Fishfriend2022
Aquarium Advice Newbie
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2022
- Messages
- 1
Help identifying crayfish
- Thread starter Fishfriend2022
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
ADsnail
Aquarium Advice Freak
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2020
- Messages
- 433
Hi, Welcome. My best guess is what's generically called the Freshwater Crayfish. If you're in the U.S. that's an umbrella name for the brown cray found throughout the country, going by different names according to region: the Missouri Brown, the South Carolina Freshwater, The Idaho Virile, etc. Whatever state you're in, they have a local name for it.
The important factor is that it's an invasive species. That means that, good for you, you're giving it a home instead of releasing it into the wild where it can contribute to being invasive. I'm curious where your school found it. Did someone pick it up from a ditch or pond? They are also sold.
Here are some basics for a happy crayfish home, no matter the species:
-They are bottom dwellers, so go low instead of a tall tank. Having said that, they are also climbers/jumpers, so they must have a lid on the tank. They like to play! So give them lots of stuff to move around. Just mind the fingers - they are curious, and they can hurt
-Sand is their substrate. They live to dig. If you give him gravel, he'll still dig, but won't be as happy and may incur little chips in his shell from the gravel. This is important to remember because it will molt (if it's a baby, every 6-8 weeks and as an adult, 1-2 times a year depending on age) and when they molt they are extremely fragile
-Decor: plastic plants are best, as they'll eat live plants. Anything you put in there will be dug under and upended, so if you're putting something heavy in like a big rock, it should go flat on the bottom, filling substrate around it. That way, he can't dig under the rock and get trapped or lose a claw. They need a cave, something to hide in. Several are okay. I've used a miniature fake alligator skull, actual rock, and resin caves. It's where they hide daily, drag their food to eat, and recover from molting
-They are carnivorous and cannibalistic: anyone you put in there - fish, shrimp, snails, other crays - are fair game for a meal. Don't worry, he won't be lonely. He's too busy digging.
-Basic food: a crustacean mix like Crab Cuisine is a good basic building block for nutrition. But they also need real food: keep frozen peas, corn, and shrimp to feed every other day. After molting, they want more protein (shrimp) than normal for a few days. Defrost all these by running under water. Squeeze the pea til it pops out of the tough outer skin. Drop in one or both of the vegetables every other day and the shrimp, just a quarter or a third of it twice a week. Fun to watch them reach up for it, then drag it back into their lair!
-Other vegetables are good too. They love zucchini. I avoid broccoli, onion: too stinky in the tank if they leave some of it. Fresh vegetables must be blanched to break through the tough outer fiber layer. Blanching is quick and easy: slice the veg and boil in water for one minute. Let it cool. That's it. Since vegetables float (not the pea or carrot, they sink) it will need to be skewered on a chopstick or similar so it's anchored to the bottom. It's less likely to be found, captured, and eaten if it's drifting around up top
-Water changes and filter cleaning once a week, and vacuum every 2-4 weeks. They are rather poopy, so it can get messy unless you stay on top of it
-When they molt, they hide for a day or two and then back out of the old shell. Leave the old shell - they need to eat it for extra nutrition. He'll be weak and delicate for a few days until the new shell hardens. He'll need that extra bit of shrimp, and the Crab Cuisine. He'll be bigger!
Crawfish are so much fun to watch! Give them things to do and a good diet and they'll entertain you 24/7
The important factor is that it's an invasive species. That means that, good for you, you're giving it a home instead of releasing it into the wild where it can contribute to being invasive. I'm curious where your school found it. Did someone pick it up from a ditch or pond? They are also sold.
Here are some basics for a happy crayfish home, no matter the species:
-They are bottom dwellers, so go low instead of a tall tank. Having said that, they are also climbers/jumpers, so they must have a lid on the tank. They like to play! So give them lots of stuff to move around. Just mind the fingers - they are curious, and they can hurt
-Sand is their substrate. They live to dig. If you give him gravel, he'll still dig, but won't be as happy and may incur little chips in his shell from the gravel. This is important to remember because it will molt (if it's a baby, every 6-8 weeks and as an adult, 1-2 times a year depending on age) and when they molt they are extremely fragile
-Decor: plastic plants are best, as they'll eat live plants. Anything you put in there will be dug under and upended, so if you're putting something heavy in like a big rock, it should go flat on the bottom, filling substrate around it. That way, he can't dig under the rock and get trapped or lose a claw. They need a cave, something to hide in. Several are okay. I've used a miniature fake alligator skull, actual rock, and resin caves. It's where they hide daily, drag their food to eat, and recover from molting
-They are carnivorous and cannibalistic: anyone you put in there - fish, shrimp, snails, other crays - are fair game for a meal. Don't worry, he won't be lonely. He's too busy digging.
-Basic food: a crustacean mix like Crab Cuisine is a good basic building block for nutrition. But they also need real food: keep frozen peas, corn, and shrimp to feed every other day. After molting, they want more protein (shrimp) than normal for a few days. Defrost all these by running under water. Squeeze the pea til it pops out of the tough outer skin. Drop in one or both of the vegetables every other day and the shrimp, just a quarter or a third of it twice a week. Fun to watch them reach up for it, then drag it back into their lair!
-Other vegetables are good too. They love zucchini. I avoid broccoli, onion: too stinky in the tank if they leave some of it. Fresh vegetables must be blanched to break through the tough outer fiber layer. Blanching is quick and easy: slice the veg and boil in water for one minute. Let it cool. That's it. Since vegetables float (not the pea or carrot, they sink) it will need to be skewered on a chopstick or similar so it's anchored to the bottom. It's less likely to be found, captured, and eaten if it's drifting around up top
-Water changes and filter cleaning once a week, and vacuum every 2-4 weeks. They are rather poopy, so it can get messy unless you stay on top of it
-When they molt, they hide for a day or two and then back out of the old shell. Leave the old shell - they need to eat it for extra nutrition. He'll be weak and delicate for a few days until the new shell hardens. He'll need that extra bit of shrimp, and the Crab Cuisine. He'll be bigger!
Crawfish are so much fun to watch! Give them things to do and a good diet and they'll entertain you 24/7
ADsnail
Aquarium Advice Freak
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2020
- Messages
- 433
4-6" generally for the types bred for hobbyists. Any crawfish can be eaten. Consider that when you see the prices of the more exotic types
Colin_T
Aquarium Advice Addict
Hi and welcome to the forum 
I'm not sure which country you are in but if you contact your local department of agriculture website, they might have a list of common freshwater crayfish found in your area. You can probably send them pictures of it too and they might be able to identify it for you. If you do send pictures, takes some from the side as well as above. A lot of crayfish have ridges on top of their head and these are used to identify different species. The ridges can't always be easily seen from above.
I'm not sure which country you are in but if you contact your local department of agriculture website, they might have a list of common freshwater crayfish found in your area. You can probably send them pictures of it too and they might be able to identify it for you. If you do send pictures, takes some from the side as well as above. A lot of crayfish have ridges on top of their head and these are used to identify different species. The ridges can't always be easily seen from above.
