- Frozen, fresh, dried, and freeze-dried bloodworms
- Decaying plants (they do eat plants sometimes!)
- java moss and other aquatic plants and other plant matter
- They will eat snails
- Brine shrimp (and other small live foods)
- other aquatic animals smaller than them
- Amphibian eggs
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.
Where do electric blue crayfish come from?
The Electric Blue Crayfish hails from Florida, specifically areas east of St. Johns River, various locations south of Levy and Marion Counties, and even some of the Florida Keys.
Are blue crayfish good for beginners?
Blue crayfish are much more enjoyable to watch and much more active than most fish. All of them have unique personalities. They are very resilient that makes them a great choice for beginner aquarists. Unfortunately, they are too aggressive and destructive to keep them in a community or planted tank.
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.
What can I feed my crayfish?
That includes decaying vegetation and aquatic creatures such as rotten leaves, dead fish, algae, plankton, and twigs. But they can also be hunters and eat small worms, snails, eggs, larvae, insects, shrimps, fish, tadpoles, baby turtles, frogs, and even their own baby crayfish.
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?
Get shrimp pellets for easy feeding and complete nutrition. Crayfish also will eat algae, dried seaweed, flake food -- the kind fed to fish -- and bloodworms or dried squid. Mix plant-based foods as the main source of nutrients and add some animal protein as an extra or complement.
Can crayfish eat raw carrots?
Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans who are often kept as aquatic pets. Crayfish enjoy eating many vegetables, including spinach, lettuce, zucchini, peas, and carrots.
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.
Can crayfish eat bananas?
Fruit –bananas, grapes, and apples are some fruits crays will eat.
Do crayfish need to come out of water?
Do crayfish need to come up for air? No, they do not have to come up for air unless the water is exceptionally low in oxygen.
Do crayfish eat bloodworms?
They're balanced, rich in vitamins, and sink down to the bottom of the aquarium for easy access! You can also try algae wafers or dense protein-based snacks, such as frozen bloodworm blocks. Speaking of protein, you have a lot of options here! Anything that you use on your fish is fine for your crayfish.
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.
Is tap water safe for crayfish?
Use conditioned tap water, spring water, or well water. The water should cover the back of the animal, and needs to be no more than 15 cm (6") deep. If kept in deep water, crayfish can deplete the oxygen near the bottom. Since they cannot easily swim to the surface for air, they may suffocate.
How do you take care of a blue crayfish?
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Can you feed crayfish meat?
Diet. ▣ Crayfish, being omnivorous, can eat anything that they find. Their diet consists of vegetables like frozen peas, carrots, and even plants like Java moss. They also eat shrimp, meat, fish, insects that accidentally fall into the tank, sinking pellets, table scrap, etc.
Will crayfish eat egg shells?
Keep the water temperature around 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Drop a tiny pinch of fish food in the water twice a day. In fact, when you raise crawfish in an aquarium, they really eat very little. They'll actually eat up some of the crushed egg shells as well.
What can I feed my pond crayfish?
Their preferred meals are anything decaying, including dead insects, worms, algae and fish, but they'll also snap up small, live fish that are swimming by if they're feeling too lazy to forage. They'll also get their greens by gobbling through algae and aquatic plants.
What can I feed my fresh water lobster?
Lobsters, crabs and shrimp must be fed pellet food that sinks to the bottom of the tank. Feed them as much as they can eat in three minutes, twice a day. These invertebrates also like freeze-dried brine shrimp, bloodworms and tubifex worms. One tip: Make sure your fish aren't gluttons!
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.
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.
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.
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.
Do blue crayfish eat commercial food?
This makes them simple to feed, but you want to make sure you offer a high-quality and well-balanced diet so they stay healthy and molt without any issues. A base commercial diet works well, and your crays will eat it without a problem.
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.
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.
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.
Do crayfish eat their exoskeleton?
Also, it is normal for a crayfish to eat his/her exoskeleton after molting.
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.
Is copper a nutrient?
While copper is a required nutrient of invertebrates, we recommend you avoid any food product, medication, or plant fertilizer that contains Copper in any form. Copper is toxic to invertebrates in excess. Many commercial fish foods, medications, and plant fertilizers contain copper or more commonly copper sulfate.
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.
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.
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.
What are chelipeds used for?
The chelipeds are the large claws or pincers. The pincers are used to catch food, crush through tougher parts of their food, or chop up food. When they’re not acting as cutlery, the chelipeds are used as a defensive weapon. They can’t break human skin, but they can be deadly to fish and other creatures.
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 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, ...
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 level should a blue crayfish tank be?
As long as the pH does not fluctuate wildly and remains within the range of 7.0 – 8.0, the crayfish should not suffer adverse effects.
Blue Crayfish Facts
In their natural environment, Blue Crayfish range in color from light brown to blue. However, the Blue Crayfish in the aquarium hobby have been selectively bred for their bright blue coloration.
How Rare is a Blue Crayfish?
Due to their popularity in the aquarium trade, Blue Crayfish are not rare and can be found for sale throughout the US and Europe. However, they’re less common in the wild and are only native to the freshwater pools and everglades of Florida.
Do Blue Crayfish Make Good Pets?
Blue crayfish make excellent pets; they’re relatively low maintenance and have a stunning appearance. However, they have specific requirements that make them unsuitable for some beginners. They can also become aggressive with their tank mates and most owners prefer to keep them in solo setups.
Temperature for Blue Crayfish
When living in the wild in Florida, blue crayfish are exposed to average temperatures between 73°F (23℃) and 86°F (30℃). In captivity, the ideal tank temperature is 70°F (21℃) but they’ll be fine in anything from 68°F to 79°F (20℃ to 26℃).
Water pH for Blue Crayfish
Wild blue crayfish prefer a neutral water pH of about 7.28. In your home aquarium, they will be comfortable in anything from 6.5 to 7.5. A pH testing kit is a useful item to have and it will ensure that your crayfish aren’t unduly stressed by a drop in pH.
Blue Crayfish Size & Growth Rate
An adult blue crayfish kept in an aquarium can reach 4 to 5 inches long. If the conditions are right and they get plenty of food, juvenile crayfish can grow very fast. They can double their size in just a couple of weeks, and some will achieve close to full size in only 3 to 4 months.
How Often Does a Blue Crayfish Molt?
How often a blue crayfish molts depends on how healthy it is, the tank conditions and how much it eats. It’s common for a healthy blue crayfish to molt between 6 and 10 times their first year and 3 to 5 times during its second. Molting continues to get less frequent as it gets older.
Why is it important to change water in a crayfish tank?
If you introduce wild-caught crawdad to your tank they could bring a mold that causes crayfish plague. This attacks their brain and nerve cord.
How do you know if a crayfish is molting?
Once the crayfish has reached maturity, this will slow down. The signs of molting are about to begin is that they show a lack of appetite and will be less active.
How often do crayfish molt?
While growth in Crayfish is a complicated and asynchronous process, it roughly follows a pattern. When they are babies, they will molt every few days. For juveniles, they molt about every one to three weeks. The adults will moly every four to eight weeks.
Why do crayfish fight?
Crayfish’s inability to get along extends to the mating process. After they mate, the two crayfish are likely to get aggressive and start fighting. Due to this aggression, some fishkeepers will set up a tank specifically for the two to mate, and then for the female to carry around the eggs, hatch them, and then remove her when she becomes too aggressive.
What plants do crayfish eat?
They are known to uproot, tear apart and eat the stems of plants as they go about their normal routines. If you want plants that are (mostly) sage from crayfish plant violence, floating plants are a great choice. If you do not like floating plants, others you can consider using are Java Fern, Marmo Moss, Anacharis.
How many gallons of water do you need for a crayfish tank?
If you decide to place more than one crayfish in the same tank, you will need a larger tank, at least 30 gallons. The crayfish in your tank must be around the same size and of different genders or you will have some major problems.
How to keep crayfish out of water?
Place rocks so that your crayfish can climb out of the water and breathe as needed. If you have multiple crayfish, make sure there is plenty of room for all of them to surface and breathe at the same time. An aspect of water care you need to be concerned about is called Total Dissolved Solids (TDS).
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…