Buzz
Crawfish, also known as crawdads, mudbugs, and freshwater crustaceans, are easy to raise in a home aquarium. To successfully care for crawfish, all you need is a sufficiently large tank, the right type of food, and ample time for attention and care. These fascinating creatures are often seen constructing little "homes," building mud mounds, digging tunnels, hiding in dark crevices, and beneath aquatic plants or gravel at the bottom of the tank.
Steps
Setting up the Tank for Crawfish
Purchase or Catch a Crawfish. You can typically find crawfish for sale at seafood markets that also sell tropical fish, as well as some pet stores. Before purchasing, take some time to read about the different types of crawfish and their specific needs. It's a good idea to start with one crawfish until you're familiar with how to properly care for them.
- Crawfish usually cost around 50,000 VND, but rare varieties can be valued at 300,000 VND or even higher!
- In certain regions, you may be able to catch crawfish from streams or shallow waters. All you need is a small net and the patience to search under rocks until you find an ideal specimen for a pet.
Setting up a shrimp crayfish tank. In general, you should select a tank that is spacious, with a minimum volume of 19-38 liters of water per crayfish. However, an ideal tank will hold between 57-76 liters, especially for larger species. An air pump or long air stone is also essential, as crayfish can drown if they stay underwater for too long without a separate oxygen source.
- Crayfish thrive in cool environments like mudflats or riverbeds, so avoid warm aquariums.
- Look for tanks with aeration features and integrated filters to maintain clean and circulating water.
Fill the tank with clean water. Crayfish require water with a neutral pH level (around 7.0). The ideal water temperature should be maintained between 21-24°C. It will be easy to keep the temperature suitable if the tank is set up indoors.
- A pH testing kit is very useful for determining the acidity or alkalinity of the tank's water. These kits can often be found in aquarium stores or anywhere that sells pool equipment.
- Avoid adding items like seashells, as foreign minerals can alter the pH of the water.
Change the water at least once a week. Crayfish produce a significant amount of waste that can clog the standard tank filter system. This means you'll need to change the water regularly to maintain a clean environment for your crayfish. To change the water, first drain ¼-½ of the total volume, then slowly add fresh water.
- If your tank doesn’t have a filter, you may need to increase the frequency of water changes to twice a week.
- Only use sponge filters or tube filters (bio-filtration). Crayfish love digging, which could block the bottom filters.
Introduce natural environmental elements. Add stones, aquatic plants, or long PVC tubes along the tank's bottom. This will provide your crayfish with places to play, dig burrows, or hide temporarily. Large objects like hollow rocks, tunnels, or sealed containers are excellent for making crayfish feel safe, especially during their vulnerable molting phase.
- Turn off surrounding lights or keep lighting on only one side of the tank to reduce the amount of light entering. Crayfish prefer dark environments.
Feed your crayfish.
Provide a small amount of shrimp pellet food to the freshwater crayfish once a day. Pellet foods or aquatic plants for shrimp will make up the majority of their diet. These pellets are high in protein and contain all the necessary nutrients for the crayfish's growth, including its shell. Sprinkle the pellets around their favorite hiding spots to ensure easy access to the food.
- Occasionally, the crayfish can consume frozen seafood, such as water fleas, bloodworms, and brine shrimp soaked in saltwater.
- Never feed live or unprocessed brine shrimp to the crayfish, as they may carry diseases that could harm the crayfish.
Incorporate vegetables into the crayfish's diet. From time to time, cut up some lettuce, cabbage, zucchini, or cucumber into small pieces and place them at the bottom of the tank. You can also offer beans, carrots, and sweet potatoes. Freshwater crayfish love chewing on plant-based food, so don’t be surprised if it disappears quickly!
- Crayfish can also eat decaying organic matter. In fact, feeding them slightly spoiled plants can benefit both you and the crayfish.
Doug Ludemann
Professional aquarium hobbyist
Professional aquarium hobbyist
Feed the crayfish daily or a few times a week. Be careful not to leave excess food in the tank, and try to vary their diet. Combine meat-based foods and pellets to ensure the crayfish receive all the necessary nutrients.
Avoid overfeeding the crayfish. One or two brine shrimp pellets or a small amount of vegetables each day is more than enough to satisfy their hunger. Remove any leftover food right after feeding. Any remnants left at the bottom of the tank will quickly decompose, polluting the water and requiring more frequent cleaning of reusable items.
- If you're caring for more than one crayfish (though this is not recommended), you may double the food amount. However, be mindful of food leftovers and promptly scoop out anything that remains.
- Overfeeding can actually harm the crayfish, as it weakens their exoskeleton, making it soft and brittle.
Ensure the safety of the crayfish
Protect the crayfish from other fish. Crayfish thrive best when swimming in a large tank. However, they generally coexist peacefully with smaller fish such as goldfish, perch, molly fish, swordtails, and neon tetras. Occasionally, crayfish may become aggressive, but they are usually too slow to catch and eat faster swimming fish.
- Crayfish typically only attack weak fish that are resting at the bottom of the tank. If you see a crayfish devouring one of its own kind, the victim is likely near death.
- Crayfish are not a threat to other fish, but they themselves are often at risk. Larger species like tilapia and catfish frequently attack crayfish, causing injury or death.
- It is not recommended to keep more than one crayfish in a tank. If you choose to house multiple crayfish, make sure they have enough personal space and are of the same species. Different crayfish species may try to kill each other.
Create optimal conditions for the crayfish during molting. Every few months, crayfish shed their outer shell, making room for a new one to accommodate their growing body. You’ll want to clean up the old shell right away, but don’t do it. Crayfish will eat the exoskeleton over the course of a few days to absorb the essential nutrients and minerals necessary to build a strong new shell.
- Do not feed the crayfish for the first 3-5 days after molting. During this time, they will only consume the old exoskeleton.
- Add a few drops of iodine potassium to the tank when your crayfish begins to shed its old shell. A lack of iodine can cause death during the molting process. Iodine potassium can be purchased from any store that sells aquarium supplies.
- With their soft and vulnerable body, crayfish are easy targets for other fish that may try to steal their food or attack them.
Doug Ludemann
Professional aquarium hobbyist
Professional aquarium hobbyist
Place a sand substrate in the tank to aid the molting process. When a crayfish molts, there will be a small gap on its back, and sand will help them reorient themselves. Without sand, they may become disoriented.
Cover the tank to prevent the crayfish from jumping out. Crayfish have an innate curiosity, which means they can quickly become escape artists when left unattended. It's best to use a tank with a removable lid to keep them safely inside. If that's not possible, you can block any gaps at the top of the tank, particularly around the filter, with small pieces of sponge. Avoid using plastic or aluminum foil, as these could harm the crayfish if ingested.
- Be cautious when sealing all escape routes. If the crayfish attempts to escape, it may lose water and die in just a few hours.
- Don’t place a crayfish that has just escaped back into the tank immediately. Instead, place it in a small container with enough water to cover its body. It will need time to adjust to the water again, or it could drown if submerged too quickly.
Advice
- Consider adding a layer of sand or gravel to the bottom of the tank. Crayfish enjoy digging, whether they are hiding, searching for food, or simply playing around.
- When handling crayfish, always use your palm from the back to avoid causing them pain.
- Most crayfish only live about 2-3 years in captivity, but with proper care, diet, and maintenance, they can live up to 7-8 years.
- Crayfish require plenty of aquatic plants to swim around and thrive in dark areas.
Warning
- Do not release live crayfish into natural water ecosystems. This could have serious consequences for local crayfish species and other aquatic life.
- Since crayfish are territorial, it can be difficult to keep multiple crayfish together in the same tank.
- Avoid feeding crayfish foods containing copper, as it is toxic to them. Copper can be found in many types of fish food and could harm the crayfish.
- Crayfish can change their size and color easily. Avoid frequently removing them from the tank unless you are draining water or cleaning the tank.
