my crab-lobster not sure really what he is. Freshwater smaller claws about 7in long blueish color?

Question

well he got out of the tank last night i'm guessing and spent the night in the dining room i put his back in this morning he seems sick will he make it back to good health or is he a gonner. I've had him about a year and he never got out I don't know what got in to him

Answer 1

Where did you get this "crab-lobster" from? A little bit more description? Shape, size, length versus width, long or fat pincers, curled or flat body, with or without tail, segmented exoskeleton or single carapace, pointed head with horn or flat wide head?

Since you're fairly sure it is a freshwater crustacean, it could be a yabby, crawfish, marron, or one of a few types of freshwater prawns. There are also some freshwater crabs, but they tend to have the traditional crab shape, whereas you seem a little unsure and leaning toward the idea of a lobster. So I would say that crabs are out.

The yabby and crawfish are similar, just that "yabby" is an Australian term, while "crawfish" is an American term. They both look a little closer to oversized prawns though.

The marron is a freshwater lobster.

All three display fairly uniform colouring over their entire body, with the colour ranging from olive green to dark blue depending on the sort of waters it comes from.

I know that the yabby is able to survive quite a long time out of water because it can keep its gills wet. However, I think it would be like breathing from a small paper bag. There isn't a lot of oxygen rich water to breathe from. Also, keeping the gills wet means that it is probably getting quite dehydrated. Those two reasons are most likely why it appeared sick.

Hopefully, by now, it has made a full recovery. These little crustaceans are quite resilient.

For the care of these creatures, I'm sure there would be lots of online resources detailing the care of freshwater lobsters. From what I recall, they prefer water in the mid-20 degC (whatever that translates to in degF). They like the water to be quite fresh and clean, but with a degree of turbidity, i.e. darker coloured water. I'm guessing a couple of tea bags would colour the water nicely without doing harm, but watch the pH value. Try to keep it as close to neutral as possible.

What are you feeding it? Fish flakes are generally acceptable. Sometimes, a bit of real meat adds variety to their life. Either tiny pieces of raw beef or fish.

Do you keep other fish or crustaceans in the tank with it? It might be preparing to molt and trying to find a quiet and safe location to do it. Or it was being chased and accidentally jumped out of the tank. Or perhaps the water quality was going down and it left in search of greener pastures. I was told that yabbies sometimes leave their pond and trek quite impressive distances to reach another pond or river.

Answer 2

This could be an electric blue, or any of a number of crayfish with blue coloration. They can all survive for some time outside the water, but since they depend on gills for breathing, yours may have had them start to dry out. Since he's back in the water now, he should recover. Just be careful to seal any areas at the top of your tank where he may have gotten out - they can, and will, climb air tubing and power cords

Answer 3

Sounds to me like you have an electric blue crayfish. They are actually able to survive out of water for sometime, but if he's been out too long his respiratory system might have been damaged. All you can really do for him is keep the water temperature at about 80F, add a little aquarium salt and monitor his behavior.

Answer 4

I'm thinking it's an electric blue crayfish? What is the question you need help with?

Answer 5

STOP, HE'S A HERMIT CRAB... A LAND CRITTER THAT CAN ONLY STAY IN WATER FOR VERY SHORT PERIODS OF TIME LIKE 30 MINUTES OR THEY'LL DROWN!!!!!!!! STOP, GET HIM OUT OF THE TANK NOW.... HE'S A SAND HERMIT CRAB, OH MY GOSH! HELP, HELP, HELP!