I got a crayfish by mistake. please help

[corylover5]

I bought a guppy from my LFS today and when I got home I noticed there is a baby dwarf mexican crayfish. He is TINY. Smaller then a small ghost shrimp. The guppy was kept in a tank with dwarf caryfish and they scooped water from that tank into the bag. Where can I put this cute little guy? What should he eat? @NCaquatics
options:
1. my 29 gallon with catfish and livebearers
2. my 5 gallon betta tank
3. my second 5 gallon betta tank
4. my other 5 gallon Betta tank
5. My 10 gallon fry growout tank
6. my brother's ghost shrimp tank

 

[CassCats]

If the cories are larger, you may have a good result there. Its hit or miss with the cories though, but the cray stays less than 2 inches.

Wouldn't do fry tank as they'd be small enough for him to eat.

Betta tanks... pose a risk to the cray and the cray may also grab long flowing fins if betta is resting.

Ghost shrimp... my cray didn't do well with shrimp, she tried to grab them so I opted out of it.


But could get the cray their own 5g and enjoy them in there by themselves
Awesome little critters.

I feed flakes, pellets, and shrimp food, rotating them. Kelp pellets too. They need more meat in their diet than veggies, so keep that in mind with what you offer. My girl loves frozen bloodworms a lot too.

 

[corylover5]

If the cories are larger, you may have a good result there. Its hit or miss with the cories though, but the cray stays less than 2 inches.

Wouldn't do fry tank as they'd be small enough for him to eat.

Betta tanks... pose a risk to the cray and the cray may also grab long flowing fins if betta is resting.

Ghost shrimp... my cray didn't do well with shrimp, she tried to grab them so I opted out of it.


But could get the cray their own 5g and enjoy them in there by themselves
Awesome little critters.

I feed flakes, pellets, and shrimp food, rotating them. Kelp pellets too. They need more meat in their diet than veggies, so keep that in mind with what you offer. My girl loves frozen bloodworms a lot too.

Thank you. I can't find him now. He was in a plastic bag but he is clear and the size of a grain of rice. If I can find him will he be ok with cories? He is just so so tiny right now.

 

[CassCats]

Thank you. I can't find him now. He was in a plastic bag but he is clear and the size of a grain of rice. If I can find him will he be ok with cories? He is just so so tiny right now.

So long they don't eat him or as long as he doesn't get into the filter.

The only thing I see with the cories is they may out compete him for food, but he also may do just fine if he grows up with them (provided he doesn't get eaten)

 

[corylover5]

thank you. any tips to find him? He was in the bag but I can't find him at all since there was some white bits of sand in the bag he may be blending in

 

[CassCats]

Id check the bag extra carefully. Check in cracks between rocks, driftwood, etc, under anywhere he can squeeze. They like caves.

 

[LordHappy]

I have a couple of them and they are shy until I put a few food sticks in. This morning I did the Crab Cuisine and the crays come barreling in. I have them in a 5g with some neocardias, 1 tiger badis, 2 dario dario, an oto and a few okefenokee pygmy sunfish. Anyway, you may not see it for months, and don't be concerned. It'll be hiding in all sorts or places, and the cories would bother it unless they want a pinch on the snout. The crays also dart out of the way pretty quickly, too.

 

[W.R]

Add an algae wafer and it'll come right around, crayfish need a lot of space because if they get bored they tend to try to escape tanks, and bother fish, if you can stand possibly losing a few fry I would put it in you 10 gal, though you can try it out with your cories too. Remember that dwarf crays can't thrive in very warm water, 24,5 is the highest I go with mine because they get sluggish at 26. (you can also choose to keep it in a smaller tank until it's grown)

Goodluck!

 

[corylover5]

The little guy was soooo tiny I could barely see him when I found him in the bag. I had placed him in my 29 gallon but haven't seen him since I have tried algae wafers but only my snails eat them

 

[W.R]

The little guy was soooo tiny I could barely see him when I found him in the bag. I had placed him in my 29 gallon but haven't seen him since I have tried algae wafers but only my snails eat them

I hope the find the lil guy!

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

The little guy was soooo tiny I could barely see him when I found him in the bag. I had placed him in my 29 gallon but haven't seen him since I have tried algae wafers but only my snails eat them

You never know, he might still turn up! Lots of people have stories about fish or snails or things they'd thought they'd lost, only to find them when they eventually tear down the tank to move house or something. Khuli loaches are famous for that trick.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

You never know, he might still turn up! Lots of people have stories about fish or snails or things they'd thought they'd lost, only to find them when they eventually tear down the tank to move house or something. Khuli loaches are famous for that trick.

I had that happen with amanos. I didn't see them for months, then suddenly they started popping up everywhere. @corylover5 , my advice is don't give up on him if he doesn't show up for a while...but don't get too attached either. A lot can happen.

 

[Lajos_Detari]

I guess when its hungry, it will come out.
Just put some food at the front of the tank where you can see it easily.

Your fish will still be safe when the crayfish is small.
But when it grows bigger, it will try to catch the fish.
When it grows big, you can only keep it alone or with top level fish that won't come down to the bottom.
If the fish come down to the bottom or if the fish is sleeping, it will try to catch them.
It will also attack the bottom level fish.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I guess when its hungry, it will come out.
Just put some food at the front of the tank where you can see it easily.

Your fish will still be safe when the crayfish is small.
But when it grows bigger, it will try to catch the fish.
When it grows big, you can only keep it alone or with top level fish that won't come down to the bottom.
If the fish come down to the bottom or if the fish is sleeping, it will try to catch them.
It will also attack the bottom level fish.

I know that's true of most crayfish, but is it true of Mexican dwarfs? I've read that they're a little easier to get along with.

 

[corylover5]

I honestly don't think I will ever find him. When I put him in he was about the size of a grain of rice. He was very tiny and I'm pretty sure a fish ate him. I hope that's not what happened but I'm pretty sure that it did.