Thinking of getting a crayfish

[aquatic lover]

Im thinking of getting one crayfish for a 5gal tank. Any advice on care? also can I have one half of the tank filled with water and keep the other half of the tank water free? :fish:

[Amazon]

So how are you going to cook it?:hmm3grin2orange: jk. i think he would do fine with your idea. Mine ate just about anything. He liked my sinking catfish sticks a lot. He will molt every once in a while so dont get freaked out when you see a crawfish skeleton. His shell will be very soft after he molts so make sure there is no super sharp objects in the tank. Also keep the molted shell in the tank after he molts. They usually eat it to gain more calcium to grow the new shell. 20% water changes every 2 weeks should be enough for on crawfish. They like vegetation, and room temperature should do fine. Filter doesnt have to be perfect either.
Good luck

[aquatic lover]

Thanks, I currently have fiddler crabs but I want more aquatic animals. : )

[jaysee]

A 5 gallon (completely filled) is WAY to small for any crayfish other than a dwarf crayfish. A 10 is the BARE minimum, 20 is much better. Also, there is no need to create a water free area for them - they are fully aquatic like lobsters.

[aquatic lover]

So I would need to buy a 10gal tank?

[Red]

Yeah, 10gal is is ok for a cray, and will house fine. No other fish though.

[aquatic lover]

Ok if I can find a dwarf crayfish I will get a 5gal tank, But if I can't find a dwarf crayfish then I will get a 10gal tank for a blue crayfish.

[LadyHatred]

Will it eat your crab? Sorry, I have nothing of use to add to this....just wondering... :11:

[Amazon]

Oh a blue crawfish:ssuprised: . yeah I would go with a 10g, you would more to work with in a 10g than a 5. If you can find a dwarf crawfish i would get it, they are awesome.

[aquatic lover]

the cray would probaly eat my fiddler crabs lady hatred.

[aquatic lover]

Also what is the average life span of a crayfish?

[jaysee]

2, maybe 3 years.

[PCG]

Crayfish are amazing escape artists. Seriously, they're like ninjas. I had one in a tank only 3/4 filled with water, and it scaled the heater, climbed up the wire the rest of the way, and somehow got out of the top...even though I had cardboard covering the holes. Just something to keep in mind. The best about owning a crayfish though is watching them build their own cave entrances. Mine spent days moving rocks around to wall off the existing cave entrance before digging his own underneath the structure.

[jaysee]

Agreed about crays being excellent escape artists. I'll add that they have a higher propensity to bail when kept in too small of a tank.

[aquatic lover]

Yea just like my fiddler crabs great escape artists!

[aquatic lover]

Instead I will be getting a red crayfish for a 10gal tank.

[jaysee]

There are also white crayfish, in addition to the blue and the red, you'll most likely have to order it online.

Crayfish need a cave to hide in. Without a cave it'll be very stressed. They'll go there when they molt and will stay there till their shells harden. They are extremely volnerable after they've shed their shell.

[aquatic lover]

I found a red crayfish at my lfs.