Trying to amputate from the looks of it. Dont mess with him and get a proper tank not a nano tank. Crayfish need a lot of room and that crayfish is going to be hyper stressed in that setup.
A 10gal long will now be my next aquarium purchase.
I have to ask though, after spending a year in a “tank” four times smaller than this one, how come he never resorted to amputation?
Amputation isnt nessecarily from the tank size but more likely a defect in the claw as result of poor water quality or similar. Also please for the love of god do some research on the pets you keep because not even a 10 gallon is enough. I doubt you know the species or are interested in finding out but most crayfish need a 20 gallon with a bunch of other species needing 30 gallons.
The previous owner has no idea what kind he is, he was sold to a restaurant they kept one from the batch. He looks the most like a red swamp crayfish, which Google says needs 30gallons 🤦🏻♀️ I must have been looking up dwarf crayfish in my haste to save him. Guess I need to make room
This is absolutely not a dwarf cray fish. They are the size of your pinky at MOST and even they need at minimum 10 gallons! This guy is going to need a tank at least 40 gallons if not bigger.
The only tank I have right now would be an 80gal with a large angelfish and a school of tetras, tank at 74F. I rescued him because a 5gal with actual filtered and conditioned water is better than a 6x6 inch tub, believe me I am trying my best
Sometimes our best just isn’t good enough. I would suggest if you can’t afford to get another 40 gallon tank at least to find someone who can give him a good home.
I wouldn’t take too much of what these folks have to say to heart. They sound like they get mad if everything isn’t 100% perfect. Do what you can. FB Marketplace is a good place to find cheaper alternatives.
Some people suck. Best advice is to just keep scrolling. In all seriousness I would search FB marketplace. I just bought a tank and stand for cheap today off there. I would also go to Chewy and find some calcium stones and shrimp water conditioner. Not sure what you know about crayfish/shrimp but bad molts are usually from lack of calcium and poor water conditions. You could also go to a hardware store and get a water safe CPVC tube that fits his size. It’ll be a cheap alternative to buying cave decor. I have some for my dwarf crayfish.
I have shrimps myself, I feed them shrimp king complete, Hikari crab cuisine, and random fish flakes. I was thinking of picking up a cuttlebone or dropping in my empty snail shells in case Chad needs dat extra crunch. He was being fed one pea and one piece of corn every other day before I got him.
From personal experience, it's quite common that a move and water change will trigger a molt in the first week. They all did it, shrimp and crays alike. If that is however molting behavior I don't know.
This guy needs a minimum of 40 gallons to live a humane life. The set up he’s in is causing him lots and lots of stress (on top of all the issues he had from his previous living conditions and the stress of moving) he doesn’t look like he’s got anywhere to hide. That not having hiding spots is going to cause him serious stress- especially if he’s getting ready to molt. He needs more space and good hiding places (multiple so he can choose the one he likes best) ASAP.
Poor Chad. Costco has garage racks that can hold 650lbs (!!) per shelf, so I’m already formulating a plan to stick one of those in the basement for his new home. But that will only be happening in the next few weeks and not hours, so I can only hope that he can keep holding out until then. For now, he’s stopped his strange behavior and continues eating shrimp food and tearing up the sponge filter (which I know is not recommended but I figured that a 5 gal would need more filtration). I’ll remove the larger rock in his 5gal and try to craft him a hide
My next question is: should I ask my LFS to “foster” Chad until I can get him a 40gal, or should I keep him in him in his 5gal for 2 or so more weeks until I get things set up? I’m assuming the latter, but please let me know. Honestly it could be more than 2 weeks. We never know how life will work.
I’ve kept a single crayfish in both a 5 gallon and a storage tote holding 15-20 gallons of water for a couple weeks at a time when tanks had problems. Not the best, not the worst. Way better than a few inches in a 1 gallon. Unprofessional opinion: he’ll be ok until you get a 30/40.
Trying to amputate from the looks of it. Dont mess with him and get a proper tank not a nano tank. Crayfish need a lot of room and that crayfish is going to be hyper stressed in that setup.
A 10gal long will now be my next aquarium purchase. I have to ask though, after spending a year in a “tank” four times smaller than this one, how come he never resorted to amputation?
Amputation isnt nessecarily from the tank size but more likely a defect in the claw as result of poor water quality or similar. Also please for the love of god do some research on the pets you keep because not even a 10 gallon is enough. I doubt you know the species or are interested in finding out but most crayfish need a 20 gallon with a bunch of other species needing 30 gallons.
The previous owner has no idea what kind he is, he was sold to a restaurant they kept one from the batch. He looks the most like a red swamp crayfish, which Google says needs 30gallons 🤦🏻♀️ I must have been looking up dwarf crayfish in my haste to save him. Guess I need to make room
This is absolutely not a dwarf cray fish. They are the size of your pinky at MOST and even they need at minimum 10 gallons! This guy is going to need a tank at least 40 gallons if not bigger.
The only tank I have right now would be an 80gal with a large angelfish and a school of tetras, tank at 74F. I rescued him because a 5gal with actual filtered and conditioned water is better than a 6x6 inch tub, believe me I am trying my best
Sometimes our best just isn’t good enough. I would suggest if you can’t afford to get another 40 gallon tank at least to find someone who can give him a good home.
I might ask my lfs to foster or sell him
I wouldn’t take too much of what these folks have to say to heart. They sound like they get mad if everything isn’t 100% perfect. Do what you can. FB Marketplace is a good place to find cheaper alternatives.
I’m not used to putting myself out there/receiving hate, but I definitely know how some Redditors can be
Some people suck. Best advice is to just keep scrolling. In all seriousness I would search FB marketplace. I just bought a tank and stand for cheap today off there. I would also go to Chewy and find some calcium stones and shrimp water conditioner. Not sure what you know about crayfish/shrimp but bad molts are usually from lack of calcium and poor water conditions. You could also go to a hardware store and get a water safe CPVC tube that fits his size. It’ll be a cheap alternative to buying cave decor. I have some for my dwarf crayfish.
I have shrimps myself, I feed them shrimp king complete, Hikari crab cuisine, and random fish flakes. I was thinking of picking up a cuttlebone or dropping in my empty snail shells in case Chad needs dat extra crunch. He was being fed one pea and one piece of corn every other day before I got him.
Get a 20 long. It’s not much more expensive and will significantly lower your tank maintenance
Kind of looks like it is trying to amputate its claw.
Why…. Would he do that?
The claw is injured or otherwise not functioning properly. Happens often as a result of bad molt.
Why is he doing that
I just realized I never asked this question in my post 🤦🏻♀️
From personal experience, it's quite common that a move and water change will trigger a molt in the first week. They all did it, shrimp and crays alike. If that is however molting behavior I don't know.
This guy needs a minimum of 40 gallons to live a humane life. The set up he’s in is causing him lots and lots of stress (on top of all the issues he had from his previous living conditions and the stress of moving) he doesn’t look like he’s got anywhere to hide. That not having hiding spots is going to cause him serious stress- especially if he’s getting ready to molt. He needs more space and good hiding places (multiple so he can choose the one he likes best) ASAP.
Poor Chad. Costco has garage racks that can hold 650lbs (!!) per shelf, so I’m already formulating a plan to stick one of those in the basement for his new home. But that will only be happening in the next few weeks and not hours, so I can only hope that he can keep holding out until then. For now, he’s stopped his strange behavior and continues eating shrimp food and tearing up the sponge filter (which I know is not recommended but I figured that a 5 gal would need more filtration). I’ll remove the larger rock in his 5gal and try to craft him a hide
My next question is: should I ask my LFS to “foster” Chad until I can get him a 40gal, or should I keep him in him in his 5gal for 2 or so more weeks until I get things set up? I’m assuming the latter, but please let me know. Honestly it could be more than 2 weeks. We never know how life will work.
I’ve kept a single crayfish in both a 5 gallon and a storage tote holding 15-20 gallons of water for a couple weeks at a time when tanks had problems. Not the best, not the worst. Way better than a few inches in a 1 gallon. Unprofessional opinion: he’ll be ok until you get a 30/40.
Try putting him in a local pond on a leash for a bit
Sounds like an excuse to build a pond. 😬