I want a crayfish!

I want to get a crayfish I saw at the pet store but have never owned one before. I've owned shrimp and red clawed crabs in the past. Is it like taking care of one of those? I have a 10 gal tank with just a betta living in it but not sure if it would try to eat it. What special things would I need to purchase to provide a good home for it? Would just one be okay by itself? Do I need special food?

 

Yes it would eat your betta. A regular crayfish needs a larger tank than that. You could do a few dwarf crayfish though.

 

he might be fine for a bit then one night the betta will be gone with no evidence left. From my experience with keeping a crawfish they will pretty much eat anything you keep with it. They are kind of a pain. They like to hide a lot too

 

https://www.fishlore.com/Profiles-Crayfish.htm



Good morning,

Above are a few links for you to check out.

Ken

 

Thanks for the information. I am going to pick out my new crayfish today or tomorrow. Just one more question. Will they tolerate a teaspoon of aquarium salt in their water? I had some mollies in there before I had to sell them due to their massive breeding habits. Or shall I just get rid of that water?

 

they will be fine just make sure there is no copper in the water

 

C. shulfedtii, or Cajun dwarf crayfish are a good, cheap, easily bred starting species. C. patzwhatever, or CPOs (dwarf orange crayfish) are more expensive but very attractive

Do not get any larger species of crayfish or your betta will magically disappear.

 

This is the crayfish I got. Not sure what type it is since it was only labeled "crayfish 4.99"

What species is it if anyone can tell? Sorry for the blurry non focused quality since I took it with my cell phone camera.

 

Yeah, it will eat your betta very quickly. I hope it's still there in the morning. That's a full size crayfish, the kind we said not to get.

Beyond that, your tank is way to small to accommodate that crayfish. It will try to escape when kept in too small of a tank, so you will have to make sure that there is no spot for it to climb out.

Yes, you should remove all the salt.

 

I certainly hope you remove that betta NOW! or the cray.

 

The betta isn't in the tank anymore and I will switch out the cray to my bigger tank. Would the 20 gal work for it? I'd have to move out my platies to the 10.

 

yes a 20 would be much better.

 

I think the label should of had more information on it besides the label that only said crayfish. I thought this was the smaller kind!

 

Are you able to tell the species from the photos? I'd like to research more about this kind so I can make it comfortable as possible.

 

In the 20, you can keep cherry barbs with the crayfish. That's a combo that's worked for me for years.

 

I will try the cherry barb combo. I just hope my platies don't get offended about getting evicted from their mansion. Hahaha.

 

Based on the claw shape, it looks like it's a clarkii.

 

I think the label should of had more information on it besides the label that only said crayfish. I thought this was the smaller kind!

I think patients is the key. You asked us what we thought, most people either said no or that it depended on the species, if it didnt list the species there's no reason to assum what it was, research before buying is key. Not trying to sound like a meanie just felt it should be said.

 

He is in his 20 gal tank now so it doesn't really matter what species he is to me. He is loving his coconut cave and enjoying his peas. I love him and glad I found him. I enjoy finding new pets and learning and gaining knowledge. I didn't think I'd fall in love with this guy so fast.

And yes research is the key before buying. I agree with you there and I always do that to see what I am getting into. I just didn't know the species and asked if anyone could identify it since I wasn't looking into species when I researched info. I was just looking up info in general and seeking opinions. But the problem has been solved as I mentioned he has been upgraded to a larger tank to suit him. He is actually smaller then what my photos showed and was inside a tank with little crayfish. They only had one big crayfish alone inside a different tank. So I assumed those where the little ones.

 

I cleared out my 45 so that I can get crayfish again. I miss keeping them....

 

Make sure it can't reach your filter intake tube otherwise it'll try to escape over and over and over again. Next thing you know you'll find him in front of your bedroom door lol