Help for crayfish   8/21/08
I've searched the site for additional information on this topic and haven't found anything that could help me at this point. Maybe you can help me. I have a rusty crayfish that I recently collected from the local lake. He was fine until he molted. I found him repeatedly upside down. Since then, his claws don't seem to work right. They hang under him and when he lifts
them (took him two days to do this), it looks like he's punching himself in the face. He also has white feathery things hanging out from the sides since he molted. He eats the goldfish flakes and bloodworms that make it to the gravel.
Is there anything I can do for him?
-Nate
<Nate, assuming water chemistry and water quality are good, then the thing that may be critical is diet. German aquaristic company JBL produces an excellent leaflet on crayfish you can download from their web site, here:
http://www.jbl.de/factmanager/index.php?lang=en
Among other things, it makes the point that crayfish that are given too much protein in captivity moult prematurely, and this fails, causing problems. So what you've described is not at all uncommon. The key thing is that we often give crayfish the wrong food: they are HERBIVORES more than anything else. High-protein food like fish flake and bloodworms may seem nice, and they certainly eat them, but they are VERY BAD for them. Instead concentrate on plant matter, or better still, foods formulated expressly for crayfish (JBL make a couple of such products, and so likely to other manufacturers). Also remember not to feed them daily, but perhaps every other day. These animals have a low metabolism, and during winter especially may be hardly eating at all. Sabrina (another member of the WWM crew) recommends adding iodine (sold for marine tanks, e.g., Kent Marine Iodine) to the water as well. Iodine is related to the moulting process, and may be another way to help regulate moulting frequency and make sure that when it happens, it happens in the right way. She recommends a rate of one drop per ten gallons each week. Hope this helps, Neale.>

Re: Help for crayfish   8/21/08
Thank you so much!
-Nate
<Happy to help. Cheers, Neale>

Itchy electric blue lobster... using WWM   5/5/08
I am now housing my second blue lobster. The first lobster molted after a month and lost every one of her legs/arms, even the very small front ones that they use the put food in their mouths. She was just a torso, head and tail.
<... something/s missing nutritionally, perhaps water quality wise as well>
It was very tragic! When I got her I was not educated enough on water balance and the nitrites were toxic for about a week, I feel this could have been the cause. I got a new one yesterday and he is pretty active but spends most of his time itching and scratching himself all over his little body, head and tail. He is in a 10 gallon tank, with filter and air pump. His house mates are 2 Neons, 2 rosy reds, and 4 ghost shrimp, all of which have been with me for a month and I understand he may eat all of them which is fine. I tested the water, nitrate about 10 in safe range, nitrite 0, water hard, chlorine 0, alkalinity about 160 which says ideal, and pH about 80. The water temp. is about 78 degrees. I do not see any parasites. Should I be concerned?
Any other suggestions so I can keep little Liam healthy? I have added about 2 drops of iodine once a week for 3 weeks and will now reduce it to 1 drop. I also use API stress zyme once a week since the aquarium is only 2 months old.
Your site is wonderfully insightful, thank you for all that you do.
Dena
<Have just skipped down. You obviously have not followed directions, read... Here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwlvstkind2.htm
scroll down to the articles, FAQs on Crayfish, health... systems, foods/feeding/nutrition... BobF>

Clawless Yabby; beh., fdg.  12/20/07
I am looking after an Australian Freshwater Yabby for a friend who is overseas. Two days ago, he escaped from his tank & fell off the kitchen bench onto the floor, & was found about 4 metres away from his tank. During this trauma he lost both of his claws. Once returned to the tank, he has been floating upside down, but still alive. My question is- if he stays alive, how do I feed him without his claws to grab the food? Or will he die?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Kind Regards,
Jodi O'Connell
<This crustacean can, will consume foods of use still... really only uses the large claws for defense and seizing prey items... Maceration and manipulation are done via other smaller elements closer to the mouth. If this animal can be recovered, kept nourished, well-maintained, it will regenerate the larger claws with time, successive molts. Bob Fenner>

My blue lobster/crayfish, fdg., beh.   – 9/29/07
Hi. I have a blue lobster/crayfish, which i brought some time in march. my lobster/crayfish was eating fine, until he/she shelled on Monday (24th September), now he/she just doesn't seemed interested in anything food what so ever. is there something wrong with my lobster/crayfish? any suggestions please. thanks.
<Greetings. Crayfish tend to be extra-shy immediately after moulting. This is natural. For a couple of days their exoskeleton isn't strong enough to provide useful defence, so they stay hidden in their burrows. So give it a couple of days, and then see what happens. Do remember to vary the diet. Crayfish are primarily herbivores in the wild, and a lot of their diet is algae, soft plant matter, and decaying organic detritus. So you could try tempting your pet with something different. Sushi Nori would be ideal and especially rich in iodine, which crayfish apparently need for good health. You can pick this stuff up at any Asian food market or decent grocery store, and it's very cheap (over here in the UK, around £1 for 10 large sheets). Algae pellets (of the type sold for catfish) make a good alternative. Top this off with the other major part of the crayfish diet -- carrion. A nice bit of frozen whitebait or lancefish would be just the thing. The bones in these little fish would be a handy source of calcium. One last thing: crayfish, like most freshwater invertebrates, are sensitive to water quality. Check the nitrites are at zero and the nitrates fairly low. There must be no copper in the water (e.g., from fish medications) or salt. Not all species are tropical animals, so check which species you have, and if required adjust the temperature accordingly. Do also read this and its related articles: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/crayfishfaqs.htm . Cheers, Neale>

My new pet Crayfish    11/27/06
Hello. I work at PetSmart, and every now and then, strange animals will  show up in the shipments of feeder fish,
<Ah, yes... always a delight, adventure>
and I usually enjoy taking one or two  
home with me. Usually the stow aways are tadpoles, but yesterday, I picked up a Crayfish that I named Garth.
<"He's got friends in lowww places....">
Right now, he is living in a tiny little bowl, but  after reading up on your page and others, I am ready to purchase and set up a  tank for him tomorrow.
<Ah, good>
I was wondering a few things, and if they are on your  page and I missed them, I apologize for the inconvenience.
1. Do you have any idea what he may be? I was trying to find pictures of several species, but after reading up on them, I think he may be a juvenile. He is probably 2 inches long, and he is a light tan color, but he has speckles all  over him, including his pinchers. They themselves are very small and thin, but  they are long. I live in Colorado, but our fish are usually shipped from Arizona. Any species around that area that he may be?
<There are some 300 plus species that occur in N. America, but the vast majority of those seen/used (for consumption as well as ornament) are Procambarus clarkii>
I was just wondering, because I wanted to know about how big he would get.
<Do place the above name in your search tool... likely some 3-4 inch body length maximum>
2. Exactly what/when should he be fed? I have read different things.  Some say stick to mainly vegetables, and don't feed too often, while others say  feed mainly meats, and feed frequently. What would be a good feeding/diet  schedule?
<A mix of these... animal and vegetable foods... prepared or fresh will serve you both well here>
3. How much space should he have?
<A ten gallon system would be perfect... with some rock work...>
I do not have the room for anything HUGE, as I already have a ten gallon fish tank and a large critter keeper for my hermit crab. Would a large Critter Keeper (15.875" x 8.375" x 12.083" )  be enough?
<Yes>
I know some aquatic animals don't need a lot of room, and some  do.
<You are correct here>
Thank you so much for your help. I apologize again if I've asked anything that was available on your web site. Sometimes Im not the best at searching for information, lol. Thank you for your help.
~Amber
<Thank you for writing, sharing. Your genuine concern and intelligence are refreshing, obvious. Bob Fenner>

Red lobsters
I have a red lobster which was very happy but just recently he has stopped eating. he normally eats cockles and that crab and lobster food but as I say he has just stopped. he has shed his shell once and keeps climbing up the plants to the top of the tank. could you please help.<I would check your water quality (check for nitrates, nitrites, ammonia, and copper) invertebrates are sensitive to copper (which could come from your tap water) if this is the problem you will have to purchase RO/DI water if you want your lobster to live, otherwise just keep trying to feed him different types of meaty foods...like silversides, krill, mussels etc, Good luck, IanB>
thanks, mark, United kingdom

Blue Lobster - Not for Eating..
>>Hi,
>>Hello, sorry for the delay, it seems that the folks best suited to help you aren't available at this time.
>Hope you could assist me..
>>Me too.
>My freshwater lobster has not been able to eat lately; it puts food to its mouth with its claws (legs I think) and yet the food seemed unable to go into its mouth. It had molted a few times since I bought it - the tank size is quite small but it is the only occupant as it will
attack other fishes like the tetras, goldfish or even the Betta.
>>Oh, yes it WILL. However, (be prepared, this may seem cruel, but I assure you it is not), should you wish to house it with fishes, the large claws can be pinched off. It is still able to feed with the small claws, though.
>Is this quite common as it did not eat before it molted some time ago?
>>Not unless there are water quality issues to the best of my knowledge.
>But then this time around , it did not molt and cannot eat its food.
>>This is problematic indeed. I do know that iodine (the lack of) can cause molting problems with many crustaceans, but do not dose/add any unless you can test for such. Have you tried searching our site? Start here (but this may not be the entire inventory on site)
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/crayfishfaqs.htm 
>Thank you so much. Cheers - Ho [from South East Asia]
>>You're welcome. Marina in the Northern Sierra Nevada Mountains. 

Yabbies Fighting Over Dinner
I have 3 small Yabbies about 2 inches. They are fine but when it comes to feeding they fight. 2 have lost limbs from this. So I started taking 2 out of the tank and letting 1 feed at a time. I do this about every second day. How many hours can they stay out of water? Also occasionally I've feed the others outside of the tank. Is this safe letting them eat on land?
<I would not rely on taking them out for any length of time. In nature they can come on land for a short time but how long they can stay out depends on the temperature and humidity of the air.  Try and feed each one its own little piece of food in their own corner of the tank or add lots of PVC piping so they can hide and get away with their dinner.-Chuck>