Electric Blue Crayfish are omnivores. They’re highly opportunistic and will eat anything they can get their claws on! In captivity, you can feed your crayfish a nice balanced diet of dry and live food. We like to give them: Standard sinking pellets Dry flakes Algae wafers
How do you feed baby crayfish?
Feeding baby crayfishes is very easy and straightforward. They’ll eat any food that is suitable for the adult ones. You’ll just need to crush the food pellets or algae wafer so the babies can fit them in their mouth. If you want my recommendation for crayfish food, check out my crayfish feeding guide.
How easy is electric blue crayfish care?
Electric Blue Crayfish care is very easy because they’re very resilient and can live comfortably in many different kinds of environments. Nevertheless, there are some basic care guidelines you need to stick to.
What plants do blue crayfish like to eat?
Otherwise, the following plants rank high on blue crayfish favorite lists: 1 Anacharis 2 Hornwort 3 Java fern 4 Marimo moss.
How do electric blue crayfish mate and reproduce?
Electric Blue Crayfish are bred pretty extensively in captivity. They can lay hundreds of eggs at once, filling your tank with lots of color. When a bonded pair is ready to breed, put them in a separate breeding tank so that they can perform their unique ritual. The male will deposit a sack of sperm onto the female.
What do you feed baby crayfish?
The baby crayfish can be feed blanched cabbage leafs or lettuce leaves, and also consume detritus in the tank. As the crayfish grow, the larger ones should be removed from the tank as they will feed voraciously on the smaller crayfish.
How often should I feed my blue crayfish?
Electric Blue crayfish should be fed every day so that they don't predate on their tankmates. However, it's important that you don't overfeed your pets, and always remove any uneaten food from the tank after 24 hours.
How much should I feed my blue crayfish?
Blue crayfish should be fed every day to prevent them from attacking their tank mates. Do not overfeed. Remove any uneaten food after 24 hours.
What do you feed crayfish at home?
Feeding. Crayfish are omnivores and will eat a variety of foods, including our Crayfish and Lobster Food. Other options include fish foods, bits of frozen fish, shrimp, crab, waterlogged oak leaves, small minnows, and bits of earthworm. Water plants provide hiding places as well as food.
How fast do blue crayfish grow?
1 to 3 months1 Juvenile Electric Blue Crayfish - 1/2 inch+ (A younger and smaller variant of Electric Blue Crayfish at a lower price than our young adult specimens. This is a particularly fast-growing, hardy species and will usually grow well into adult size and coloration within 1 to 3 months.
How long can a blue lobster live without food?
These lobsters are in prime condition and could go without food for up to one year at low water temperatures without any change in meat quality or content. A hardshelled, full-meated lobster has energy reserves contained in the hepatopancreas, also known as the digestive gland, or tomalley.
What vegetables can crayfish eat?
Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans who are often kept as aquatic pets. Crayfish enjoy eating many vegetables, including spinach, lettuce, zucchini, peas, and carrots. You can also feed your crayfish things like algae, java moss, shrimp, and dried squid.
Can crayfish eat bananas?
Fruit –bananas, grapes, and apples are some fruits crays will eat.
How many babies do blue crayfish have?
A female crayfish can lay anywhere from 100 to 200 eggs at a time. However, not all of the eggs will hatch – typically only about 50% of them will survive.
Do crayfish drink water?
Crayfish like water with a pH of 7 or slightly higher (7.5 – 8.5). The water temperature should be maintained between 70 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit (21 and 24 degrees Celsius). As tap water is usually closer to a pH of 7, you may want to measure it and increase it a bit using alkaline materials.
Do crayfish need running water?
0:586:00Keeping Crayfish In An Unfiltered, Uncirculated Tank - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipBut stagnant water does not become anaerobic unless it's very deep shallow. Water will have enoughMoreBut stagnant water does not become anaerobic unless it's very deep shallow. Water will have enough oxygen in it that they can survive gas exchange happens at the surface.
How do you keep a pet crawfish alive?
How to Care for Pet CrayfishSet up the tank properly. Crayfish need a tank with fresh water that's kept clean and free of pollution. ... Add some hiding space for your crayfish. ... Get shrimp pellets for easy feeding and complete nutrition. ... Get a second tank setup for crayfish that are molting.
What do I feed my blue crayfish?
Feeding. Crayfish will typically eat whatever they can catch, but since they are slow-moving, they are rarely able to harm most types of fish or shrimp. They prefer foods like invertebrate pellets or blanched vegetables (such as zucchini, carrots, and spinach), but will also eat fish food and algae wafers.
How do you feed blue lobster?
Feeding Hammers Cobalt Blue Lobster They are great scavengers and eat almost everything on the bottom of a tank. Their diet includes uneaten food, debris, detritus, live plants, dead plants, fish flakes, pellets, tablets, algae wafers, live tank mates and even dead tank mates.
Do blue crayfish need air?
Note that being able to climb out of the water is an essential requirement if the water is not aerated or filtered; crayfish need lots of oxygen, and in still water conditions, such as in a tank without a filter or airstone, they will get the oxygen they need from the air.
Why is my blue lobster turning red?
A relatively simple explanation for the color change emerged in a study published in 2002: Heat changes the shape of a protein called beta-crustacyanin in the shell, relaxing its bonds with the pigment astaxanthin. The freed pigment reflects wavelengths of light in the red spectrum.
How much does an electric blue crayfish cost?
In general, electric blue crayfish run around $40. You may see the price fluctuate based on the season, especially if you’re purchasing a wild-caught cray. They’re not the most expensive invertebrate to add to your aquarium, but they aren’t the cheapest, either.
How to get blue crayfish to molt?
Choose driftwood, artificial caves, PVC tubes, or overturned pots to give your blue crayfish somewhere to molt in peace. Feeling safe. Ensure the cave’s large enough for them to fit inside comfortably, without getting disturbed by tank mates. You also want to mimic their native habitat by providing live plants.
How to tell if a blue crayfish is male or female?
If you flip your electric blue crayfish over, you’ll notice claspers behind the legs on the male and sperm receptacles behind the legs on the female. However, most aquarists don’t make a habit of turning their crays over. Luckily, you can tell the two apart from the top. Males have MUCH larger claws than females.
What temperature do blue crays like?
Florida waters range from tropical to sub-tropical, depending on the season. Your blue crays would like an ideal temperature of 70°F (21 ° C), but anything between 65-75 ° F (18-24 ° C) will work out for them. You want relatively neutral, soft waters. A pH range of 6.5-7.5 and a hardness between 3-10 dH works best.
Do crayfish have claws?
Crays may sport claws, but they don’t hold up well against predators. Freshwater shrimp and snails need to stay out of your community, too. Blue crayfish are opportunistic, and they won’t be able to resist helping themselves to any other invertebrates you add to the tank.
Can blue crayfish survive in brackish water?
While strictly freshwater species, blue crayfish CAN survive in brackish water. These hardy invertebrates have tolerated salinity levels up to 18 ppt without a problem. However, given the option, they prefer freshwater.
Can blue crayfish drink distilled water?
Or you can use distilled water as an alternative. Blue crayfish HATE unclean water. You need to keep the ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates as close to 0 ppm as humanly possible.
What do crayfish eat?
They prefer foods like invertebrate pellets or blanched vegetables (such as zucchini, carrots, and spinach), but will also eat fish food and algae wafers.
How long does it take for a crayfish to return to the aquarium?
If your crayfish is not blue and you find a molt in the bag or in your aquarium, do not worry - this is normal and the bright color should return in 2 weeks or less . We ship the crayfish in plastic cups bagged in water to help ensure they do not escape.
What is the only crayfish in Florida?
In fact, they are the only crayfish species native to the state of Florida. Alternative names for this crayfish include the Blue Crayfish, Everglade Crayfish, and Florida Crayfish. Interestingly, it is the lack of a particular gene that causes the brilliant blue coloration of these crayfish.
Can crayfish live with fish?
Though crayfish are NOT friendly, they can often live with fast-moving fish ( such as rasboras, danios, etc.).
Can a blue crayfish live in a freshwater aquarium?
Not only is the Electric Blue Crayfish simply gorgeous, it is also very active and fascinating to watch! Their coloration is so tremendously bright, it seems like it can't possibly be natural - but it is! This is one of the most colorful creatures you will ever find that can live in a freshwater aquarium.
Do crayfish eat their exoskeleton?
Also, it is normal for a crayfish to eat his/her exoskeleton after molting.
What do crayfish eat?
You can keep your crayfish healthy by feeding them what they would normally find in their natural habitat.
Sinking Pellets
Sinking pellets will be a large part of your crayfish’s diet. They should make up at least 75% of it.
Fresh and freeze-dried and frozen foods, and fruits
A varied diet is important when you’re looking at what to feed crayfish. As freshwater crustaceans, they have special dietary needs, especially young crayfish which will be talked at the bottom of the article.
High calcium vegetables
As invertebrates, Crayfish require a large portion of calcium so they can molt every couple of months.
The fruit you can feed your pet crawfish
Fruit is a bit of a complicated matter when it comes to feeding crayfish. Fruit should be used sparingly as it’s not nearly as nutritious and beneficial to crayfish as vegetables are. In fact, Any and all acidic fruit should also be avoided as it can throw off the pH balance of your aquarium or pond which could end up killing your pet!
A note on the aggressiveness of the crayfish
Crayfish are NOT social aquarium friendly. Anything you place in the aquarium or pond with a crayfish is almost certainly to be viewed as a quick meal and will most definitely be eaten. They are also considered very aggressive feeders and particularly strong swimmers, able to catch prey which you would think were much faster than them.
What do crayfish eat in the wild?
other than commercial foods, they eat just about anything local in their ecosystem that’s on this list. So while they won’t be out getting broccoli, they will chow down on most of the live fish, snails, and plants, and insects they encounter in their environment.
What plants do crayfish eat?
For example, Anacharis, Hornwort, and Java Fern (read the guide) are favored by a large number of crayfish species. The only plants that crayfish tend to leave alone are floaters ( read my article about Top 7 floating plants for beginners ). Blue crayfish will eat, cut, and uproot everything.
What substrate should I use for blue crayfish?
Blue Crayfish should be provided with sand or gravel substrate into which they can burrow. Procambarus Alleni can adapt to their environment and change their coloration is response to their background. They use this survival technique to camouflage against predators. In the aqua culture it would be best that aquarists use a blue substrate to enhance the color.
What pH should a crayfish be in?
Note: Crayfish should not be in the water with a PH of less than 7. Although they can tolerate even low pH (6.0 – 6.5) for some time. It might cause problems with the molting eventually. Nitrite, nitrate, and ammonia levels should be at or approaching zero after the nitrogen cycle has been established.
How long does it take for a crayfish to molt?
Juveniles blue crayfish molt in a range of between 1 – 3 weeks. Adult crayfish molt in a range of between 4 – 8 weeks. When Blue Crayfish molt they will consume their entire exoskeleton so as not to lose the nutrition it carried. So, do not feed it for a few days after the molt.
What is the difference between Procambarus clarkii and Blue Crayfish?
Areola is a small space between two parts of the carapace. Blue crayfish have the two shell plates almost touching at the top of the back. Procambarus clarkii crayfish almost do not have this area.
How big do blue crayfish get?
Blue Crayfish are average size for crayfish species, growing from 4 – 5 inches (10 – 12 centimeters) in length. However, there are reports that in the wild some individuals can measure up to 18 cm (7 inches). The general life span for the Procambarus Alleni Blue crayfish is up to 5 years with proper care.
What is the color of a blue crayfish?
Blue Crayfish – Detailed Guide: Care, Diet, and Breeding. Procambarus alleni are more commonly known as Blue lobsters, Florida crayfish, Electric blue crayfish, Everglades crayfish, Sapphire crayfish, and Blue Crayfish. The variety kept and sold in aquariums is primarily a brilliant blue color, but they can also be white, red and brown, ...
How long do blue crayfish live?
Electric blue crayfish have a relatively long lifespan. With proper care and attention, they typically live to be 5 or 6 years old . In the aquatic world, that is a fair old time! If you want your crayfish to live long and prosper, you’ll need to keep on top of water changes and testing.
What color are crayfish?
Even in captive bred crayfish, the coloring can vary. Some a brilliant, cobalt blue, while others are a darker navy shade. Most of the time, the crayfish will have a base shed that is spotted and flecked by darker blue spots. They may also have white patches or highlights on the underside of their body.
What is the final stage of crayfish molting?
During this time, the soft exposed exoskeleton expands to meet the dimensions of the crayfish. The final stage of molting is called the post molt phase . During this time.
How to tell if a crayfish has a horn?
If you look at the top end of the thorax, you’ll notice some black, beady eyes. Near the eyes, you’ll also find the mouth, but this isn’t so easy to spot. To keep the eyes and head safe from predators, crayfish have a few little nubby horns on their face.
What does it mean when a crayfish has two antennae?
Something else grows out of their head, but these are much easier to see! You’ll notice some antenna growing out of the front end. Usually, they have two long antennae and 2 – 4 short antennae. The long antennae are used to help the crayfish establish the layout of an area.
How many legs does a blue crayfish have?
The electric blue crayfish has four pairs of legs and a pair of chelipeds. The legs are jointed to allow them greater mobility over uneven substrates and river beds. They also end in tiny little grabbers. These are used to hold onto uneven surfaces, plants, and rocks.
Why are crayfish so vibrant?
The reason that these crayfish are so vibrant is that they lack the gene to produce other pigments. This means that the blue is not diluted or washed out by yellows or reds. In the wild, Florida crayfish tend to have less vibrant colors. This is because they haven’t been so selectively bred.
How many babies do crayfish have?
Well, needless to say the number of babies will depend on many factors, especially on the type of the crayfish. Generally, a female crayfish can hatch 400 to 1000 eggs at a time. But that doesn’t mean you’ll get 400 baby crayfishes. Some will not hatch. Some babies might die after getting hatched.
How long do baby crayfish stay in a tank?
Enough breeding talk. Now we need to know how to setup a proper tank for the baby crayfishes. In this tank, the babies will stay for a few weeks until they get aggressive and start to attack each other.
How long do crayfish eggs stay attached to their swimmerets?
The eggs get fertilized and attach themselves to the swimmerets of the female crayfish. The eggs stay attached to the swimmerets for about 4 weeks. This is called the gestation period.
Why do crayfish need substrate?
Substrate is very important for crayfishes. They need substrate to dig through it. Digging & burrowing is one of crayfish’s natural behaviors. So, you need a good layer of substrate for the babies.
Do crayfish need a hiding place?
Crayfishes need lots of hiding places in their tank. Even the babies need hiding places to keep themselves safe from each other. I’ll suggest to throw in some pieces of PVC pipes. These work great as hiding places for the crayfish. You can also put lots of aquatic plants in the tank.
Is a sponge filter good for crayfish?
The bigger the sponge filter is, the more beneficial bacterial colony it can hold and consequently, the water quality will get better. This double sponge filter from Aquaneat seems pretty good to me for a baby crayfish tank. You can change the direction of the flow rate easily. This one is suitable for a 10 gallon tank.
Do crayfish have bad parents?
Crayfishes are very bad parents. The mom will take care of the babies only for a few days until they babies start to swim around on their own. Once the babies are developed enough to swim around, the mom can eat them. That’s why at this stage you need to separate the mom from the babies.
Species Summary
Appearance
- At first glance, it’s easy to mistake Electric Blue Crayfish for lobsters. Truth is, freshwater lobsters don’t exist. Crayfish belong to the same family, but they are much smaller in size and have some unique physical characteristics. The Electric Blue Crayfish has a tough exoskeleton. They shed this protective shell multiple times throughout their life as they get bigger. The main part of thei…
Size
- When fully grown, Electric Blue Crayfish get to be about 4 to 6 inches long.As we mentioned earlier, the invertebrae will molt as they get bigger. This process happens very frequently when they’re juveniles. Molting can still occur as an adult, but it’s much more infrequent once they have reached their full adult size.
Electric Blue Crayfish Care
- Whether you’re a seasoned aquarist or a newbie looking to get something interesting for your tank, this species is a great option. Electric Blue Crayfish care is very easy because they’re very resilient and can live comfortably in many different kinds of environments. Nevertheless, there are some basic care guidelines you need to stick to. You must provide your crayfish with a comforta…
Behavior & Temperament
- These creatures are bottom feederswhich means they’ll spend all of their time investigating and scavenging at the bottom of the tank. Unlike other invertebrates, Electric Blue Crayfish aren’t shy! They’re very active and will move around the tank constantly. This makes them a joy to watch. These creatures can definitely be aggressive and territorial. As we said earlier, they will eat anyt…
Electric Blue Crayfish Tank Mates
- Typically, keeping other creatures with aggressive invertebrates is a big no-no. However, that’s not the case with Electric Blue Crayfish tank mates. As long as you do some planning ahead of time, this species can be kept in large community tanks. These crayfish occupy the bottom of the water column. So, you should add fish that live in other parts of the tank to avoid any problems. Make …
Breeding
- Electric Blue Crayfish are bred pretty extensively in captivity. They can lay hundreds of eggs at once, filling your tank with lots of color. When a bonded pair is ready to breed, put them in a separate breeding tank so that they can perform their unique ritual. The male will deposit a sack of sperm onto the female. She will then lay her eggs while passing them through the sperm for f…
Time to Get One For Yourself?
- Now that you’re an expert in Electric Blue Crayfish care, the choice is yours to decide if this species is right for you. We’ve spent hours watching these fascinating critters. More so than almost any other freshwater species we’ve owned! With their vibrant color, low-maintenance care requirements, and high activity level, we definitely think they’re worth considering. If you’re still u…