Crayfish

[steffish]

So, yesterday decided to check out the lfs(can hardly be called that). They didn't have much to offer but I wound up walking out with a bag of ghost shrimp(whole 'nother thread!) & a crayfish. I've kept "blue lobsters" before so was smart enough to just get one. As far as I can tell he(?) is a procambarus clarkii-red swamp crawfish, Louisiana Crawfish, etc.
Current temporary setup-
2-1/2 gal tank, 1/2full (4")so about 1-1/4 gal of water.
bare bottom, 2 pieces fake driftwood for hiding
Always keep extra filters in tanks- so cycled whisper filter, "good for a 5 gal tank" And a glob of java moss he's munching on.
pH-7.6 -7.8
kh-6
gh-5
Ammonia-0
Nitrite-0
Nitrate-10
No heater, room temp, about 68 to 75 (night/day)
I plan to move him to a ten gallon tank, by himself as I see he's aggressive, threatens me with his claws!
Rocks, driftwood- does he care if it's real or fake? Can do either.
What is the best substrate ? Sand, gravel, etc. Or crushed coral for extra calcium? Not sure as the pH is pretty high but the water isn't real hard, still trying to wrap my head around that one.
No live plants, unless they are given as food? Or should I add some floaters?
Does it matter how deep the water level is?
Does he need a place to climb above the water?
Can I feed him pond snails ?
Am going to need to dose iodine or anything else for his health.
Would he like some clean leaf litter?
I plan to feed him a varied diet leaning more towards veg, is this right?
and how often to feed?
After they moult, they eat the shell to recycle the minerals?
How big should he get? I'm guessing about 6"? He is about 3" right now. Any guess as to how old he is?
I have read that he could live 3 years, sound right?
"Nocturnal" Yep, seems like.
Oh, I hear they are escape artists, so a good lid so he can't.
Any advice would be welcome!
He's way cool to watch! seems to be very alert & active ,so hopefully he's healthy and settling in OK .
A couple of not very good pics-

 

[Taysius]

Hi there! I have a Crayfish too! I've had mine for about three months now and he's pretty awesome. I'll do my best to answer your questions.

No heater, room temp, about 68 to 75 (night/day)
Mine stays at the same temps. They don't like really warm water.

I plan to move him to a ten gallon tank, by himself as I see he's aggressive, threatens me with his claws!
Mine does that too! If I walk by he begs for food.

Rocks, driftwood- does he care if it's real or fake? Can do either.
He won't care if it's real or fake. In my 10gal tank I have a PVC tube for hiding, a rock with holes for more hiding, a piece of real driftwood that he likes to chew on and another large rock that he climbs on. I also have a fake plant that has gravel siliconed to it's base to weigh it down.

What is the best substrate ? Sand, gravel, etc. Or crushed coral for extra calcium? Not sure as the pH is pretty high but the water isn't real hard, still trying to wrap my head around that one.
I have regular natural aquarium gravel. He shoves it around and digs holes under things. I added a small chunk of cuttle bone(for birds)for calcium. I'm not sure it's done anything but he seems quite healthy.

No live plants, unless they are given as food? Or should I add some floaters?
I had some floating plants and he managed to pull those down and eat them all. Unless you get a tall tank where yours can't reach the top, I'd consider all live plants as salad.

Does it matter how deep the water level is?
Not really.
Does he need a place to climb above the water?
As long as you have a filter disturbing the surface they are fine being all aquatic.

Can I feed him pond snails ?
Mine LOVES snails.

Am going to need to dose iodine or anything else for his health.
I don't. I was told here on AC that's it's not needed. A healthy diverse diet helps just fine with molting.

Would he like some clean leaf litter?
Sounds like it would make for a messy tank. They are quite destructive. lol

I plan to feed him a varied diet leaning more towards veg, is this right?
and how often to feed?
I feed mine once a day. I have given mine HBH Crab and Lobster bites, Algae Wafers, blanched zucchini, frozen carrots microwaved in water for 10 seconds and frozen peas also microwaved.

After they moult, they eat the shell to recycle the minerals?
Yep, might take a day or so but they will eat them.

How big should he get? I'm guessing about 6"? He is about 3" right now. Any guess as to how old he is?
I have read that he could live 3 years, sound right?
Your guess is as good as mine here. I read a lot of conflicting information about sizes and such. I'm not even positive which species I have.

"Nocturnal" Yep, seems like.
Mine is out at all times of the day. Only time I don't see him come out of his tube is when it's time to molt. I don't feed him these days.

Oh, I hear they are escape artists, so a good lid so he can't.
Definitely get a good lid.

Any advice would be welcome!
Hopefully that's a bit of help with your questions. Only other things I will mention are that I feed mine with some long plastic tweezers. He will take the food right off of them. I also keep mine with a few guppies. He tries to catch them but never can. Maybe he will someday...

He's way cool to watch! seems to be very alert & active ,so hopefully he's healthy and settling in OK .
A couple of not very good pics-

Hope that helps! My answers are in green.