Dwarf Crayfish Strange Behavior

[benh999]

I have what I believe is a CPO (sold as a Mini Mexican Lobster). For the first few weeks, it behaved as I expected -- hiding mostly, but coming out for food. It molted once. For the past week or so, however, it has been circling the perimeter of the tank virtually nonstop (it is still eating). It even managed to get stuck in the filter intake the other night. It also seems to have lost a fair amount of its color and is now somewhat white/gray with dark spots on its back/tail.

I do weekly 15% water changes. The tank is a 36g bow-front with a variety of peaceful community fish.

Are this behavior normal and color change normal?

 

[Craw Chief]

It sounds like the water parameters may not be to his liking and he is looking for a way out. Do you happen to have a test kit? I'm sure your parameters are fine as far as nitrates and ammonia go, but what about hardness? Crayfish require very hard water.

Additionally, I've observed crayfish becoming more pale when there is not enough dissolved oxygen in the water. If you don't have an airstone currently in the tank, I would encourage you to get one. If you do have a bubble maker of some kind, perhaps you need more surface agitation.

You'd be surprised how much difference an airstone can make. It is like night and day from my personal experience.

So see if you can test the degrees of general hardness and carbonate hardness. I'd also like to know the pH. And also add an airstone and let's see if that helps.

 

[benh999]

Thanks for your reply.

He does seem to be looking for a way out, and I do think this behavior started around the time I performed a weekly water change, but I had performed several before and one or two since. Water softness is not an issue (my tap water is hard enough that I call a plumber at least several times a year to replace gaskets in plumbing fixtures).

I will look into an airstone. Do you recommend a specific one? The tank has an AquaClear 50 filter (mechanical, chemical, and biological filtration).

 

[Craw Chief]

Ok I'm sure your water chemistry is fine except for the oxygen. I'm glad your water is so hard because that helps rule out a number of issues.

For a 36 gallon, the best thing would be an air pump like the whisper 20 or something like that. The airstone you use is entirely up to you. As long as it makes bubbles that break at the surface, you're good to go.

You could even just use the smallest air pump from your LFS or whatever you feel like spending. If you are able to buy the bigger pump (the box will tell you if it's rated for however many gallons), then go ahead and do that. But any bubbles will help. So you can just get a pump, some tubing, and then a generic cheap little blue airstone or a decorative one even. That's up to you and your preference for aesthetics and such.

So not only should the airstone help your crayfish, it's so fun to watch them try and catch bubbles. Keep us updated!

 

[benh999]

Maybe these pictures will show something my explanation lacks (tough to get in-focus ones because he won't stop moving).

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[Craw Chief]

Well I can't really tell much from the pics, but like I said, get that air pump and air stone as soon as possible. I think it will help a lot. Airstone, Aquarium Air Pump & Fish Tank Bubbler | PetSmart

 

[benh999]

Thanks, I'll pick something up tomorrow.

 

[Craw Chief]

Awesome! Let us know how it goes.