If you’re going to have a pet crayfish, there are a few things you might want to consider. After having a pet crayfish for nearly three years, I have learned several important things about pet crayfish care.
Tank size matters
First of all, the size of the tank will be very important if you plan to keep a crayfish and other fish. For one, crayfish are very dirty creatures. A crayfish can dirty a tank pretty quickly from the waste it produces. For this reason I would suggest at least a twenty gallon tank. I have personally been able to keep my own crayfish in a ten gallon tank. However, doing so required more frequent water changes to keep the tank fresh and clean.
Also, a larger tank will provide more space for crayfish and other fish. This is a good thing as crayfish are very territorial creatures.
Types of tankmates
Crayfish are aggressive creatures. They are omnivores that love nothing more than to get their claws on something and eat it. They have no problem eating other fish in your tank, plants, and even other crayfish if you have them.
So if you plan to have other fish in your tank along with your pet crab, get fish that are also aggressive. Fish that swim near the top of the tank and are fast also work very well.
I currently have hatchet fish and a red tail shark in my twenty gallon tank along with my pet blue crayfish. The red tail shark has actually been living with my pet crab for about two years. It has worked very well because he is also aggressive, swims near the top of the tank and is a fast swimmer. This is not to say that my crayfish doesn’t try to catch it from time to time, it does.
Remember, fish that are slow and swim near the bottom of the tank, where crayfish live, are most likely to be eaten. I missed some fish early on because they were slow swimming fish.
Feeding
My experience has been that if I keep my crayfish well fed, they are not always as aggressive. Obviously, the hungrier a crayfish is, the more likely it is to try to hunt down and capture your other fish. So feed your crayfish, but of course don’t overfeed them.
get a hiding place
Your crayfish needs a hiding place. Again, crayfish are territorial and like to have a place to burrow. This is especially true and important when your pet sheds crayfish. Because when a crayfish molts, he also becomes a target for other creatures in the tank, since he is weak. Hideouts are inexpensive and can be purchased at any pet store. Or you can just make them out of PVC pipe.