecrayfish.com
Very helpful info on there concerning the blue crayfish

[arnola]

I've been thinking of getting a crayfish! Do they truly need to come up for air? I have a 125 gal tank that is about 18" deep. I do have a bubble stick. Will he/she be ok (if I decide to purchase one) ?

[arnola]

IF I get this crayfish, will he bother my catfish(es)? I have a striped raphael and a pictus, both about 8-10" long and a plecostomus that is also about 10" long. I have a 125 gal tank.

[fishfreaks]

what are your other tank mates going to be? I believe it depends on the crayfish

[fishfreaks]

I would not chance it. I've had one attack an 8 inch pleco before as well as cory and a few other fish. Since striped raphaels are nocturnal and lazy during the day, the crayfish might find it as a meal