Crayfish tank maintenance

[Koda]

Ok...I recently got a crayfish which is kept in a 10g with a few ghost shrimp and guppies.All seemed well until I went to do a water change.When I added water it stirred up a ton of debris from the gravel.It looks like small bits of woolly fluff.I think I am going to end up having to take everything out and do a complete change to get rid of this gunk

The odd thing is that my water tests fine and all the tank inhabitants look healthy.Any ideas what this stuff is? I suspect it got started from bits of stuff in the burrows that the crayfish makes.I think I am going to have to stir those up and clean them more often in between regular cleanings.

I was wondering how others maintain their tanks and whether or not crays can have a bit of salt in the water?I think he is an ordinary river type critter.

Thanks..

Koda

 

[Paul_MTS]

i have alot of that in a cave after feeding bloodworm, I'm just going to siphon it out on my next water change.

 

[Narayan]

The wooly fluff might be the ghost shrimp sheding. I wouldn't worry about it. You say the water has tested fine, then there is no problem.

I recently bred two crays and now have roughly 47 (last count) little ones. The tank looks filthy but they are fine, they even seem to thrive on it.

I moved six to a cleaner tank and only one survived. Maybe it was too soon to move them, maybe the like the filth.

 

[Koda]

The wooly fluff might be the ghost shrimp sheding. I wouldn't worry about it. You say the water has tested fine, then there is no problem.

It was way too much to be shrimp shedding.It was truly disgusting the way the tank clouded up with the stuff when I added fresh water.Kind of yucked up the filter too.I have shrimp in all my tanks and have never seen anything like it before.Anyways...I took everything out and am starting fresh.From here on I'll make sure his little burrows and caves are kept tidier.Someone said it might be the Wardley's shrimp pellets gone bad

Thanks

Koda

 

[Narayan]

I get wooly fluff from time to time, I never worry about, it either it gets caught up by the filter or I hook it out.

From what you have posted, it would seem that your tank is fine.

Crays are adaptable (within reason) and I should think they are happy where they are.

 

[samthefishman]

Crayfish often put food UNDER the gravel, sorta put it there for later. Most time they never go back to it. That white fluffy stuff is probably mold. If your crays are new, they will do this alot. Once they settle in they will start to eat properly.
If you dont want more white fluffy stuff, gotta get rid of all of it, it spreds.
Hope this helps

 

[samthefishman]

also if you see your cray is not eating, dont feed him for a day. Gives him time to starve abit (they can live bout 2 weeks without food so dont worry).
Also what are you feeding him?

 

[Paul_MTS]

in my crab tank they don't always finish the food which goes all moldy, i leave it in for a day or so but if it's not gone i net it out.

 

[Koda]

Crayfish often put food UNDER the gravel, sorta put it there for later. Most time they never go back to it. That white fluffy stuff is probably mold. If your crays are new, they will do this alot. Once they settle in they will start to eat properly.
If you dont want more white fluffy stuff, gotta get rid of all of it, it spreds.
Hope this helps

Thanks...I also thought it looked and acted like mold of some sort.That's why I figured I needed to completely clean the tank.Gonna definitely be stirring things up and cleaning more diligently.

Koda

 

[Koda]

also if you see your cray is not eating, dont feed him for a day. Gives him time to starve abit (they can live bout 2 weeks without food so dont worry).
Also what are you feeding him?

I had been trying a variety of foods.Mostly shrimp pellets and sometimes frozen bbs and bloodworms.Between the feeder guppies and ghost shrimp I wouldn't have expected much food to get left.But I think as samthefishman pointed out,the crays put food under gravel and that's where the problems start.I'm cutting back on some food and eliminating others altogether.I think when he's hungry enough the feeder critters will start to look good to him

Thanks everyone.

Koda