Crayfish Deaths - Please Help!?

Question

I have brought 4 new Aust. baby red claws as my last 5 died the night I got them. My new crayfish survived the night but not the day all but one died I have taken this last one out of the tank and into a empty butter container for now until I know whats wrong this last crayfish seems ok but he is climbing the rocks as if to get out of the water or seeking air Is this normal
I have done everything the pet store told me to the water has been neutralised for chlorine I have fed my crayfish once as it has only been 24hrs since I got him tried giving him more but after an hour I took it out as he didnt want it He has rocks to climb and a hiding spot
My last crayfish all died around the same time as each other I found them lying belly-up on the bottom of my tank I have read of some where people have thought their crays where dead but infact molting They would not respond to being moved and seemed lifeless Is there a way to tell if they where molting? And how can I stop them dying?
HELP!!

Answer 1

i have owned and even bred crayfish..mine were absolutely easy to take care of. the only thing i can think of that is not good for most native crayfish is warm water. sounds crazy i know but they do much better in cooler water.. many of the crayfish i have collected and raised were hand caught and some in stream in the early spring in water so cold it would make my hands ache. so if you have a heater, you dont need it..at least not with crayfish. another problem is..if you have more than one, you will end up with only one. two males will fight continously and as soon as one molts..hes dead meat. a female fairs better but during mating the male is very rough and will tear off limbs during mating process. if you have a seperate tank to place the female in after mating that would be great. also..if they are molting, they dont usually turn on their back..you can tell the difference. not trying to be funny but if your crayfish die from over heating..they will have a red color or at least mine did. of course ther are several species of crayfish and this is just a personal observation. unless your tank has some chemical in it..crayfish in my experience should not be this difficult. make sure you have plenty of motion in your water and no heat. try that for starters. also..you can tell male from female if you flip them over.. i will try to explain.. males have two "rods" starting at the end of their tail and moving upwards toward the center of their body, eventually coming together. if yours mate you will see the male wrap his legs round the female and use these rods to deposit his sperm. hope this helps :) p.s. if you dont have any fish and theres no chance of contamination...catch you some crayfish and quit paying for them!

Answer 2

A temperature range of 65-77 F (18-25 C) is best for good growth of most species from the continental United States, but they can survive over a much wider range. Some species are tropical, some require cold water.
If the water is too soft or the pH is too low then there is a risk of calcium deficiency that could inhibit molting. Medium hard or hard water with a slightly alkaline pH, 7.5 - 8.5, is best.
They are cannibalistic if they are crowded or not provided with suitable shelter and lots of food,so usually thier lifelessness means they are either trying to molt or were getting eaten over night.Water crustaceans are hard to care for,especially if they dont have hiding places where they can hide from a vulnerable attack.Does your tank at first seemed overcrowded with them?
A filter and many hididng places would help alot.Make sure they eat plenty so they dont end up eating each other.Try seperating half of the crayfish onto another tank with A FILTER. :]

Answer 3

Cray fish are no different than fish and require the same water conditions. What is your water quality readings? Regular water changes are also a must. Check the ammonia / nitrate readings in your tank or have the pet store whereyou purchased them. If you are buying your crayfish from Walmart, well there is most of your problem. Also, don't add 4 or 5 at one time. only add 1 at a time to your tank. That is after you get your water quality together.

Answer 4

Crawfish (crayfish, crawdads, mudbugs, whatever name you prefer) are notoriously hard to keep alive. They don't do well when moved into a new tank, are very sensitive to the pH balance in said tank, and male crawfish tend to fight alot. It is also important to make sure that the water in the tank is airated efficiently; crawfish don't do well with a lack of oxygen. If possible they should be provided with a little bit of dry land -- it's not absolutely vital to survival, but most crawfish like to walk on dry land; several species even prefer living on dry land in areas where it rains often (swee home Luuuu'ziana) as opposed to in bodies of water. Crawfish can be voracious eaters and will often eat rocks and plants; plastic/rubber rocks and false plants can kill a crawfish in this manner, as they are neither able to be digested or regurgitated. Crawfish can die of stress: provide them with a hiding place, and make sure that they at least some dark every night so that the unnatural surroundings don't add any undue stress. Noise isn't so much a factor, unless you live in an area with a serious noise pollution problem -- like near an airport or railroad track.

Crawfish plague, Aphanomyces astaci, is a water mould that infects crawfish, most notably the European Astacus which dies within a few weeks after being infected.If large amounts of crawfish are visible during daylight hours, it can be a sign of infection - crawfish are normally nocturnal. The crawfish can also show signs of coordination difficulties and may for example be unable to turn around if they are turned on their back. Most often, however, the disease is not noted until large amounts of dead crawfish are found.

The crawfish's preffered food is shrimp, but they will eat nearly anythign (as noted above). Recommended food is shrimp pellets, various vegetables (differ depending on exact species),tropical fish food, algae wafers, and small fish (such as goldfish or minnows). Most crawfish won't eat plastic/rubber/fake plants or rocks, due to their shy nature and desire to hide in said non-food items, but it only takes one bold crawfish to inspire the whole lot of them into eating their synthetic habitat.

Answer 5

If he is ok out of the tank
it must be something in the tank that is killing them
get rid of the tank!!
did you let the water sit 24 hrs first before you put them in the tank
I mostly wait a couple of days & I dont use any water ager unless I use water straight out of the tap
I had crays for years in a bath tub in the back yard & so easy
to look after

Answer 6

Sprinkle some Tony Chachere's creole seasoning on them and boil the water, throw in a few corn cobbs and new potatoes. Trust Me You'll enjoy them alot more this way. Nothin like a good Crawdad boil.


Nah seriously though. If you wash the tank with soap it will kill them, that maybe why they're trying to get out of the water. when I was a kid I used to catch them all the time, and keep them in my tank, i couldn't ever keep them alive either. So now I just stick to eat'n 'em.

Answer 7

Crawfish like mud, stay in water only for food. If you live in Louisiana like me, we eat them, there are plenty of them here

Answer 8

eat them before they die....

that sounds like a movie 2, crayfish deaths, or a cartoon

Answer 9

give em bvetter food