Crayfish, Crawdads, Yabbies, Ditch
Bugs
Disease Treatments
FAQs on Crayfish Disease:
Crayfish
Disease 1,
Crayfish Health 2,
Crayfish Health 3,
Crayfish Health 4,
Crayfish Health 5, Crayfish Health ,
FAQs on Crayfish Disease by Category:
Diagnosis,
Environmental, Nutritional,
Trauma,
Infectious, Parasitic,
Social,
Related
Articles:
Forget
Crawfish Pie, Let's Make a Crawfish Tank! By Gage
Harford, Invertebrates for Freshwater
Aquariums by Neale Monks,
Freshwater Shrimp, Crayfish,
"Lobsters", Prawns
Freshwater to Brackish
Crabs
Related FAQs:
Crayfish
1,
Crayfish 2,
Crayfish ID,
Crayfish Behavior,
Crayfish Compatibility,
Crayfish Selection,
Crayfish Systems,
Crayfish Feeding,
Crayfish Reproduction,
Freshwater Invertebrates/Use in
Aquariums, Freshwater Crustaceans for the Aquarium,
FW Crustaceans
2,
Fresh to Brackish
Water Crabs,
Hermit
Crabs,
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Crayfish - change in behavior after change of aquarium and
molt 12/4/14
Dear WWM Crew, My husband and I live in Japan and about a month ago we
bought a couple of crayfish,
<Oh! I kept these as a youth there as well (Dad was a lifer in the Nav)>
which are very common in pet shops here. By Googling and checking
pictures we believe we have Procambarus clarkii but we might be
mistaken,
<This one species of Cray has been
transplanted by humans most everywhere>
they were not very specific in the shop. We got a white one and an
orange one. I have read your articles and FAQ but we are still wondering
about a change in behavior in one of our crayfish. They told us since
they were roughly the same size they could live in the same aquarium,
<Mmm... until one molts and the other is hungry... DO keep your eye on
them, DO provide a one-way in only (like a blind piece of PVC... pipe
and cap) and KEEP them fed (daily)>
and in the shop they were kept in the same box. So we set up a 60L tank
with plenty of hiding places and few plants that we were told they enjoy
eating, plus filter and heater set to 23°C (there is no such thing as
central heating in Japan and our rooms can get very cold during winter)
<S/b fine for these animals>
. We bought them the specialized pellets they sell for this type of
crayfish and started our adventure. After few days they seemed to be
doing good, <well> and showed distinct personalities, the white one
despite being the one who got most easily scared by our presence would
stay in the open while eating, while the orange one would come to the
glass and show his bravery whenever we approached, but would carry away
his pellets and feed only while hiding inside a cave. Perhaps a week
after we got them I caught them by chance in the middle of a fierce
fight and in the next couple of days the white guy started
“mysteriously” loosing <losing> limbs. So we decided to separate them,
at least for the time being as clearly the white guy was no match in his
state. The decision was even more pressured as white guy molted and we
knew he would be too soft and could get killed.
<Too likely so>
We transferred orange fellow to a smaller tank with similar setting.
<Good>
This was three weeks ago. White guy has since molted again,
<... some deficiency at play here... What is the hardness of the water?
Do you measure pH... ? What water source are you using? Are you
administering iodine (ide-ate actually)?>
his legs growing very fast and himself growing quite a lot. We are
surprised by such fast molting and hope it is normal.
<Not normal, nor healthy>
I have more or less come to understand his routine, he stops feeding for
a while, he molts and after a couple of day she has finished eating his
exoskeleton and is back to his normal antics, eating his pellets as
usual. Orange guy on the other hand, has us very worried now. For the
first two weeks he behaved as he had in the big tank, playful and
showing himself when we approached, but hiding to eat and sleep. On
Monday evening we discovered he had molted when we returned from a
weekend trip. It's been 4 days since we found him and he has eaten only
about half of his exoskeleton and has refused any extra food we tried to
give him, he stays in his cave and rarely comes out all. Is this
behavior part of his normal routine after molt?
<Again; something is off, missing here... see the terms above in the
archives on Crays on WWM>
Just as he has behaved different from white guy, he acts different in
this case too? How long should we wait for him get back to normal? We
are worried he needs something else,
<Yes>
which we are missing from his small tank compared to the fellow in the
big tank. He has less space and hiding places, fewer plants, which he
barely eats anyway as opposed to white who constantly nibbles on them,
and different rocks at the bottom. Everything else we have tried to keep
exactly the same. Any advice or recommendation would be very helpful. I
attach a picture of how we found him four days ago after we came back,
in case it helps identify him and if something is wrong. We have since
cleaned all the uneaten food that you see in the picture, and changed25%
of his water. Thank you very much, Camilla
<The I2 will likely work wonders... Can be purchased for aquarium use...
Check your water quality otherwise. Perhaps your water is "too soft",
lacks Ca, Mg salts, carbonate. Bob Fenner>
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Blue Crayfish lying on side and not eating
2/8/14
Dear WetWebMedia
<David,>
I have searched for days all over your website and others but find a few
possibilities on what the "problem" might be. Could you assist?
<Possibly, but crustaceans tend to exist in a binary state so far as
healthcare goes: they're either fine or dying. That's because we have
virtually no understanding of how to use medicines to help them. The one
exception here is Iodine, which can be a "silver bullet" in some
situations, specifically prevention of moulting-related problems. Other
than that, about all you can do is optimise the environment and hope the
crustacean pulls through under its own steam. Many do.>
I am from the UK and I have had a Blue Crayfish for around six months
now.
"His" name is Baldrick (he says hello).
<Hello.>
Lately Baldrick has been lying down, intentionally, not falling or
getting pushed over by anything on his side which is what prompted my
search.
<I see.>
A bit of history: He was extremely active as a "baby". He would jet
around the water, dig, wreck and climb the plastic plants. All sorts.
<Sounds normal so far.>
As he got bigger he did less but I figured that was natural. He hasn't
shed for quite some time - I think two-three months now whereby before
it was monthly.
<Again, not unusual; as crayfish age, moulting becomes less frequent,
and eventually may stop altogether if the crayfish is very old.>
I always left the shells in there as he seemed to like eating them.
<Correct analysis; recycling the calcium. Not essential you do this (old
moults are a way for crustaceans to get rid of heavy metal poisons like
copper, for example) but crayfish should certainly have some source of
calcium available to them, whether a moult or something like a unshelled
prawn to eat instead.>
He would go through his normal cleaning cycles but lately, the last few
days I've noticed he is almost constantly cleaning himself, almost
violently (before it would be the occasional big clean and maybe just a
little rub here and there). He is almost always jamming his back legs
where the swimmerets are. I thought there might be a problem or eggs
(some how) but it looks normal under there.
<He may be having a problem moulting; do you use Iodine?>
Today he was really having a go around his eyes and opened his face
(like something out of predator) up for a "full" clean - I'd never seen
that before. Lately he quite often will tuck his tail underneath himself
and scuttle around as if he is about to be eaten, then lay down on his
side and not move for a little while. I thought he was dead until I
tested him by dropping a bit of food in there. He jumped up in his usual
way and scoffed the food instantly. However, the last two days he's
barely eaten. He responds to fresh food as always - but only eats maybe
one pellet. He brings other pellets to his mouth, tries them and then
drops them which is very out of character for him. I have food two days
old just sitting on the bottom of the tank - he is completely
disinterested. When you think it's all doom and gloom and he is about to
die, he will untuck his tail for around 10 minutes and wander around
without any problems - however the feeding hasn't rectified.
<If you don't use Iodine, do so; you can inexpensively buy Iodine
supplements for marine aquaria, and dosing at one-half the amount quoted
on the bottle will be ample. Iodine is essential for proper and regular
moulting, but unless we offer crayfish Iodine-rich foods (primarily
seaweed like Sushi Nori as well as certain seafoods) they often are
starved of Iodine. Without the Iodine the moulting process sometimes
"jams", and crayfish can find themselves in all sorts of trouble. Using
Iodine is a quick, cheap fix (and preventative) to these problems.>
He is alone in a large tank. I have changed about 40% of the water and
cleaned the glass - no effect.
Thanks in advance
Yours
David
<Hope this helps, Neale.>
Iodine for Florida Blues 1/29/13
Hello. Sorry for bothering you people with so many questions regarding
my Florida Electric Blue Crayfish! But they are my boys, and I want them
to live in the best possible condition! An update: Orion, the egg
carrier who lost a claw due to aggression from the large alpha Boris,
now I know the reason for the aggression. Boris, a few days later, was
also carrying eggs, the same day I found that Godfather was hiding so
much in his tower because he, too, was carrying a large batch of eggs!!
So I will have my hands (and tanks) full in about 2 to 3 weeks, when I
find the hatchlings. I am already preparing a good environment for the
hatchlings, hoping to grow at least a few young crayfish from the 3
batches of eggs. I'm glad that the three Crays lay eggs approximately
the same time, so the hatchlings should be ok, if they're the same size
and have a lot of hiding places, to avoid too much cannibalism which I
know is unavoidable.
<Indeed.>
My first question: When I place my hatchlings in their temporary home,
what is the best material for the bottom of the aquarium?
<Best: nothing at all but bare glass. Easiest to clean, and the silt and
detritus is the stuff that promotes fungus on eggs and bacterial
infections on very young livestock. If plain glass doesn't suit, then
something easy to clean would be fine. A very thin (1-2 mm) bed of soft
silica ("pool filter") sand for example or very fine pea gravel.>
I don't trust the sources I have read from. One said that soil/peat
moss, preferably from a local pond, with some dead leaves is the best
for hatchlings. I think this is a terrible suggestion, mixing outside
materials into an aquarium of hatchlings. Another suggestion was leaving
the bottom of the aquarium empty till the young Cray are about an inch
in size. Is this appropriate, having nothing for the little guys to walk
around and dig in?
<Is fine.>
Another said aquarium sand. This seems more believable, but with the
frequent water changes required, I'm unsure of how the sand could be
kept clean of uneaten food and Cray feces.
<If very thin, as stated above, there won't be any anaerobic decay (you
need a few cm for that to happen). In any case, faeces tend to sit on
top of sand, rather than sink into the gaps between gravel particles.>
Would the coral/gravel mix I use in both of my crayfish tanks be find
for the hatchlings as long as they have a lot of plants and hideouts?
<Yes.>
My second question is the use of Iodine. I went to four different LFS
and none of them had any idea or knew about any form of iodine/iodate
salt for use in aquariums. All of them sent me to the pharmacy to pick
up Iodine Tincture BP 2.5% (25ml bottle) with a mix of Iodine 25mg/ml
and Potassium Iodide 25mg/ml, with non medical ingredients of Ethyl
Alcohol and Purified Water.
<Doesn't sound safe.>
Without thinking much about it, I put 3 tiny drops in some water from
the aquarium and mixed it into my 10 gallon, and 5 diluted drops into my
20 gallon. Only now am I in fear that my Crays, Zebra Danios, Yoyo
Botias, and two young Gyrinocheilus Aymonieri in terrible toxic danger!!
Two hours have passed since the iodine drops, all the creatures are
acting normal, no red gills or panicked stress, Crays are fine too. Is
it possible that they will all survive my ignorant toxication of the
aquariums? Please help me, I am afraid of what I will find in the
morning, whether there will still be life in my tanks!
<Iodine is readily removed by carbon, so you could always choose that.
In any case, if the animals are fine a few days later, they're probably
haven't been harmed.>
If anything happens to my beloved aquarium friends, I will have some
visits to the four LFS to do, and some strangling and beatings to hand
out to those "fish experts" and myself for being stupid enough to buy
and add the pharmacy Iodine to my Aquariums.
<You're looking for products such as Salifert Natural Iodine, Kent
Marine Iodide, Seachem Reef Iodide, etc. Typically inexpensive products,
$5-10 a bottle, and you can use them at half the dose stated on the
bottle.>
Thank you, as always, to your time and support, and priceless help and
advice!!
Much appreciated. ~Sylvia
<Glad to help, Neale.>
Blue, the blue lobster/crawfish 6/23/12
Hello, I just have a inquiry about behaviour. 2 weeks ago, I picked up
what was titled a blue lobster.
<In the US at least, almost certainly the blue version of the standard
crayfish species Procambarus clarkii, the species farmed and eaten
across North America and elsewhere.>
Massive sale 85% off the regular price. He was about 1 inch long and
later I noticed he was missing about 60% of his legs
(rough guess).
<Like all members of the Decapoda, crayfish have ten legs, i.e., the two
pincers and eight walking legs. There are other appendages to be sure,
but these are specialised in other ways, such as the swimmerets on the
abdomen.
So, if he has 60% of the original ten legs (including the pincers) he's
down to just 4 legs (including the pincers). Does this help?>
Currently I am setting up his own tank that should be fully cycled end
of this week ( I tend to cycle my tanks for at least 3 weeks before
adding anything I want to keep, with a few fish I would other fish feed
to betas or a fish I have yet to identify) Blue is currently sitting in
a breeding basket with a house and a plant and a baby molly. This tank
every thing is in the right range, pH is a little high for Blue (7.9) as
this is my live bearing tank. He just went through a molt.
<Good. Now, be aware the first moult is the easy one. It's the
subsequent ones where things go wrong.>
He did not really get any bigger (most likely as he re-grew most of the
missing limbs)
<Could well be.>
That being said. I was expecting him to hide in his house. He is not. He
is wandering about following the baby molly out in the open. My question
is, as this is generally abnormal behaviour after a molt, do I need to
be worried?
<Nope, don't worry.>
Or is he just a strange little critter? He has been in the breeding box
for 2 weeks now, could be he knows its safe?
<He doesn't "know" anything. But crayfish are opportunistic scavengers,
and by their very nature explore their territories and try to either [a]
eat or [b] swim away from anything else they bump into. It's a simple
life!
Needless to say, both live plants and small fish are dinner items,
sooner or later.>
Oh he does get lots of different foods, shrimp, blood worms, flakes,
shrimp pellets, spinach, algae wafers, to name a few, and I add the reef
iodine as well.
<Ah good. That's the key. Green foods, calcium and doses of iodine.
Meaty foods are treats, once or twice a week, compared to the importance
of greens and unshelled prey animals (krill for example).>
Thank you
<Most welcome, Neale.>
albino snow crayfish 6/19/12
I have a albino snow crayfish in a freshwater tank. I have had him
sometime and he has molted a couple of times but hasn't for a while now.
I changed the water and cleaned the tank like I usually do and added all
the tank care chemicals I always use. But for some this time he
is acting weird walking around with his tail curled under him. Won't eat
the food he usually loves and doesn't stay in his usual hiding spot.
Should I be concerned?
<I would be, yes. Do check the basics. Is the water temperature right
for the species? The usual Snow Crayfish of the hobby is an artificial
form of Procambarus clarkii, a species best kept at room temperature
(around 18 C is ideal). Although not fussy about water chemistry, soft
and acidic water is best avoided, so you're aiming for about 10+ degrees
dH, pH 7-8. They are herbivores with a strong taste for carrion, so a
diet based around algae wafers and green foods (cooked peas, blanched
lettuce, spinach) will provide the main nutrients while occasional
crushed snails, unshelled shrimps and whole lancefish (i.e., food with
shells or bones in them) provide the extra protein and calcium they need
to grow. All Crayfish benefit from additional iodine, which you can buy
in marine aquarium shops for use in reef tanks. Add at one-half the
dosage recommended and you should find your Crayfish is healthier and
moults successfully. Last but not least, remember about their
intolerance for many "medicines" such as copper and formalin. Many of
these can be lethal to Crayfish, and copper can also be present in tap
water, so remember to use a water conditioner that neutralises copper.>
Thank you!
<Cheers, Neale.>
Crayfish Problem 2/7/12
I have searched through most of the pages of the site and find no common
problem or cure to my crayfish. He has been turning worse and worse
since about 2 months ago, at the start at which he had only a little
cracked darkened part on his antennas. Now today when I got home, he has
all these white flakes on him that was not there a day ago. I have used
some testing kits for testing the GH and KH of the water and try to
lower these factors to 5 "dKH
<How are/will you do this?>
as well because I noticed both were relatively high at 10 "dKH GH and 10
"dKH KH. I have a 20 gallon tank with no plants and just one crayfish in
it. Temperature is room temperature about 79"F and nitrate, nitrite, and
ammonia is all low,
<Low? There should be no, 0.0 ammonia or nitrite, and less than 20 ppm. of
NO3>
so I assume it is my hardness and alkalinity of the water that is
affecting my crayfish.
<Maybe... along w/ sufficient nutrient... Do you utilize an iodide/ate
supplement? You should be. Read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/crayfishdisfaq.htm
and the linked files above; particularly Feeding FAQs>
I have noticed in the beginning when he looks sick it was plainly just the
crack on his antennas, then the tips of his claws start turning
blackish, now his body is full of white/brown flakes and he is sitting
really awkwardly while the aquarium light is on for 6 hours a day and he
is standing out of his hideouts. I feed him sinking pellets and once in
a while beans and baby carrots but he doesn't like those and it molds in
like a few hours. Before I give him plants the water would not make the
sinking pellets mold in a few hours but now, everything I put into the
tank molds really quickly and he is too sick to touch food now. I have
been visiting the pet shop to check for solution to my problems and he
told me to try to lower the GH with water changes and I have a bottle of
tropical extract water conditioner to lower the KH from alkaline to
neutral.
<I would not use this. Your GH and KH are fine as is>
Could it be because the acid water conditioner is too strong for him to
handle? I have only used it once. And also I was talking with the pet
shop's staff to know if my freshwater crayfish is suitable for iodine
because that shop sells electric blue crayfish and orange crayfish as
well, and he said he is not sure but its more common used for saltwater
crustaceans, and not so much for a freshwater crustacean.
<Incorrect. Read where you've been referred; or search on WWM for
iodide/ate and Crayfish>
Thanks for your time,
William.
<Certainly welcome. Bob Fenner>
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Crayfish, death... from? - 8/10/10
I didn't see anything that matched what I'm wondering. If there
is I'm sorry. I've had my crayfish for about 4 months. And it
has molted once. And about 5 days ago it stopped eating and went into
hiding. I thought it was
molting again but this morning, I found it laying on it side dead in
the middle of the tank. Do u know how this may have happen? I feed it
shrimp pellets, And change its water often, has a good filter that
filters for 10
more gallons of water than is in the tank.
<Hello. It's reasonably well established now that crayfish need
the use of iodine in the water. Buy the stuff used in marine tanks as a
supplement, but use at about 50% the quoted dose. If used regularly as
instructed on the package you should find crayfish moult successfully
and live healthy lives. Cheers, Neale.>
Electric blue crayfish, hlth., moulting, I2
5/12/09
Hello I have a question about giving my crayfish Iodine. I just bought
some iodine for my crayfish and it says for every 50 gallons use one
drop. I have a 20 gallon with 2 crayfish in it will this harm them from
being to much
<There is such a thing as overdosing of this halogen... but there is
a rather large range of efficacy... given the types of common
interaction with many "tap"/source waters... and biomass...
You will not have a problem with only administering the one drop...
per... interval of when you do regular water changes (likely no more
frequently than weekly)>
Or will my carbon and poly filter suck most of it out?
<Yes it will, would...>
Should I leave the carbon an poly filter out when I do put the iodine
in?
<Yes I would>
If I do how long should I leave them out?
<A day>
I have been feeding them beef heart, algae wafers, tropical flakes, and
a pellet for carnivores such as the red tailed cat. Is this food ok or
is there something else that is better?
<These are fine... the beef heart can be messy though>
They have molted twice in my tank the first time was perfect the second
is what has me worried. One of them is still a light pink and a bit
soft still and it has been 4 days.
<I'd be reading, testing for alkalinity, perhaps biomineral (Ca,
Mg) content in your water... maybe adjusting/supplementing for such if
these are deficient. Please read here re:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/crayfishdisfaq.htm
and elsewhere (use the search tool) on WWM re the chemicals, properties
listed>
So the iodine is the only thing I can think of to help her. Please and
thank you for your help.
Deanna
<Mmm, w/o the water conditions noted, moults can be seriously
hindered as well... Some folks have water that is too soft, otherwise
lacking in alkaline earth materials, to successfully keep Crayfish. Bob
Fenner>
Sick crayfish 9/11/08
Hello
I have a six month old blue crayfish. He has been in perfect health up
until now. I found him 2 days ago missing an eye and with a large hole
in his skull where it had been. His skull itself looks odd, it has 2
pointy things sticking out of it on either side near the eye sockets.
He is on his own in the tank so hasn't been fighting. Please
help!!
Amy
<Hello Amy. Crayfish are prone to problems when they moult. The key
issue is some sort of nutrient deficiency, probably caused by the
tendency for aquarists to give them a meaty or high protein diet rather
than what Crayfish should be eating: plants and algae! In theory, your
Crayfish can put himself together again with successive moults, so all
in not lost. But adding Iodine to the aquarium will be essential (and
inexpensive). This iodine is sold as a supplement for marine aquaria,
but works fine in freshwater tanks. Do read this section of Crayfish
diet:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/crayfishfdgfaq.htm
There's a link on that page to a very useful PDF at the web site of
JBL. Worth keeping to hand.
Cheers, Neale.>
Confused about Iodine for my freshwater yabbies - 02/11/2007
Hi again. Since last emailing we've had more Yabby deaths however
we have learned a lot in the process so I'm confident our remaining
three yabbies are going to do ok. <Ah, good> We ended up having
to put our smaller male (Homer) in with our only surviving female
(Mindy) in the larger tank (14 gallons). Our larger male is VERY
aggressive so now has been named Hannibal by my husband (due to his
fondness of eating his tank mates) <Heeee! Give that Carthaginian
some grief relief... he only used to put spears through the feet of
bearers of ill messages...> and put into the 5+ gallon tank on his
own. All yabbies seem rather happy with the arrangement. I've been
buying bits and pieces here and there and I think I now have the
maintenance sorted and both tanks look really good. <Very good> I
read in your FAQs that iodine would be a beneficial additive to their
water. None of the aquarium suppliers in my area sell any. <Mmm, you
can easily use "human" sources for such...> Although one
remembered they did stock it once but phased it out due to little or no
demand. I finally found some at an Australian online aquarium supplier
so have bought that. I'm not sure how to tell if it is the right
stuff though (is there a wrong stuff?) so I thought I'd come here
and ask. It is called Success Iodine made by Red Sea, the label reading
'Iodine replenished essential for soft corals and
invertebrates'. It says nothing about ingredients other that
'contains potassium Iodide'. Its dosage recommendations for
reef and marine tanks is 5 ml for each 120 liters (31 gals). So my
questions are... is this the right stuff? And, if it is the right
stuff, is one drop per 10 gallons, once a week, still the dosage to use
in my freshwater tanks? <Is fine to use... and this dosage, interval
is fine as well> Many thanks for taking the time to answer this. The
differences between our countries and various companies producing these
products can make this kind of thing so confusing. I've been able
to find no Australian information regarding this at all. Kind regards
Tascha Marshall NSW, Australia <Happy to assist you. Bob
Fenner>
Re: Confused about Iodine for my freshwater yabbies. 2/12/07
I swear my yabbies know when I email you and conspire to make me eat my
words. <Heeee!> I thought I had it all under control but now my
females behaviour is concerning me. I'm not sure if she is injured
or producing eggs or what is going on. Help??! We keep finding her on
her side in cozy hiding places. A couple of times we thought she was
dead only to have her move away when we've got too close. I've
also noticed her tail is curled under, which I know is not usually a
good sign. <Mmm...> I haven't seen her eat, but then again I
can't claim to have seen her eat before this. She tends to wait
until no one is about before going out and finding her food. <Most
such crustaceans are predaceous on each other... the smaller ones often
eaten by their larger kin...> Just now I noticed her on her side
again with what looks like a blue coloured bubble coming out from the
side of her tail. I didn't notice it until I tapped the glass
(I'm a slow learner.. I thought she was dead again) and she moved,
and the bubble disappeared under her tail. Has she mated and produced
eggs (I can't find pictures online of what they ought to look like)
or has she some kind of injury? <Perhaps the latter... maybe
developmental> Thanks for any help you can offer me. Kind regards A
totally confused Tascha Marshall Aus. <You do have sufficient
alkalinity and biomineral present I hope... some very soft waters need
supplementation to keep these animals. Bob Fenner>
Crayfish Concerns, Medication - 01/23/2007 I've been
scouring the internet and asking local fish store owners how I might
treat my blue fresh water lobster. I noticed two weeks ago it
wasn't eating and has some sort of growths on its large pincers and
now it's developing around its mouth. Looks like fuzzy semi
transparent growths. I've been changing the water on a regular
basis but admit I was behind on this right before he became ill.... and
I know they are very sensitive to water conditions. <What are your
ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate readings on this tank? How big is the
tank? How big is the crayfish? What else is living with it?> I
don't have a clue how to treat something with an exoskeleton like
this. <The typical rule of thumb is "don't".
Currently, there is very little known about diseases and treatments of
freshwater invertebrates. Adding medications to water with
invertebrates is asking for trouble. Unless the animal is going to die
otherwise, it's best not to play with medications and inverts.>
Is it bacterial? fungal? <Without a much more detailed description
and preferably an image, I do not know. I can tell you some Males of
some Macrobrachium species shrimps develop fluffy growths on their
claws naturally; it looks like "fur" of a sort, and may be
part of attracting a mate. Algae can grow on the carapace of a crayfish
or shrimp; though this is not desirable, it's usually harmless. My
point here is that, since you have no idea what it is as yet,
medicating is a bad idea.> I've tried PimaFix, MelaFix and it
didn't seem to help. <In my opinion, these are worthless, and
may even be harmful to invertebrates.> Now using Rally (Acriflavine)
for two days and waiting till tomorrow to see if it is working.
<This may prove fatal to your crayfish - medicating a crayfish is
risky business at best. If the animal seems no worse for wear tomorrow,
you might consider continuing with this, but if it were me, I
wouldn't. I can't tell you for certain that it will be harmful
to him, but I can also tell you were it me/my pet, I wouldn't be
risking it.> Any ideas what it is and if there is a better treatment
that won't kill it? <Pristine water quality, iodine supplements
(if you're not using iodine, maybe now is a good time to start - I
use Kent marine iodine at a VERY low dose, one drop per ten gallons
every week, NOT the marine dose recommended on the bottle), and
patience.... If the animal appears to be in distress from these
growths, you might even try taking the critter out of the water and
gently rubbing them off with a finger or wet paper towel if you are
quite certain that they are not "normal" parts of him. Use
extreme caution not to harm him if you try this.> Thanks for your
help, -Brad Bennett <Best of luck to you with him, and please do try
to get some pictures of this if you can; this may help in trying to
find out what is wrong and how to fix it. Wishing you well,
-Sabrina>
Crayfish Concerns, Medication - II - 01/24/2007 Thank you so
much for the quick reply, very impressed with your comments and if
I'm able I will get pictures. <That would be excellent. I'd
love to continue to help you discover what this issue is, and how to
solve it if it is in fact a problem.> Sincerely, -Brad <All the
best to you, -Sabrina>
Crayfish Safe Ich Medication Hello crew (probably Sabrina),
<Sorry, Ya got Don tonight. Sabrina's birthday today. Hope she
has a happy one> I apologize for resorting to e-mailing you, but
I've searched quite a bit and I can't seem to find what I'm
looking for. Neptune, my electric blue crayfish (Procambarus alleni),
lives in a 55 gallon tank with a small selection of plants, 2 gold
Gouramis, 2 blue Gouramis, a large Plecostomus (Jacques), a dinosaur
eel (Scuttlebutt), a baby whale fish, and a temporarily small Arowana.
I made the hasty mistake of dumping in some small feeder guppies for
the Arowana without quarantining them. Now I have a fun little
(deserved) ich outbreak. I've slowly elevated the temperature to
the mid-80's (Fahrenheit) and added some salt. The ich doesn't
seem to be giving in that easily though, so I am going to medicate my
tank. I currently have Quick cure. I understand that copper is quite
unhealthy for my crayfish. The Quick cure label only lists the active
ingredients (formalin and malachite green). Is Quick cure safe to use
with my crayfish? If not, is there another effective medication that is
crayfish-safe? Would it be best to just remove my crayfish into my
empty QT and medicate the main tank? If it is, I read that the
too-small-to-see ich cysts can stick to a crayfish, so would my tank be
re-infested when I moved the crayfish back? Again, I apologize for
bothering you, but at least now anyone else with these questions will
be able to find them! Thanks in advance for your help (again). -AJ in
Florida <Don't use the copper in any tank where you may someday
keep inverts. Months, and dozens of water changes, later it can still
kill. If your QT is large enough to house all your fish for four to six
weeks, move all the fish (but not the crayfish) and treat them in QT.
Leaving the 55 fishless while treating in QT will starve out the
parasites. If not then you will have to move the crayfish into the QT
and treat the main. Treating in the main is a last resort as the meds
will nuke your bio filtration resulting in ammonia spikes. This will
require that you do many large water changes to keep your fish alive,
replacing the med with each. Much easier (and cheaper) in a small QT. I
would use heat and salt only, no matter where you treat. Your eel and
Plec will be badly stressed by copper. Possibly to the point of killing
them. Salt is much easier on the fish and 100% effective if used at the
proper dosage, 76 grams per 10 gallons. For a 55 gallon that works out
to 418 grams or just under 15 ounces. Make a brine out of tank water
and add it back over a day or two. Take the temp up to 84. When ever
you do a water change add the same concentration of salt to the new
water before adding it to the tank. Of course you will need to test for
ammonia and nitrite during any treatment. Continue treatment for at
least two weeks after the last spot drops. Always use a gravel vac to
remove water. The Ich reproduces at the bottom of your tank. You have a
lot of work ahead of you. Get your fish off of feeders. And oh yeah,
the crayfish. Just keep him away from any fish for the four to six
weeks and any hitch hikers will starve out. He can not be infected.
Good luck. Don>
Crayfish/Yabby Deaths - 08/17/2005 We purchased a Yabby last
week and put it in our small(ish) tank. We had been keeping danios so
we were used to changing water and keeping clean etc. The water had
been treated and left for 42 hours to get rid of chemicals - all seemed
well. The Yabby looked well for 3 days then it became very quiet, I
partially changed water, it didn't recover and died. <Any chance
you have EVER used a copper-based medication in this tank? Any metal
objects in the tank?> We bought another Yabby (we had liked
"Godzilla" for the short time we new him). This time, just to
be sure, we used our bigger tank, conditioned the water, washed the
gravel and installed a filter. A day later (today) the Yabby shows the
definite signs of soon demise -it's falling on it's back or
side and doesn't move (except a little when I think it's dead
and I go to remove it). WHAT are we doing wrong! <Not sure. I trust
you are maintaining ammonia, nitrite at zero, nitrate less than 20ppm?
pH somewhere between 6.8 and 8.5?> And why does it happen so
quickly. My kids are scared off from getting anymore yabbies but they
were so delighted with them and they paid for them themselves. Iodine
is mentioned quite a bit on your site but usually in conjunction with
molting problems. Neither of the yabbies showed signs of molting.
<Mm, all the same, I think a lack of iodine may indeed be a problem,
here.... If you do try another Yabby, please do considering adding
iodine for a week or so prior to purchase.... You've seen the FAQs,
so I assume you know I use and recommend Kent marine iodine at a rate
of one drop per ten gallons each week (NOT the marine dose)? I have,
occasionally, doubled this when adding new shrimp from somewhat
disreputable stores.... My only other thought is that there may be
something in the tank(s) that is actually toxic to the crays.... Copper
is the very first thing to come to mind. Medications like CopperSafe,
Cupramine, Aquari-sol, all contain copper. Something to think
about.> Please help, Kelly (mother and grief councilor!) <Wishing
your sad patients a swift recovery, -Sabrina>
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