Saved a grade school cray fish... want to know what to expect.

[kcail1]

My daughters class were using crayfish (no clue on ssp) for her science class. They were offered up as pets at the end of the activity.

We took a female in about two months ago. She is in a smaller than ideal filtered tank at room T (72 degrees) and being fed commerical food.

She's moulted once (which I let her consume per directions on line) and otherwise seems ok.
We had a small nemotode issue which I did a deep clean and has resolved. She is active and onery with some big claws.

Any other surprises or concerns I should have?
Thanks,
Kcail

 

[pixl8r]

First off, crayfish can be escape artists. Make sure that it cannot escape.
Second, it sounds like the crayfish should be moved to a larger tank. Unlike fish, you don't use the X inch per fish = Y gallons. Crayfish, like shrimp, don't free swim much. They spend most of their time walking, so they need room to walk. If you have a dwarf crayfish (doesn't grow larger than 3 inches, it can be kept in a 10g tank. For a non dwarf (larger than 3 inches), the minimum is a 20Lg (20 gallon long, vs tall).
If you have a non dwarf species, it will likely destroy any live plants, and will possibly hunt and kill any fish or snails living with it. It will also redecorate the tank to fit its' whims. Dwarf crayfish are much more passive, but the possibility for predation still exists.

good luck

 

[kcail1]

Thanks... after a lovely 3 month stay with us, the crayfish died unexpectedly. She was moving actively, trying to escape, rearranging her tank like a "normal" crawfish. Then this morning she curled up under the filter and passed away some time.

Unfortunate but we tried to give her a good life. Her classmates took crays home and fed them things like bread, kept them in semi-terrestrial conditions and they did not last nearly as long.