42 replies to this topic

[Vendayn]

There is definitely a color variance.

 

But, wow! Those are beautiful. I love their color! When we move (if we do, when we were in San Diego my parents were "moving" (heh heh) every year for 10 years and we never moved. ) 

 

I might try and get me some of those. They aren't much on amazon (25 dollars for one? or it says they ship as two...don't know. Kind of confusing. That is a really pretty species. It helps my favorite color is blue.

 

I won't be buying any crawdads (if I do) till a more permanent place. 

Well, in any case. No pictures, no ID. I'm sure once I get pictures up, an ID will be very easy. Probably easier than an ant ID lol.

[Vendayn]

I guess if they have babies (I did see them mating that one night), I'll need to separate them. I'll probably move 2-4, maybe 5 (or is 4 or 5 too many?) into the 3.5 gallon aquarium I have as a backup thing. They'll eat each other otherwise! The rest, I'm not sure. They can have a lot. I'll just put them back where I found them. It is one reason I got them from the river, instead of buying any (and why I won't buy any until we live in a permanent location, not an apartment). Its also why I don't want to drive around and get other different species. I don't really know what I'd do with a whole bunch of crawdads in a 10 gallon aquarium and no space for a 20 gallon. Not really a big deal to put them back. I guess if they are invasive, putting them in an area where they aren't found would obviously be bad. Otherwise, they'll just go into the pond where there is already a bunch living there.

 

Unless that is an issue? To me it seems like getting Argentine ants, and then putting Argentine ants back in the same place. There is already a lot of Argentine ants where I would put them back, so not really a big deal. It would especially be a big deal if I put them back and the Argentine ants died or/and were replaced by other ants, or I took them to an area where they didn't live. But I obviously wouldn't do that.

 

Otherwise, I plan to eventually keep the two adults and then 2-4 (maybe 5) baby ones (if they do end up with babies). Supposedly, the baby ones are a lot more interesting and fun to watch and someone on one forum said he tamed his (not sure what he meant by that? But, sounds strange heh.)

 

When people raise them, what do they usually do when the male/female makes a bunch of babies? Do they keep them all and if so how does that work out? They are really territorial, so not sure how that works. Assuming giving them away isn't an option, since I only have one real life friend and he lives far. And my family aren't into that thing, except MAYBE my cousin.

 

Though the two I have don't have any aggression at all, even in the small aquarium they were in. They act very friendly to each other! Act rather friendly to me to actually, not really aggressive. The first one I had, was very aggressive. The two I have, not so much.

[Vendayn]

My wife is getting me a camera next month. So, I'll be able to take pictures and video (its a video camera) next month. Plus, maybe of ants...but, I don't know how good the zoom will be.

 

Also, is my female dying or is she in the early stage of molting? She went onto the sand, is barely moving and very slow. Not eating anything either. She isn't in the water, and just hiding next to a rock. She isn't on her back or anything, and I poked her and she moved rather fast. But, otherwise isn't doing anything.

 

I was planning to completely re-do the setup and make it like other peoples, with just water and rocks. Since the sand is kind of gross and I don't see any videos where they the person has sand in their setup. But, if she is about to molt I don't want to disturb her.

Edited by Vendayn, July 8 2015 - 3:05 PM.

[Vendayn]

Also, should I move the male crawdad into another container, if the female is indeed about to molt?

[Pulliamj]

When they have molted for me it was like a 24 hr process. I would play it safe and remove the male. Do you have a filter? I would remove the sand and only have several large rocks for hiding spots. And always have minows in there for food as well as supplemental feeding. They eat a lot.

[Vendayn]

The female is fine, she turned around and doesn't look sickly or anything. So, I think she may be about to molt or something. Should I wait the 24 hours to make sure, before removing the sand or should I do that sooner, as I can put more hiding places in?

I cut a bunch of large PCP pipe (three pieces) for them to hide in. So, that should be really good for them. I'm going to put it in when I re-do the tank. Plus I have a bunch of rocks I got from the river. They already have hiding places, but like I said, I can put more in.

 

I don't have any fish, but I do feed them shrimp pellets, lettuce and I put meat products in when that is available (chicken, hamburger meat etc). Plus sometimes other veggies. 

 

And I had a filter for my last crawdad. But, she broke it apart. She really hated it. I spent 50 dollars (not including) on it at petsmart and she destroyed it. It was a high quality one. It was a really quiet filter that made no noise or any vibration at all, but for some reason, the crawdad really hated it. I tried having some kind of air filteration like an air bubbler after that...and that too got destroyed. So after trying for a week, I gave up and just let the crawdad go on land for air. She lived about 5-6 months actually like that and did just fine without a filter/air bubbler. Any time I put anything like that in, it really stressed her out and she'd destroy it. She'd not relax and move around the tank non-stop like she was really stressed. So, I won't be going that route again. A bunch of money wasted lol. 

[Pulliamj]

This is my setup. Around 8-10 gallons of water. Pond pump less than $20 Home Depot. Bedding material in that 1 gallon jug $5. Biological and mechanical filter in one. Works great! I syphon out bottom of tank weekly and refill to desired level with clean water.

[Pulliamj]

[Pulliamj]

There are 2 common snapping turtles and 1 crawdad and minnows at all times. Other than left over food at the bottom easily siphoned off it stays very clean. Easy setup that can be scaled up as needed.

[Pulliamj]

[Vendayn]

Nice looking setup. They look really healthy.

 

So, if I get fish from the drying out pond at the river. They are sort of big fish (about 5 or so inches from what I can tell, maybe 6). The crawdads wouldn't be able to eat them? Wouldn't the fish swim by them and get caught, then eaten? I had a crawdad from a petstore and it was eating the guppies I had at one point, so we had to take him back. The crawdad was really quick and easily caught the guppies.

 

It is a 10 gallon aquarium, so not as big as most people's setup. We don't have room in the apartment for anything bigger. Just enough room with one aquarium. But, there is a lot of hiding places and what not. Otherwise, I'll just either move the fish into the bigger pond or find another aquarium to keep them in.

 

I will be getting a filter soon though, not sure exactly when. But, it will make the setup better.

[Pulliamj]

I get feeder fish from petsmart.

[Vendayn]

I'd probably go for those in most cases. But, the fish at the pond are going to dry up and die (the ones that washed in last year, did)...so, I'd personally prefer getting those ones if I had the choice.

[William. T]

The orange cray could be very pale P. Clarkii or Signal Crayfish, which are a orange. Have you ever thought of a nice, durable undergravel filter? The crays can't break that.

[Pulliamj]

I'm not a huge fan of underground filters especially with crawdads or turtles that create a lot of waste. It's hard to clean them.

[Vendayn]

Yeah, they do look hard to clean.

 

I went down to the river and I guess I waited too long. Before it was too deep, but now it was too shallow and the birds ate the fish.

 

I did get one more female. I found two females, but I don't want more than three crawdads and so I put the smaller female into the big pond. Three should be fine, one male and two females. There are a lot of hiding places for them.

[Vendayn]

The female must have been pecked at by birds or another crawdad. She has no claw and is missing half her legs. I guess she'll get them back eventually on her next molt.

 

Also, I accidentally got a hatchling crawdad. Its super small, but it is definitely a little baby crawdad. Even so small, it is more active than my bigger crawdads. Though the male loves to swim around his new tank setup.

[William. T]

I'm not a huge fan of underground filters especially with crawdads or turtles that create a lot of waste. It's hard to clean them.

That's because your air pump is bad, or your filter is not loaded with beneficial bacteria. Biological filtering is much better than the best mechanical filters by milestones. Under gravel filters exist in nature as river or lake bottoms, which are teeming with bacteria. The beneficial bacteria on the filter plate breaks down waste at amazing speeds. Just ask any experienced aquarist, and they will give you my sentiment. But of course, you need to gut load the plate with bacteria, so just get gravel from an African Cichlid tank and stick it on the filter.

Edited by William. T, July 10 2015 - 5:46 PM.

[Vendayn]

The filter (I guess that is what it is?) dad said we'll probably get, is just one that has a gentle waterfall and keeps the water moving a bit and keeps things cleaner. That is pretty much how it is in the river down there, some waterfalls when it rains and the water is always flowing. Until Summer, than a lot of it dries out and the water is completely stagnant and nasty. Probably not the most advanced or best filter in the world, but its better than having no filter at all. And it adds some air circulation anyway, without bothering the crawdads.

 

Plus, my tank is only 10 gallons...since there is no room anywhere in the apartment unit for anything bigger. It doesn't leave too much room for any advanced or big kind of filter. The apartment is quite a bit less on space compared to where we used to live. 

Edited by Vendayn, July 10 2015 - 6:01 PM.

[Vendayn]

By the way, any advice on cleaning the tank with a hatchling crawdad? I don't want to be cleaning it and accidentally suck it up or hurt it. Its really small.