Crayfish help?

[silentcircuit]

I saw a really beaten up feeder cray at one of the local chain pet stores (he's missing 2 feet and half of one of his long feelers) and told myself I was going to feed it to my Green Spotted Puffer as a kindness. It was a lie. He lives by himself in my 10G quarantine for now... and I do not think I can bring myself to let him be eaten. I'm feeding him Hikari carnisticks.

I blame this thread.

 

[user_name]

LOL

I'm going back to the store tommorow, I can't wait to see the price tag they put on him. I'm thinking 20-30.

 

[silentcircuit]

Related question: if I take really good care of him will he regenerate his feet and the half a feeler / antennae he's missing? I hope so. I cannot explain why (it's not like he has a lot of personality or anything) but I've developed quite a liking for this guy. Would he be okay with a generally "badass" fish like a Jack Dempsy or a Tiger Oscar? I've always wanted one, but considering they eat just about anything, I'd held off.

 

[Khemul]

Not sure about the Oscar, probably not. At least if it caught the cray during a molting, dinner. Dempseys, well my girlfriend has kept crays with her Dempseys. Usually lasts about till the cray decides it doesn't need to hide during a molting, then there is empty cray shell everywhere.

Pretty sure they'll regenerate claws over the course of multiple moltings. Not sure about legs and feelers, but seems like it'd be easier then growing back a claw so probably possible.

 

[jawasnack]

Yes, they will grow back legs and feeler's, just takes a couple of molts. No, I would not put it in a tank with Oscars or JD's.

 

[pixl8r]

Related question: if I take really good care of him will he regenerate his feet and the half a feeler / antennae he's missing? I hope so. I cannot explain why (it's not like he has a lot of personality or anything) but I've developed quite a liking for this guy.

Crayfish can't regrow eyes and major body parts. Legs, claws, swimmeretts, and antennae all grow back. It can take a few molts for a claw or limb to fully regrow.

Would he be okay with a generally "badass" fish like a Jack Dempsy or a Tiger Oscar? I've always wanted one, but considering they eat just about anything, I'd held off.

Bad idea. Even if the fish don't harass the crayfish to death (which is very likely), they'll kill him when he molts.

 

[mela]

Hi all
Kinda new at this. Have a mess of crawdads in two tanks. Two Plecos in one and one in another. Mess of feeders in both. Did have a lot of plants in both tanks. I get the plants from a local pond. The crawdads make short work of the plants. They last bout a week. The crawdads molt seems like all time. Claws, leggs and antenna all seem to come back. The crawdads are brutal but facinating to watch. Seems that the feeder fish have learned to out smart them too.


Later
Mel