What conditions do you need to provide crayfish at home and how to feed them

Recently, it has become fashionable to keep rare and unusual animals at home. The more exotic your pet, the more attention to it.

Here and crayfish used to be rarely seen in someone’s aquarium. But now such pets have become very popular. They not only surprise guests, but are also endowed with a calm character and interesting behavior. The coloration of many individuals is impressive, and caring for cancer does not cause any problems.

In the wild, crayfish inhabit almost all bodies of water, whether they are salty, fresh, small or large. Outwardly, they resemble creatures that lived during the time of the dinosaurs. Their body is protected by a shell, their eyes stick out on stalks, the number of their limbs is 19! A pair of powerful claws in front gives the crustacean a very menacing look.

If you decide to buy crustaceans, it is better to buy them when they are still small. This will make it easier for them to get used to the new place. It is necessary to transport them from the store to the house in an opaque container – so they will have less stress. When settling them in an aquarium, check the temperature difference. The temperature in the container for transportation and in the new dwelling for crustaceans should not have a difference of more than 3 degrees.

Aquarium crayfish need special conditions:

1. Very clean water, oxygenated.
2. Contains 2mg nitrogen and 0.5mg phosphorus per litre.
3. One individual requires at least 15 liters of necessarily hard water. To increase the hardness of the water, add marble or limestone. Such water is necessary for crayfish to renew the shell.

The hard shell protects the cancer body, but prevents growth. That is why the animal drops it from time to time. Young individuals do this about 8 times a year, adults – 1 time. There are cases when cancer cannot throw off the shell – some part of the body simply does not come out of the old shell, and the animal dies.

During the molting period, there is another problem – the cancer is very vulnerable without its protective shell. Therefore, until the molt ends, the animal hides. Provide the bottom of the aquarium with conditions that provide hiding places for crayfish. These can be stones or parts of ceramic flower pots. And the more there are, the better. It is advisable to cover the bottom with a layer of sand and clay, where the crayfish will be able to dig their shelters.

In the wild, crayfish like to go ashore and look for food there. Therefore, if you want to provide your pets with ideal conditions, it is better to buy an aquaterrarium, which has access to land. Keep in mind that the love of walking on the ground can push your crustaceans to escape. Create all possible conditions that will prevent this: cover the aquarium with thick glass with a small gap. If your pet is desperately trying to get out of his “home”, this will be a signal to you that the water quality is very low.

How to feed crayfish at home

Crayfish are nocturnal, they also feed at dusk. As feed, any plant and animal food is used. It will not be difficult for you to provide them with food. Only if they are kept with fish will you have to feed the crayfish at night. Due to its slowness, cancer can literally miss all the food from under the nose.

Their diet is similar to aquarium fish. You can feed them with moths, tubifex and food for bottom fish. Plant foods should not be forgotten either: lettuce, carrots, nettles. Algae must be present, which also purifies the water. Wanting to diversify their diet, cancer can eat leaves. For this reason, in no case do not decorate the aquarium with artificial plants – cancer can swallow them and die.

You can pamper such a pet with pieces of meat or fish. But in no case do not feed cancer with untested purchased meat or semi-finished products! From extraneous additives that are not dangerous to humans, he will die.

It is not advisable to keep crayfish together with bottom fish. Small fish may simply not survive until morning, and larger individuals risk being left without fins. Also, you should not experiment and populate cancer with aggressive species. Due to constant stress and fear, he will not be able to eat normally and will die.

Reproduction

mating period starts after molting. Females secrete pheromones that excite and attract males. The mating process itself takes several hours.

After 20 days, the female lays eggs, which she then carries on herself. To ensure the necessary comfort, it is better to move it to a single aquarium. Until the first molt, young crustaceans will cling to their mother. After the second molt, it is better to remove the female from the offspring. Provide the aquarium with a very large number of shelters for crustaceans. During the molting period, even sisters and brothers can attack each other. The more shelters, the more individuals will be able to survive.

Diseases

Cancers are living beings that can be prone to various diseases. But know that no matter how sick your pet is, only your negligence is to blame. wrong temperature, untested food, dirty water, an infection accidentally brought into the water by your hands. Only you can help your pet avoid health problems. At the slightest suspicion of illness, contact your veterinarian immediately.

If you decide to breed

To get started, remember a few things:

• You will not succeed in growing many individuals at once.
• It is worth buying several aquariums right away. Cancers need to live separately. Why? Because older individuals can eat younger ones.
• Mature individuals should be placed in a separate reservoir, leaving small ones in a more familiar environment for them. So you protect the young from unnecessary stress.
• Also observe the population density. There should be no more than 1 individuals per 5 square meter.

Which species is best for breeding

Crayfish will cause a lot of trouble because they are small. In addition, in winter they hibernate, which significantly slows down their growth. Agree, this will not add to your benefits. Ideal for breeding lacustrine crayfish. They are very large and grow quickly. Keep in mind that representatives of different species cannot coexist in the same aquarium!