Crayfish died why!

[tholland]

:help: I had my crayfish in my cichlid tank temp 79-80. He molted and a day later died. Could some one please explain?

[OscarFan]

what were you feeding him? and what are your water parameters? And crayfish are also coldwater but can handle warmer temps most of the time.

[fascinated by fish]

Did you provide a good solid hiding place for him when he molted? They are incredibly vulnerable after moulting, and will need to hide for a week before their skin hardens again.
Cichlids are generally agressive fish - and they will attack a crayfish/lobster, especially after moulting - if he felt stressed, he might have just given up.
They are generally pretty hardy though - will tolerate a variety of water temps/hardness etc....
They do say that the bigger they are, and the more they moult, then the quicker they die. The secret in keeping them is trying to mature them s.l.o.w.l.y. The fewer times they moult, generally, the longer they live if all other parameters are good, and they have shelter.

What type of crayfish was he, and also how old/big was he?

I have had my blue clawed crayfish for farr tooo loong. I cant kill him off, lol, they are usually really hardy! Ive thought about eating him a few times - especially when he ate my giant angels and beloved rams! My hubby loves him though - so we moved him to his own tank with a few tiger barbs for company.

[tholland]

Mine was an australian blue, about 5" long and I don't know how old I had him only about 6 weeks. He had a very good hiding spot and was a good eater, so I don't understand what went wrong really.

[Poofaye C.]

I'm gonna have to agree w/fascinated. If water conditions were good, it might have been an overnight attack on the little guy. After molting, all it really takes is one real good strike to the brain to send him into a state of shock. Cichlids quickly learn what molting is!