What to do with a pregnant crayfish?
I really need help. I have a small 10 gallon tank with 5 crayfish. One of them got pregnant recently for the second time, with the first time being a failure. It has black eggs right now but just half of its tail is filled. 3 of my crayfish are male and 2 are female. What should i do to the single pregnant crayfish? Should i put it in a large egg hatching box i have? I also have a 40 gallon freshwater fish tank so should i move her there? Should i just leave her alone? Or what else should i do? Also, how long till they begin to hatch? I think i saw the black eggs since 2 days ago. Also, do crayfish need to deposit their eggs OR do they need to have it all on their tail until the eggs hatch? Please help, i would really appreciate it.
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Well if your crayfish is pregnant here are some things to consider.
1) A peaceful environment with plenty of cover in or under which to hide will provide security for the mothers. You might want to go one step farther and separate the two females so each has a basin of her own. That way you will be able to tell whose offspring belong to which female.
2) When the eggs hatch it will be even more important for there to be lot of structure in the habitat. Plan to put in a bunch of plants or even plastic plants in which the babies can hide. Rocks, pebbles, flower pots, and the like are good, too. The thing you want is lots of places for the babies to hide from each other. They are notorious for eating each other. As you know, crayfish are at risk just after they have molted, and the little ones love to snack on their just molted brothers and sisters. That’is the way it goes in the crayfish world.
3) If you have some flake fish food, a little bit crumbled up into dust will be a good food source for the babies. They will find the tiny bits that fall into the gravel on the floor of the habitat.
4) Don’t give up on the eggs. It might be 4–6 weeks before they hatch. You may not know when your females laid their eggs, in which case it will be a surprise when they hatch.
That’s all you need to know about having a pregnent crayfish. Hope this helps and hope your babies turn out fine.
Good Luck!
Hi there, my crayfish just had babies a few weeks ago, and now they are about an inch long. She was in my big 60gal tank so I moved her to a small 10 gal hex tank so she wouldn’t be bothered and I could keep her water extra clean. After the eggs hatch the babies will cling to her for a while, probably a week or two. Once all or most have released, gently shake her off and return her to her main tank so the babies can grow up without fear of being eaten. I have been feeding mine Aquatic turtle diet frozen cubes (mostly vegetables) twice a day. In the beginning they will only need to be fed once a day or every other day. Remember to keep the water clean and cool. Is she just a common crayfish?
As for timing, I would say the eggs will hatch in a week and a half, then it will take another week or two until they stop riding around on mom. You definitely want to get her away from other crayfish and fish though or the babies will be eaten. If you don’t have a third tank I would suggest leaving her in the 10 and moving the other crayfish to the 40.
Best of luck.