gave up on raising crayfish

[blueice24]

i bought 3 and they all died when they were molting

[piranha45]

my inverts never live long enough to molt :P

did yours have any mean tankmates that might have killed them?

[DeLgAdO]

water probly lacks minerals, that might explain why they died during the molt or what you feed em wasnt a balanced enoguh diet, what you feed em.

[guppy]

Try calcium supplements like for reptiles mixed into canned (sqeezed dry) cat food, put it in a mesh bag and let them work on it for a couple hours a week. Just before a water change is best..

[DeLgAdO]

you can also try this for the water


http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=6209&Ntt=araga%20milk&Ntk=All&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&N=2004&Nty=1

[DeLgAdO]

how long do they live? i heard 3 years, but i bet i can amke them live 6 years with what i know :grinno:

[redtailfool]

how long do they live? i heard 3 years, but i bet i can amke them live 6 years with what i know :grinno:

Depends which specie of crayfish. Lousiana common lives up to 3 but some
species live up to 6.

[rayman45]

i feed most of mine to my fish withen a week or 2

[guppy]

how long do they live? i heard 3 years, but i bet i can amke them live 6 years with what i know :grinno:
Don't know, I had one from Sylvia creek, Wa.(Sp.?) for about 4 years but turned her loose when she started spawning. She was bigtime cannibal.

[Oddball]

how long do they live? i heard 3 years, but i bet i can amke them live 6 years with what i know :grinno:

There are species that don't even reach breeding age until they're 8 y/o.
Calcium is probably not the problem. Crays will decalcify their own exoskeletons to help in forming the new one. Any further lack of calcium is supplemented by eating their own molted exoskeletons.
The problem is more likely a lack of iodine in the tank. Crustaceans require iodine to facilitate the molt. I use a drip method (IV line) to keep a 2ppm level in my crays system and don't see any molt related deaths.

[guppy]

Thanks oddball, I used to give mine pickle weed because they like it and it grew nearby, it is a good source for iodine but I didn't even know crafish needed it. I just got lucky I guess. Any idea on how long those big Tasmanians live?

[Oddball]

Cherax average 5-6 years in a controlled aquaculture setting with a max age of 8 years. Actual life expectancy is unknown due to farming turnover and no reliable method for tagging. The giant cray is also not studied but, a few captive specimens have passed the 15 year mark. It's a guess that they can live past 20 years since captive specimens are not near the sizes that were known a century ago.

[neoprodigy]

thanks for sharing the info oddball...

[bluedempsey]

i have had a crayfish for 2 yrs
it eats what every one else eats
i add iodine to the water once a week
to help it molt.

i hope it dies soon
it has gotten pretty aggressive :mad:

[piranha45]

i have had a crayfish for 2 yrs
it eats what every one else eats
i add iodine to the water once a week
to help it molt.

i hope it dies soon
it has gotten pretty aggressive :mad:
its too big for your other fish to consider it food, eh?

[bluedempsey]

its too big for your other fish to consider it food, eh?
no they could easyly eat it
but so far no luck
:screwy:

[cenecker]

Yeah I got one that just won't get eaten too......what a pain.

[The TRUST]

i have had a crayfish for 2 yrs
it eats what every one else eats
i add iodine to the water once a week
to help it molt.

i hope it dies soon
it has gotten pretty aggressive :mad:

Ship it to me. I love crayfish

[bluedempsey]

down here on the out skirts of town where they irrogate.... hope i spelled that right....
anyway there are tons of canals
with millions of crayfish
sometimes i go and catch a bunch
for my rtc
he can't get enough!!!!
plus it's fun to watch it fight back :headbang2

[The TRUST]

down here on the out skirts of town where they irrogate.... hope i spelled that right....
anyway there are tons of canals
with millions of crayfish
sometimes i go and catch a bunch
for my rtc
he can't get enough!!!!
plus it's fun to watch it fight back :headbang2
SHIP THEM TO ME!!!!!!!! I NEED THOUSANDS OF CRAYFISH!

I am crayfish deprived :(

[guppy]

SHIP THEM TO ME!!!!!!!! I NEED THOUSANDS OF CRAYFISH!

I am crayfish deprived :(
You live in Seattle! There are at least three specie within 50 miles of you, damn near every tiny bit of fresh water around will yeild crays if you grab a dipnet and start flipping rocks, or drop a crayfish trap baited with canned catfood for a couple hours!

[The TRUST]

I caught some in Aberdeen but took us a while. to get them. I threw some crayfish traps in lakes and got none.

Besides I want different kinds :)

[guppy]

I only use traps in deeper water or while I'm doing something else, I usually flip rocks and grab em. There is a nice park in Seattle, I don't remember the name, that has a small creek in it, I caught like 20 in 30 minutes. I know what you mean about different kinds. I want some Tazzies.

[fester]

crayfish are for ponds, all they do in a tank is destroy your plants, and bother your fish. :headbang2

[The TRUST]

I only use traps in deeper water or while I'm doing something else, I usually flip rocks and grab em. There is a nice park in Seattle, I don't remember the name, that has a small creek in it, I caught like 20 in 30 minutes. I know what you mean about different kinds. I want some Tazzies.

Dammit!!! THINK MAN THINK!!! what is the name of the park????

[guppy]

I can't remember But they used it for acting out role playing games in costume, next time you see any creek with a rocky bottom, even if it's just a few feet wide, wade in and flip rocks, I've even caught black madtoms like that.