creek crawdads

[jenratico]

My kids and I were enjoying a morning playing in the creek and caught 3 baby crawdads. We brought them home for a day or so of observation. I put them in creek water in a washed (without soap) pretzel tub and they are not in with any of our aquarium inhabitants or aquarium stuff - just what we brought with them from the creek - that way they should be okay to put back. They are less than an inch and so cute.

I'm toying with the idea of setting up a tank to keep them for the long term but have no experience with crawdads. Anyone know the lifespan, what to feed, temps, etc? Do they need current? Would they do okay in treated tap water if acclimated? Could they go in an established tank with fish at some point or would they bring in something that could kill the fish (or would they eat the fish?). How big a tank would they need? I have an empty ten, but no idea where to put it :idea: I guess I could take it to work!

 

[petluvr]

the only answer that I have to any of your questions is they WILL eat your fish. I think maybe you should just take them back to the creek where you found them

 

[Notophthalmus]

Crawdads generally live two to three years. I'm not familiar with the Colorado species, but here in Tennessee we have quite a number of species who do well in ordinary tanks kept at room temp with no more current then what the filter outflow provides; treated tap water is fine.

They will eat practically anything; pellet fish or turtle foods are a good staple diet, but they will also eat live and frozen foods and bits of meat and vegetables. You could probably keep two or three crawdads in a ten gallon if you provided hiding spaces for each of them.

As Petluvr said, they are generally not compatible with fish. There are always exceptions, but my advice is to not keep fish you value in with the crawdads.

 

[pixl8r]

jenratico,

It is impossible to say what specific environmental requirements your crayfish have, without knowing the exact species you captured.

Here are a few ideas, if you do plan on keeping them.

1 Your profile states you are from Colorado, you can safely assume that the crayfish you caught are a cold water species, they will likely require refrigerated water to induce their breeding cycle.

2 They will definitely require a filtered tank.

3 A species, or invert only, tank is recommended. Avoid housing anything you don't want eaten by your crayfish. Also, avoid keeping aggressive fish, such as cichlids, puffers, angles, loaches, etc... with any crustaceans.

4 Avoid using live plants. Most non dwarf species of crayfish will shred and or eat any living plant they can find. They do this to create a floating cover that helps them feel secure.

5 Keep caves (PVC pipe, strategically placed rocks, wood, or ceramics) for the crawdads to hide in. They particularly need this when they molt. Make sure that there are more hiding places than there are crayfish.

6 They don't need any special food. They will eat any flake, wafer, pellet, or frozen fish food. If you want, you may supplement their diet with blanched vegetables, and boiled low fat meat (chicken, tuna, etc). Avoid oily and fatty meat, they can rapidly foul the water.

Good luck

 

[Hooked Newbie]

I found this link and thought I'd share it.

http://crayfish.byu.edu/

One link leads to this one which breaks down the species in your specific area.

http://iz.carnegiemnh.org/crayfish/country_pages/state_pages/colorado.htm

 

[jenratico]

Well, I'm thinking that 4 tanks is enough right now (I've just set up a 20 high that is not in my sig yet) and that the crawdad tank or another native tank should be down that road when we can be more thoughtful about it (and maybe when my son is a little older and can be a more active participant with it) - and I already promised my spare filter & heater to the kindergarten for a mystery snail tank. At least we know where to catch the crawdads for the future! I think we'll take them for a walk back to the creek after the kids have a chance to show them off to dad this evening. I so love natural science - I think I like the critters more than the kids do.

 

[jenratico]

I found this link and thought I'd share it.

http://crayfish.byu.edu/

One link leads to this one which breaks down the species in your specific area.

http://iz.carnegiemnh.org/crayfish/country_pages/state_pages/colorado.htm

Great links! I can't tell what the little ones are, because I don't know that they color up at all this small and the water is pretty mucky, but I did see a big one at the creek that looked quite colorful in the shallows - yellows, rusts and greens mixed in with his browns. He was quite stunning. As I said above, I think it would be taking on to much to put up a tank for them this go round, but if I plan to have one ready for next summer..........

I'm so torn. I would love to see these guys grown up! Problem is, I'm intrigued and want to watch everything I come across - all the snails, fish, frogs, shrimp. Gar. I know most of you bemoan the same thing.

 

[black_sun]

I'm toying with the idea of setting up a tank to keep them for the long term but have no experience with crawdads. Anyone know the lifespan, what to feed, temps, etc? Do they need current? Would they do okay in treated tap water if acclimated? Could they go in an established tank with fish at some point or would they bring in something that could kill the fish (or would they eat the fish?). How big a tank would they need? I have an empty ten, but no idea where to put it :idea: I guess I could take it to work!

The lifespan depends on the species, it can be as little as two years or upwards of eight. As for feeding, that also depends on the species (some are more inclined to eat vegetation and some more inclined to eat animal matter) but they are all opportunistic and will eat just about anything. The temperature really depends on the species, you should mimic the temps (and water parameters) in the area you found them (including seasonal changes) because too hot or too cold will kill them. They need water to cycle unless they are a low-oxygen species, and probably shouldn't be kept with fish (since they will generally go after the fish if they get within claws reach) unless you don't mind a few being eaten (I keep feeder goldfish with mine). And as for a tank, general rule of thumb is 10 gallons per crayfish or per sexed pair, unless you have a dwarf species, with a lot of hiding spots so that they crays don't fight with each other.

Some good websites for IDing crays and learning about them (and keeping them as pets) are:

crayfishmates.com
bluecrayfish.com/forum