When he's not writing, he can be found at the gym or searching for nerdy documentaries on Amazon Prime. Remember me Log in. Lost your password? Crayfish are aggressive omnivores. They are opportunistic little guys. Recap Yes, crayfish will eat your other fish if given the opportunity. Crayfish Dude Crayfish Dude enjoys writing about crayfish, fish tanks, and other aspects of the aquarium world. Crayfish make excellent pets, and can often be seen building little hills, mounds, digging, hiding among shadowy rocks and plants, and burrowing in the gravel at the bottom of their tanks.
Feed your crayfish daily or several times a week. Don't leave excess food in the tank and try to introduce variety in their diet. A combination of meaty foods and pellets ensures good round nutrition.
Put a sandy bottom in the tank to help with molting. When crayfish are molting, there's a small space on their back where they have a piece of sand that helps them orient themselves in their world. Without the sand, they'll shoot upside down. To take care of a crayfish, feed it a balanced diet that consists of mostly sinking pellet food. You can also feed it cabbage leaves, shelled peas, and frozen bloodworms to supplement its diet. When you feed your crayfish, drop the food next to its hiding place so it's able to find it.
On top of feeding your crayfish a healthy diet, make sure it has plenty of fake plants, rocks, and shelters to hide in since crayfish like to hide and be in the dark. To learn how to set up a tank for your crayfish, keep reading!
Did this summary help you? Yes No. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Cookie Settings. Explore this Article parts. Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Article Summary. Part 1. Buy or catch a crayfish. You can often find crayfish for purchase at marine shops that sell tropical fish, as well as some pet stores. Before you start shopping around, do a little reading on the different species and their individual needs.
In some parts of the world, you can catch crayfish in streams or other shallow bodies of water. Just grab a small net and start hunting under rocks until you spot one that will make a suitable pet. Set up a tank to house your crayfish. Generally speaking, the tank you choose should be large enough to hold at least 5—10 gallons 19—38 L for each crayfish inside. However, a 15—20 US gal 57—76 L tank is ideal, especially for larger varieties.
Look for tanks that feature built-in aeration and filtration units to keep the water clean and circulating properly. Fill the tank with fresh, well-balanced water. Crayfish prefer water with a neutral pH around 7. You can typically find these kits in the fish section at pet stores, or wherever pool supplies are sold. Avoid adding objects like seashells to your tank, as foreign minerals can throw off the pH of the water. Change the water in the tank at least once a week.
Crayfish generate large amounts of waste products that can be taxing on standard aquarium filtration systems. Stick to mounted tube or sponge filters only.
Crayfish like to dig, which can end up jamming undergravel filters. Incorporate a few natural environmental features. Add elements like rocks, water plants, or lengths of PVC pipe to the bottom of your tank. That way, your crayfish will have a place to play, burrow, or hide away for a while.
Large structures like hollow rocks, gerbil tubes, or enclosed containers are particularly good for making crayfish feel safe, especially during their vulnerable shedding period. So what are some of the best tank mates for Crayfish? Instead, the Asian White Cloud Minnow is a great substitute for not only Goldfish but other small schooling fish for your coldwater aquarium.
They are small and peaceful yet stick mostly to the middle and upper water column. When searching for Crayfish tank mates we want to avoid fish that stick to the bottom unless they are large and aggressive enough to fend off the Crayfish. White Cloud Minnows are also omnivorous and will eat just about any plant or animal material offered, just like Crayfish. Plant-based prepared formulas, fresh and frozen foods, and small standard pellets are all happily accepted by them!
There are several species of freshwater sharks that can be found in the trade. The Red Tail Black Shark is one of the few bottom dwellers that can live alongside a non-Dwarf Crayfish so long as your shark is larger than it. Red Tail Sharks are territorial and aggressive in their own right and need to be given a cave or driftwood hollow to call their own.
Red Tail Sharks are much less aggressive when they have turf to defend, otherwise they tend to claim the entire tank bottom as their own. The closely related Rainbow Shark Epalzeorhynchos frenatum is much less aggressive. Since Crayfish are typically bottom dwelling menaces one of the best ways to ensure their tank mates remain safe is to choose fish that stay at the top constantly! Look for fish with laterally compressed heads and upturned mouths. Arowana, Guppies, and many Killifish display these traits and hang at the surface looking for food.
Hatchetfish, on the other hand, are nearly perfect because they spend all of their time at the surface. These small insectivores are closely related to Tetras, Silver Dollars, and even the fearsome Piranha. You do not need to worry if they are not eating their food, they should start eating again when they get hungry. If they are not eating at all try switching the type of food that you are giving them and check your water parameters. This can also happen if the tank is overstocked.
It is common for them to sit in their hiding spots throughout the day, making it difficult to see them. If you want to see them more during the day time, try putting food around the tank to watch them scavenge. Some people choose to feed their Crayfish using a pair of tongs, which helps them to get used to people and their artificial environment. Try to keep their feeding routine regular. They will learn their feeding times and may venture out from their hiding spots when they think their food is coming.
The life cycle of a Crayfish starts with an oocyte egg. This takes 15 days, by which point they are only 0. To recreate this in your aquarium you simply need to break down the food you give them to a suitable size.
Check that the food is disappearing from the tank, and if you can, watch them eat to make sure it is definitely them doing the eating. You can feed them crushed baby shrimp food which is available online and in some fish stores. This usually comes in a powder form which you can sprinkle into the tank.
One of the biggest problems for larvae is finding food, so providing lots of food is key to reducing mortality. After the larval stages, young Crayfish look just like miniature adults. You can feed juveniles the same foods as adults. Just make sure you feed them every day until adulthood because they need more energy for growth.
It should be clear to see that when keeping Crayfish, their diet will be the least of your worries; they are scavengers and eat pretty much anything! Their omnivorous nature makes them easy to cater for. They will happily eat live foods, frozen foods, fish foods and vegetables. If you care for them properly, these creatures are very rewarding to watch and are a great alternative to freshwater fish.
Hi Tim, Their average lifespan is around 2 years, some cave species live up to 10 years in the wild. Some of the Australian crayfish live for a long time. The spiny crayfish can take several years to reach maturity and then live for decades.
In my aquarium I have mosquitofish, two small crayfish, shrimp and snails. My crayfish will eat my fish and shrimp when they die. Luckily they rarely ever kill my fish, but they do kill my snails, which I do like them to do because I have enough of them. So how do I take care of them?
Shrimp pellets are essential. They need this food source most. Then I feed them peas, carrots, green beans and water plants.
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