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Crayfish, Crawdads, Ditch Bugs
Selection
Related Articles:
Forget
Crawfish Pie, Let's Make a Crawfish Tank! By Gage Harford,
Invertebrates for Freshwater Aquariums by Neale Monks,
Freshwater Shrimp, Crayfish, "Lobsters",
Prawns
Freshwater to
Brackish Crabs
Related FAQs:
Crayfish 1,
Crayfish 2,
Crayfish ID, Crayfish Behavior,
Crayfish Compatibility,
Crayfish Systems,
Crayfish Feeding,
Crayfish Disease,
Crayfish Reproduction,
Freshwater Invertebrates/Use in Aquariums,
Freshwater Crustaceans for the
Aquarium,
FW Crustaceans 2,
Fresh to Brackish
Water Crabs,
Hermit Crabs, |
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FW Crawfish? 11/6/08
I am looking for a certain type of algae eating "freshwater blue Japanese
lobster" for a friend of mine who said he used to have a few in his planted
aquarium.... he claimed they were some holy grail algae scraping machines....
however any crawfish I have ever observed seem to scavenge and hunt (smaller
fish, crustaceans, anything meaty...) SO... The only animal I can find via
Google are "Cambroides japonicus" ....Not so sure about them... if I could read
the Japanese script on the pages it might help me more... Thanks for all your
help!!! You Guys Rock! Mitch (ps. I am trying to obtain possible photos)
<Hello Mitchell. So far as I know (and can understand) no crayfish is a useful
algae eater. Yes, they all eat algae, but they do so by processing sediment. I
can't see how these hulking animals could possibly scrape glass or delicate
remove green fuzz from soft plants. Most crayfish are more like to eat plants
than clean them! There are Japanese shrimps that have been popular as consumers
as green algae, called Amano Shrimps. I personally consider Nerite snails to be
far superior (see my article on Algae Eaters in this months PFK magazine for a
full run down of algae-eating animals). But do also understand that NO ANIMAL
fixes a major algae problem. At best they consume certain types of algae, but
since all animals also produce ammonia, they fertilize the water, speeding up
the growth of algae generally. The ONLY reliable fix for algae is to add
fast-growing plants under bright lighting. When aquarists report that their
planted tanks have no algae, this is rarely because of the fish or shrimps or
snails. It's because the plants are stopping algae from growing through a
process called allelopathy. If your tank [a] doesn't have fast growing plants;
and [b] doesn't have bright lights, then adding an algae-eater won't make much
difference and could make things worse. If your tank already has brown algae,
hair algae, or blue-green algae, then you have other problems with the tank, and
adding a crayfish or algae-eater of any other kind isn't on
the cards at all. Cheers, Neale>
Red claw crayfish, sel., beh.
6/4/08
Hi!
I was just wondering about keeping red claw crayfish, Cherax quadricarinatus,
and have been reading on WWM about keeping them. I was just wondering though,
how interesting are they compared to other crayfish? I have a Louisiana red P.
clarkii and I find her active and always walking about.
<Yes... I've kept this species off and on for years... very interesting IMO/E>
Are red claws a lethargic type of crayfish spending most of their time hidden?
<Much more than Procambarus>
Plus some places I have read says they are not very aggressive towards their own
kind, while other places say they are always on the lookout to murder each
other.
<The genus is more like the latter in my experience>
Have any of you had any first hand experience with keeping these critters?
<If hungry, crowded...>
Thanks!
Don Smith
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>
Misalanious crayfish in the
tank :/ -04/11/08
<Misalanious? ...must be a new genus. ;-)>
I have a piranha he's about the size of a small plate, anyways...I was wondering
if a crayfish can leave eggs behind after they're gone?
<I doubt it was an egg. But if you've been putting adult crayfish in your tank,
then it's possible that one of them was still carrying a baby (or even several)
which you just didn't see.>
I haven't had crayfish in my tank for a couple years and i just noticed one
about a cm in length (it's so cute! :D). It looks as though it's been in the
tank for quite awhile...It's got a home built underneath an ornamental log. I
was surprised that the piranha hadn't eaten it, if it has been in the tank for a
while. I'm sure it could have also been scooped out of the comet tank at the
store...?
<This is another good possibility. At the LFSs where I've worked, we'd find all
kinds of things occasionally mixed in with the comets/feeder fish or even in
with the ghost shrimp.>
I'm Baffled! :/ I just threw a shrimp pellet in and it's been clutched to it
ever since :) We'll see how long it does last though.
<Best,
Sara M.>
Classroom Tank
>Hi crew!
>>Good morning, Joy, Marina here.
>One of my students took home the class pet for summer vacation, renamed her,
and now my red eared slider has a new home and I have a 55 gallon tank to
fill. Help!! I've purchased an aquarium divider. I want to know can I have a
crayfish or lobster on one side of the divider and a shrimp and some type of
aquatic or semi-aquatic frog on the other.
>>Yes, you can do this.
>Possibly a fish or two if you can recommend ones that won't be eaten.
>>Not with the crawdad/freshwater lobster, but if you have something like a
small leopard frog on the other side, then you can put in mosquito fish or
similar small fish. Also, consider land hermit crabs (the Caribbean
variety). I don't think they can pinch any worse than a crawfish! They do
require a different setup, though. If interested, check out
http://www.hermit-crabs.com
for best information.
>My concerns are having species that have the same temperature and water
hardness requirement.
>>Not exactly a worry with frogs and crawdads, very hardy, as are most commonly
available tropical fish.
>Some of my students have vision issues, so could you please recommend colorful
species (our school uniform colors are white and blue, I would love to say my
aquarium creatures are dressed in uniform).
>>Sorry, but most colorful species are VERY specialized and difficult to care
for, and the ones that I can think of that would match your school colors are
poison dart frogs. Even though their stay in captivity and lack of variety in
diet seems to seriously reduce toxin levels, still not a good idea in my opinion
(mostly for meeting their requirements). There does exist, however, a BLUE
freshwater crawfish that is also known as a freshwater lobster. This may take
some searching to find. Marina
"Craw Dads"
Dear Bob,
After our emails earlier today I searched the net for info re crayfish.
Correct me if I am wrong, but not too many people have an interest in these
creatures.
<Not that many... surprising for how many species, interesting biology...>
I have spent more than a couple of hours searching and other than recipes on how
to prepare them, I have come up with three
articles. I live in Canada and to see these creatures is a relative rarity. I
suppose elsewhere, i.e. the U.S. and Australia, they are
considered too common to get excited about. I did live in Mississippi in the
early 80's and do recall them on menus, ( I did not partake) but
still kind of think of them as an unique creature worthy of observing.
Here at home, my favorite creature (outdoors) is our toads, we have an extensive
garden and pond area dedicated to just those creatures. Just
because I don't know, where abouts in the U.S. do you reside?
<In southern California, next to Mexico, a town called San Diego>
Do you ever come north to Canada?
<Yes, but not often... usually travel to places where the water is warmer... to
dive, make photographs. Bob Fenner>
Linda
Any non-fish for a community tank?
Mr. Fenner:
Thank you for your prompt reply and helpful information in response to my
questions about freshwater lobsters and crayfish.
<You're welcome>
(My interest in these crustaceans and the like is purely non-gastrological,
though)
<oh>
If lobsters and crayfish are not ideal candidates for a community tank... are
there any invertebrates that are? Any that won't be eaten by the fish?
<Yes... depending on which species we're talking about... of a certainty there
are ones that can/do/will eat each other>
Must have fish and invertebrates (and not eat them) too! Please help!
AHR
<Do take a read through the various fresh and brackish water sections (livestock
sub-sections) posted on WetWebMedia.com for input on selection, choices. Bob
Fenner>
Ditch Bugs
Hello guys and thank you for taking time to read this
Recently I caught some crawfish to cook at home... I kind of felt bad so I took
the two smallest ones "about three inches long" and put them into my freshwater
tank "75 gallon" with the rest of my fish....two Bala shark one red tail shark a
striped cat and bushy nose Pleco. to protect my fish I removed the part of
their main claw or pinchers that moves to pinch.
<Youch! I am not familiar with that practice.>
my question is what effect can the craw fish have on my tank.
i.e......cleanliness and stress on the fish... or how do they breathe and what
do they eat? or if I should just take them out? thank you for your time!!!
<I have 4 crawfish in one of my sumps, they are more entertaining than the fish
in the main tank, they will eat just about anything, I feed mine algae wafers
and whatever leftover pellets or frozen food I have sitting around at feeding
time. I doubt your fish are in too much danger, in fact, if your catfish gets
big enough, your crawfish may be in danger. They are good scavengers, I'd keep
them. Best Regards, Gage>
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