What to feed, feeding times and amounts?

[samthefishman]

Ideas on what to feed crayfish, how often and how much?

It seems online i can't find any information that answers the following questions.

Also, how long should my lights be on per day?
How often should I clean my tank?
Should I do 10%, 25% or 50% water changes?
How long do you reckon I should cycle for? I don't trust the students in the pet store.

I'm so worried about getting my crayfish as i don't want to kill them There are so many stories on here about people's fish dying

 

[stingrays4]

Hi firstly you will need to cycle the tank {there are many threads on here and some one clever than me will give you a link}
Lights are usually on for ten to twelve hours a day but this really depends if you have live plants{unlikely with a cray}or for simply viewing.
Feeding - usually once a day is the normal.
Water changes are usually 10/25%per week You can do more but never more than 50% at a time. With a crayfish I personally would do 25% per week.
Cleaning the tank - Using a syphon tube remove any detritus{muck to me and you}Clean any sponge filters in the water you have removed from the tank and replace with water at the same temperature and treated with a dechlorinator.
what to feed - crayfish being scavengers will pick at almost anything. I would try tablet type food or sinking pellets and also feed the occasional cockle or mussel.
Lastly patience is a virtue,do not rush and take your time and all will be well

 

[samthefishman]

Hi firstly you will need to cycle the tank {there are many threads on here and some one clever than me will give you a link}
Lights are usually on for ten to twelve hours a day but this really depends if you have live plants{unlikely with a cray}or for simply viewing.
Feeding - usually once a day is the normal.
Water changes are usually 10/25%per week You can do more but never more than 50% at a time. With a crayfish I personally would do 25% per week.
Cleaning the tank - Using a syphon tube remove any detritus{muck to me and you}Clean any sponge filters in the water you have removed from the tank and replace with water at the same temperature and treated with a dechlorinator.
what to feed - crayfish being scavengers will pick at almost anything. I would try tablet type food or sinking pellets and also feed the occasional cockle or mussel.
Lastly patience is a virtue,do not rush and take your time and all will be well

I've been cycling my tank for a whole week, not going to get the cray until saturday, this information is fantastic and will definitely help me!

 

[vao71]

Shrimp pellets are definitely your best bet in terms of food, it's amazing how quickly they can find the thing. Also they love caves and will spend most of their time in one so try to add one if you can. Also keep a TIGHT lid on your tank as they're notorious escape artists, it'll surprise you how fast they can swim in the water. Also I would definitely recommend an air stone or something to get extra oxygen in the tank. And yes as above said ^ 25% every week or so sounds fine

 

[shellieca]

I've been cycling my tank for a whole week, not going to get the cray until saturday, this information is fantastic and will definitely help me!

How have you been cycling your tank? If you haven't provide an ammonia source then your tank is not going to be cycled by tomorrow. Here is a link to some information on setting up & properly cycling a tank.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...started-check-out-these-resources-154837.html

 

[samthefishman]

How have you been cycling your tank? If you haven't provide an ammonia source then your tank is not going to be cycled by tomorrow. Here is a link to some information on setting up & properly cycling a tank.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...started-check-out-these-resources-154837.html

A product i got from a pet store which i was told will get rid of any chlorine and drop ammonia and nitrite levels to 0 while putting nitrate levels up to the amount needed (im new to fish as you can tell )

 

[shellieca]

A product i got from a pet store which i was told will get rid of any chlorine and drop ammonia and nitrite levels to 0 while putting nitrate levels up to the amount needed (im new to fish as you can tell )

Sorry to say they didn't give you the whole story. You have to provide an ammonia source in order to build BB, there's no ammonia to drop unless you put ammonia in the tank by either adding fish or pure ammonia. If you do a fish IN cycle which is what will happen if you add fish now then you will need to test the water daily & do water changes frequently to keep them alive. I suggest you read the information in the link I provided in my previous post so you can see what I'm talking about.

 

[samthefishman]

Sorry to say they didn't give you the whole story. You have to provide an ammonia source in order to build BB, there's no ammonia to drop unless you put ammonia in the tank by either adding fish or pure ammonia. If you do a fish IN cycle which is what will happen if you add fish now then you will need to test the water daily & do water changes frequently to keep them alive. I suggest you read the information in the link I provided in my previous post so you can see what I'm talking about.

I didnt provide it in my above post, i missed it. he said it included an ammonia source that would start bacteria growth within my tank then after the 'spike' it would drop to 0.

 

[Mrs.h2012]

I didnt provide it in my above post, i missed it. he said it included an ammonia source that would start bacteria growth within my tank then after the 'spike' it would drop to 0.

Products like these rarely actually work, there either a hit or a miss (usually a miss). Also they aren't a permanent solution either. The thing is if the ammonia spike is to high it can kill your fish. Your better off to not even use whatever product that is and decide if a fishLESS or a fish IN cycle is best for you.

 

[shellieca]

I didnt provide it in my above post, i missed it. he said it included an ammonia source that would start bacteria growth within my tank then after the 'spike' it would drop to 0.

Have you tested your water to see what your levels are? You've got my curiosity up. I've personally never heard of a product like that, a bacteria booster yes but not one that included ammonia.