Mystery Crawfish

[lighthousesci]

So...many y'all can help solve this one. I went down to the local pond last fall and leaning off the pier scooped ~5 gallons of water into a 5 gallon bucket from near the surface (~6 ft deep off the pier). Also grabbed some floating leaves (couldn't reach the bottom) Wanted to get some critters to break off some live feeder cultures (scored some nice starters for a daphnia and scud culture! kept that going over the winter and been using it for free food).
Anyway, after drawing a few things off I put the bucket aside and sort of...forgot about it? All winter? Dont hate! I checked with a flashlight to make sure I hadn't gotten any fish or anything inadvertently. So I had put the bucket off in the side of my storage closet off of my fish room and when I popped it open last month expecting it to be foul, found a big 'ol crawdad chillin on the top of the muck/leaves! Scooped him over and put him in a tank and he's thriving. Eating like a champ and molting like once a week or so (guess he was hungry)

How did he end up there? Was there an egg free-floating? On a leaf? Did I just happen to catch him free swimming (with a bucket?!) and not see him? I'm honestly confused.

 

[Cal Amari]

Can't help on the ID or mysterious appearance but congrats, he's a good looking dude. The crayfish I kept a decade ago or so was one of my most enjoyable aquatic pets, very active, clever, always fun to watch what he was getting up to. Try putting some plastic hamster tubes in there, he'll likely love exploring them, mine even climbed a lookout tower on the reg

 

[lighthousesci]

Can't help on the ID or mysterious appearance but congrats, he's a good looking dude. The crayfish I kept a decade ago or so was one of my most enjoyable aquatic pets, very active, clever, always fun to watch what he was getting up to. Try putting some plastic hamster tubes in there, he'll likely love exploring them, mine even climbed a lookout tower on the reg

I've got him moved over to a spare planted tank I have set up, he's in crawfish heaven. He's just hiding while he figures out the hides (moved him over a few days ago)

 

[Deadeye]

Welcome to the forum!
Females carry the eggs with them until hatching, so it’s unlikely to have come in as an egg. More likely a juvenile was hanging out in the plant matter you scooped up. They are hardy so it’s not surprising it made it as long as it did.
As for ID, it looks like a Procambarus clarkii, which is the common “Louisiana swamp crayfish,” but that can depend on where it was caught.
They can be pretty destructive with plants I’ve found, so keep an eye out there. They also like to rescape.

 

[tlindsey]

So...many y'all can help solve this one. I went down to the local pond last fall and leaning off the pier scooped ~5 gallons of water into a 5 gallon bucket from near the surface (~6 ft deep off the pier). Also grabbed some floating leaves (couldn't reach the bottom) Wanted to get some critters to break off some live feeder cultures (scored some nice starters for a daphnia and scud culture! kept that going over the winter and been using it for free food).
Anyway, after drawing a few things off I put the bucket aside and sort of...forgot about it? All winter? Dont hate! I checked with a flashlight to make sure I hadn't gotten any fish or anything inadvertently. So I had put the bucket off in the side of my storage closet off of my fish room and when I popped it open last month expecting it to be foul, found a big 'ol crawdad chillin on the top of the muck/leaves! Scooped him over and put him in a tank and he's thriving. Eating like a champ and molting like once a week or so (guess he was hungry)

How did he end up there? Was there an egg free-floating? On a leaf? Did I just happen to catch him free swimming (with a bucket?!) and not see him? I'm honestly confused.

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