How to Take Care of Crayfish

Crayfish, also known as crawfish, crawdads, and mudbugs, are lovable crustaceans that make excellent pets.^[1] All you need to take care of one is the right tank, ample food, and more than a bit of love and time. They make great pets because they're so fun to watch, as they move around the tank, try (and mostly fail) to eat other fish, and build little hills and mounds for their homes. If you want to know how to truly take care of a crayfish, then see Step 1 to get started.

EditSteps

Get your crayfish. You can easily find a crayfish at a tropical fish store or another pet store. You can get a red crayfish for 1-3 dollars, while more high-end crayfish, like the blue crayfish, can cost 20 dollars or more. You can always go on reputable websites to find even more rare and exotic crayfish, but they could end up costing you as much as 100 dollars. You can start by getting just one of these critters and getting him used to his new home.
- Heck, if you live in certain parts of the United States, you can have a great time going crayfishing, looking for fish in streams or shallow bodies of water. Just get a small net, turn up some rocks, and try to make it so that the crayfish end up rapidly swimming right into your net. To transfer the caught crayfish home, just keep it in a shallow body of water just over its head so it doesn't drown.

Get the right tank for your crayfish. Crayfish need a tank with a pH of 7.0 (neutral) that has a temperature between 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit. Do not use a heated aquarium for these critters. Additionally, the aquarium should have proper aeration and filtration. One crayfish needs at least 5-10 gallons of water all to himself.^[2]
- It's not recommended that you put more than one crayfish in a tank, but if you do, you should make sure they have enough space to themselves, and enough places to hide. Also, if you do have multiple crayfish in one tank, make sure they are of the same species, or they are likely to kill each other.
- If crayfish spend 3-6 hours in water that is well over their heads, they will drown. In addition to filter oxygenation, you'll need air bubblers or long bubble walls on your tank.
- Make sure to partially change the water each week to keep it fresh.
- You can also put your crayfish in a tank with fish, if you take the right precautions -- more on that later!
- Don't put seashells in the tank, or this can affect the pH level of the water.
- Perform regular water changes. Because crayfish have large bioloads, do at least two water changes each week. Always use a dechlorinator when replacing water.
- Don't use an undergravel filter. Crayfish like to dig, which can jam the filter.

Make the tank comfortable for your crayfish. Crayfish love to burrow, hide, and to generally be in darkness, so you have to create an environment that is conducive to this. You can add elements like a tipped-over castle, PVC pipe, rocks, or plants. They like to climb in plants, but try to get fake ones, or they may eat the real plants very quickly. They need hollowed-out rocks, gerbil pipes, or any 3-sided containers to truly feel safe, especially when they are extra vulnerable after shedding their shells.
- Try to minimize the light exposure the tank gets, because crayfish are much more comfortable with the lights out.

Feed your crayfish. Crayfish need to have a sinking pellet food as a staple. Sinking shrimp pellets are perfect. They also like to eat vegetables as well as any decaying matter. Since fish eat shrimp pellets too, make sure you drop enough of the pellets around the crayfish's hiding place that he can get to them. He may also eat some regular fish food flakes if they make it his way, but this is not enough for him.^[3]
- When it comes to veggies, they can eat cabbage leafs, zucchini medallions, or shelled peas.
- They can also eat some frozen foods, such as daphnia, blood worms, frozen fish, and brine shrimp.
- Cooked chicken can also make for a great occasional treat.

Keep your crayfish safe from other fish. Your crayfish can live in a tank with other fish, as long as you don't have any bottom dwellers, because crayfish like to clean the bottom of your tank, too. And if you have any pricey or just special fish in your tank, then you may think twice about adding a crayfish to the mix. They are not just bottom dwellers, but are also scavengers and hunters, which means that they will swipe at passing fish. Though this is mostly just amusing to watch and they rarely are able to attack fish, this can happen.^[4]
- Mostly, the crayfish attack fish that are getting sick and sinking toward the bottom of the tank. They'll stay away from strong, healthy fish.
- If you have large or aggressive fish, then there's a chance they can go after your crayfish, too.
- Cichlids are known for eating crayfish. Crayfish are known for eating cloud mountain minnows, rosy red minnows, and rainbow darters.
- Goldfish and crayfish tend not to get along.

Take care of your crayfish when it sheds its skin. Crayfish will molt their protective shell from time to time, which will make them feel more vulnerable to other crayfish or fish, so you have to take extra care with them. When they shed their shell, do not remove it, because they will actually need to eat it, or some of it, to help strengthen the new shell they are going to grow. Do not feed your crayfish when it molts, because it will only be eating its shell.
- Some people even place their crayfish in a separate tank to protect it while it is molting.

Keep your crayfish from escaping their tank. Crayfish love to explore new territory and are great at escaping, so make sure you have protected any openings in the filter and have kept the lid firmly placed on the tank. You can use aluminum foil and rubber bands and tape to seal off the filter opening from the outside, as long as you don't let the aluminum touch the tank water. If a crayfish escapes, it can dehydrate and die in just a few hours, so it's very important to be vigilant about this.
- If you have caught an escaping crayfish, do not place it directly back in its tank. His little gills need time to get used to the water again, and you don't want to drown him by mistake. Place the crayfish in a tall bucket with just enough water to fully cover it. Add a rock to the bucket to make the crayfish feel less vulnerable. After one full day, pick up your crayfish and hold it upside down on the surface of the water. If it does well here, let it return to its normal environment.^[5]

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EditTips

Leave the crayfish in a dark shady space.

Crayfish are territorial. Keeping multiple crayfish in one tank is not recommended. Do not keep them with fish small enough for them to eat or fish big enough to eat them.

Crayfish in captivity typically live only about 2-3 years, but with proper treatment they can live to 7-8 years.

Crayfish outgrow their exoskeleton from time to time and shed it in a process called molting. The hard protective shell will split down the back and the crayfish will emerge. When crayfish shed their exoskeleton, they are extremely vulnerable and will look for a place to hide. Provide plenty of cover and remove all predatory creatures (including large snails and aggressive fish). Do not handle your crayfish until a new exoskeleton is fully developed (about one week).

Crayfish will walk backwards and raise their claws if threatened.

AVOID using cat food or any canned fish products. Canned fish is high in salt and preservatives and is actually MORE expensive than a three dollar container of shrimp pellets that would last a single crayfish more than a year. (If you are going to get a pet, take the effort to take care of it properly by feeding it what it needs, not cat food)

Crayfish also like caves, if you can, get a small cave for your aquarium.

Crayfish that are old will feed at night and the younger ones feed during the day.

If you want to breed crayfish,be very careful.You will have to find one that does not fight with other one and interacts well.

Crayfish love the dark so put them in the dark whenever you can.

They will pinch with their pincers if you don't handle them carefully.

They like to jump back when you touch them, so try a gentle approach, and make sure they can't leap backwards.

Crayfish love to dig, so be sure to provide sand in the tank.

Try not to get pinched because they will pinch you whenever they want.

The best food is fish food, but cat food and algae works,too! Canned tuna, canned sardines, or canned anchovies also work for food.

EditWarnings

Make sure that if you are keeping a crayfish never keep them out of the aquarium no matter what unless you're cleaning the tank.

Don't pick the crayfish up near its eyes or tail! If you do that, you might get pinched!

When you are transporting the crayfish, say via car, truck, or bus, be sure not to move it around too much. This could result in what some people call "crayfish soup." This may sound funny, but it is a serious term that can cause your crayfish to become over stressed and extremely confused. Some certain salt water crayfish are more prone to this than most others. Be careful!