FAQ

What is a blue crayfish and how rare are they?
How do I tell the gender ? (North American crayfish )
What do I feed crayfish?
What pH and water temperature do they require?
What kind of an environment does a crayfish require?
Can my crayfish come out of the water?
What are the reasons for my crayfish dying?
What do I do when my crayfish has eggs?
Do I own a blue lobster or crayfish?
What are the worm-like features on my blue crayfish?
Are my crayfish mating?
Where do crayfish live?
How big do crayfish get?
How do I package crayfish for shipping?
How do I cycle an aquarium?
Crayfish care sheet

What is a blue crayfish and how rare are they?
They are a genetic oddity; a blue color morph of the common brown papershell crayfish. It is the lack of a gene that causes them to be blue. They were found in one location out of hundreds of ponds I have screened for bait fish. Currently I have taken a dozen blue crayfish and with the offspring I stocked in several ponds. The orconectes immunis are native to new york state and are my own type of blue crayfish that I am raise in ponds. The brown orconectes immunis are commonly sold as fishing bait. The procambarus alleni also is a color morph. There are blue and brown ones of these too. They are raised on farms in florida and are the ones commonly found in pet shops. Indoor breeding of these is possible, whereas The Orconectes Immunis are not.

How do I tell the gender ? (North American crayfish )

The female has no appendages while the male has two.

What do I feed crayfish?

Sinking pellets. My favorite is Tetra sinking mini-sticks for ornamental goldfish. There is a variety of sinking pellets on the market. Shrimp pellets and algae tabs are highly recommended. Frozen peas, canned carrots, green beans or slices of potato work real well. Feeder fish such as fathead minnows or rosy reds and even small goldfish. Do not feed them fresh shrimp, it carries a disease common to shrimp. They have a hard time catching the live fish, so injuring one to make it easier to catch is recommended. They also like cooked meat such as chicken. This dirty's the water so a treat once in a while is better than a general staple. Stay away from fatty meats. A good rule of thumb is to feed them small amounts. Too much will dirty the tank. Remove any excess food after two days. They love to eat vegatation so if you have expensive plants, be aware they will eat them.

What pH and water temperature do they require?

A pH of 7.0 (neutral) with a temperature between 70 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. A heated aquarium is not recommended for crayfish.

What kind of an environment does a crayfish require?

A full aquarium with proper aeration and filtration is best. Partial water changes weekly. They like to burrow and hide in caves. A tipped over castle, for example works fine. PVC pipe makes cheap makeshift homes. Stack them up like pyramids to make a crayfish condo for multiple crayfish. Rocks make good cave material and add structure to your tank. When holding numerous crayfish, I use a piece of nylon netting material for them to hide in when they shed. A nylon sock bag with 3/8" mesh is very similar to what I am using. Cut it open so that they cannot get trapped inside. They like to climb in plants, artificial or real. They can live in your existing aquarium, as long as you do not have bottom dwellers or expensive fish in your aquarium. Be aware that these creatures are scavengers as well as hunters. They clean up the bottom your tank, but will also grab at a passing fish too. They too can be eaten by your fish. A large oscar, for example, would consider him for lunch. When they molt their protective shell they are vulnerable to smaller fish also.

For those that collect crayfish and do not have a aquarium available, a simple 5 gallon bucket with a inch of water or less and a rock for them to climb on works well. A crayfish will drown if the bucket is full with no aeration. The oxygen settles away from the bottom leaving the crayfish to drown.

Can my crayfish come out of the water?

Yes, they have been known to live out of water for weeks, as long they are kept damp. They need enough water to keep their gills wet. My 3 year old daughter loves to play with one in a small Tupperware dish with a touch of water in it.

What are the reasons for my crayfish dying?

Chlorine from water supplies, high ammonia levels from their own refuse and high nitrate and nitrite levels. They cannot tolerate high concentrations of copper in the water. When you clean your tank, put your crayfish in a small container with water just over it's head. Do not place it in a bucket of water that is full. The oxygen will settle away from the bottom and kill your crayfish. Getting out of the tank can be a problem, too. Protect them from their own habit of wanting to explore by not giving them a easy escape route. They will dry out after a couple of days out of water and die. Cannibalism from other crayfish can be a problem, too. Too many in a small area, or lack of a place to hide when they shed their exoskeleton can lead to this untimely death.

What do I do when my crayfish has eggs?

First, you must decide if you want to dedicate time, effort, and money to try to save the baby crayfish when they hatch. Secondly, it is difficult to create a environment that duplicates the natural habitat and expanse provided in nature. Therefore, it is logical to separate the crayfish mom to a holding tank free of all other fish and crayfish. When the baby crayfish emerge, they ride on the mom's back and under her tail for a couple of days. This is a critical time. The mother crayfish will try to eat the young, so try to separate them as soon as possible. You can shake the babies off the mom two days after they hatch, sometimes sooner. I prefer to keep the babys in the same waer they were hatched in until they grow to 1/4 ". Additional holding facilities are needed to be set up ahead of time. Almost anything will work. Milk jugs with the top cut off work well, for example. The best is containers from the dollar store. Try to get some with lids and cut out the middle to create a rim. Dead leaves, mud, dead grass, clay soil can line the bottom of the holding tank. Aquatic plants like eurasion milfoil can be feed to them. This will give them nutritional needs when they are growing up. I recommend a air stone bubbler for each holding area. Feed the babies small amounts of goldfish flakes, blood worms or shrimp food as they grow. Partial water changes once a week is recommended. A circulation system using fresh pond water is the ultimate solution, but that situation does not exist for most people. Use a small aquarium net to handle the baby crayfish. Simply scoop them up, then turn the net inside out with your other hand while "washing" it out in the water. Never handle them. These are guidelines I have learned by my own experiences and research. I have researched this subject and found that there is little information available. The information given is in part derived from well experienced crayfish professionals.

Do I own a blue lobster or crayfish?

It is, of course, a crayfish. Lobsters are saltwater creatures. Crayfish are freshwater. The Aquarium trade name for crayfish is lobsters. I prefer to call them what they really are, crayfish.

What are the worm-like features on my blue crayfish?

They are a parasite common to crayfish. They are a type of worm, or Annelid, a commensal organism, meaning that they live on, but do not harm the crayfish. The specific scientific name for these are Branchiobdellida. They are members of the leech family. There is more specific data on the net, just type commensal worm in any search engine. To remove them, simply rinse them under cold water while scrubbing with an fine toothbrush. Use the edge of your fingernail to get the ones around the eyes. I have rinsed them off in chlorinated water with no ill effects to the crayfish.

Are my crayfish mating?

Please see link: http://bluecrayfish.com/faq11.html

Where do crayfish live?

Please see link: http://bluecrayfish.com/crayfish_environments.htm

How big do crayfish get?

A large female Procambarus alleni. This species can get to 6".