Crayfish are considered a delicacy and many people love to eat them. Have you ever wondered what crayfish eat? From what, shall we say, “raw materials” does such a charming dish come from?
It turns out that the belief that crayfish eat rotten meat and carrion is largely a myth. They, of course, do not disdain animal food. And since the speed of movement of the crayfish is low, they can simply catch live food in very rare cases. So they have to be content with no longer swimming or crawling. But such food in their diet is only 10%! The remaining 90 are plant foods.
Diet of crayfish
Now let's look at what crayfish eat. Their diets contain a lot of plant foods. These are algae, coastal grass, fallen leaves from trees. These are a variety of water lilies, egg capsules, sedge, horsetail, elodea, and many other herbs - aquatic and land plants submerged in water. They especially love nettle. During one meal, the male eats much less than the female, but he eats 1-2 times a day, and the female once every 2-3 days. Before wintering or breeding, crayfish eat much more actively than at other times. The meat food that crayfish eat is just as varied, although smaller in volume. Crayfish eat mollusks, worms, insects, larvae, and tadpoles. They very willingly eat dead food that has slightly decomposed; they sense it from a great distance and find it quite quickly. But if the food has been decomposing for a long time, then crayfish are indifferent to such food. Simply put, corpses must be fresh! Sometimes crayfish can even catch live food, showing miracles of hunting skill and lightning-fast reactions. They love invertebrates - rotifers, daphnia, cyclops.
Diet of crayfish in an artificial reservoir
There is always a lot of vegetation, phytoplankton, zooplankton, and small invertebrates in the pond, so there are no problems with feeding crayfish in an artificial environment. In order for this nutritional base to multiply and multiply, it is added to the pond. mineral fertilizers and organics. Of course, this is not what crayfish eat. To feed them, spoiled meat, fish, leftovers and trimmings of vegetables, baked goods, soaked grain, cake, and much more are thrown into the pond. In ponds, as in cages, you need to make sure that all this food is eaten in one go. If it remains, the crayfish will die, the water will become cloudy and oxygen starvation will occur.
Diet of crayfish in the aquarium
If it is difficult for you to immediately figure out what crayfish eat, then keep in mind that there are specialized foods for crayfish and crabs on sale. But if these are not available to you, then crayfish are fed grass; they especially love nettles. They also plant various algae for them, which they eat with pleasure. You need to make sure that there are always algae in the aquarium and add them if necessary. You should also offer them pieces of spoiled meat, chicken, and dried animal food in small quantities. Be sure to ensure that food does not accumulate in the aquarium, decompose or rot. The pieces should not remain there for more than 2 days. In order for crayfish to eat well without suffering from lack of appetite, it is necessary to maintain the temperature in the aquarium at more than 15 degrees.
Crayfish quite often become pets kept at home in artificial reservoirs. Unfortunately, most aquarists still believe that they only need carrion, algae, leftover fish food and their waste products as food. In fact, the diet of crayfish is much more varied and the health and life expectancy of pets depends on it.
Feeding characteristics of river crustaceans
Gender. The amount of food and diet of river crustaceans depend on gender. Males feed daily, taking food once a day. Females eat only once every 3 days, but consume significantly larger portions.
Time for feeding. Crayfish are nocturnal. Therefore, aquarists who keep such pets at home should feed the animals in the evening.
Portion volume. Define required amount feeding is a simple task. Crayfish are not prone to overeating. Therefore, it is enough to simply place a feeder in the aquarium and fill it with food. As soon as the container is empty, you should put a new portion of food into it.
However, it is not recommended to use too large portions. Leftover food contributes to the contamination of the aquarium, so it will have to be cleaned at least once every 2 days to avoid the development of putrefactive processes that negatively affect the health of the aquarium inhabitants.
What do river crustaceans eat in natural conditions?
Crustaceans prefer plant foods; only 10% of their diet consists of animal food.
In their natural habitat, river crustaceans use the following as food:
- phytoplankton;
- seaweed;
- organics;
- small invertebrate creatures.
Seasonality. But their taste preferences depend on the time of year and a number of other factors. For example, during the breeding season or winter, crayfish prefer protein food in the form of worms, tadpoles, larvae, mollusks, and small fish.
Contrary to erroneously popular belief, crayfish do not feed on carrion. Or rather, they can eat it, but only in cases of extreme necessity, in the absence of any other food.
In the warm season, the diet of crayfish, which can exist both in the aquatic environment and on land, expands significantly.
Crustaceans eat stems, leaf blades, and roots of various plants with great pleasure.
Features of feeding crayfish at home
The diet of river crustaceans in nature and when kept in an artificial environment are noticeably different. Aquarists need to know what and how to feed their pets in order to protect them from a number of diseases and rapid death.
Crayfish are omnivores, so problems with choosing food, as a rule, do not arise. Your pet's diet can include:
- bread crumbs;
- chopped pieces of meat of any kind;
- cereals;
- various cereals;
- pieces of fresh vegetables and fruits;
- greenery;
- nettle;
- earthworms.
In addition, you can purchase specialized food designed specifically for crustaceans, which are sold at any pet store. 
The types of frozen or live food that are used to feed ornamental fish are ideal for river crustaceans, for example:
Protein food is also necessary for crustaceans, but the basis of their diet should still be plant foods.
The most important thing is to monitor the portions of the food offered.
Otherwise, the remains of uneaten food begin to rot and decompose, which leads to the death of arthropods.
Natural food for river crustaceans
It is quite possible to simplify the task associated with feeding crayfish by pre-arranging an artificial reservoir intended for the residence of these pets. To do this, just plant on the bottom of the aquarium:
These plants have a beneficial effect on the state of the aquatic environment, saturating it and the soil with the optimal amount of nitrogen. And most importantly, crayfish can use them as food.
Read also:
Dependence of diet on the age of river crustaceans
It is important to take into account that taste preferences and the need for certain food in river crustaceans changes as they grow and develop. Experts have developed a specific feeding scheme for crustaceans at different stages of their life:
- Fingerlings− feed mainly on daphnia.
- Crayfish reaching sizes up to 2 cm− need protein foods. You can feed them with larvae. During this period, animal feed should make up about 45% of the total diet.
- Crustaceans from 3 cm in size− can eat shellfish and insects.
- Young animals from 4 cm in size− include small fish in their menu.
- Adults (8-10 cm)− feed primarily on amphipods, giving preference to plant foods.
The above features should be taken into account when growing crayfish in artificial reservoir, which is especially important for aquarists involved in breeding and propagating these animals. By supplementing the diet of river crustaceans with food that they eat in their natural habitat, you can be confident in their health, active growth, full development. 
Crayfish in Lately often become inhabitants of artificial reservoirs. Despite the unpretentiousness of these creatures in terms of food, it is important to monitor their diet and follow certain feeding rules, which differ from the diet of mollusks or ornamental fish. It is necessary to provide crayfish with proper nutrition with a predominance of plant foods in the diet and additional protein supplements in the form of live or frozen food, meat, and seafood.
Crayfish: breeding and keeping at home. Harm and benefits of crayfish
Many residents of the country personal plots construct various reservoirs and ponds, used not only for watering and irrigating the soil, but also as a place for breeding crayfish. To understand how profitable and useful this business is, you need to look deep into the process of breeding crayfish.
Benefits of crayfish farming
Empty ponds and water trenches filled with crayfish can be an excellent source of income for any family. It is known that arthropods are valued for their high-quality and healthy meat containing a large number of proteins. Dishes from them are served in many restaurants around the world; various salads, sauces, side dishes are prepared from crayfish meat and served as a main dish. All this indicates that a homestead with crustaceans can serve well and bring considerable profit, but this is only possible after 5 years of investment and work. Despite this, after the first settlement of the pond, the fruits of the work will delight the owners for another 10 years.
About crayfish
When starting to independently raise crayfish in your own pond, you need to understand the varieties, biological processes, characteristics and methods of raising both young and adult specimens. On the territory of our country there are several species of arthropods, which differ little from each other. Crayfish are animals that breathe with gills and have 10 legs. The shell is quite dense and covered with chitin. The most famous within Russia are broad-toed crayfish, whose claws, compared to others, differ in width and power. There are also long-fingered (narrow-fingered) and thick-fingered crayfish.
Creating a favorable habitat for crayfish
Under natural conditions, crayfish prefer to stay in calm running water, located mainly on the shady banks of rivers, lakes and canals. Decapods settle in burrows formed under the roots of old trees and plants that are located in the reservoir. Crayfish are very demanding regarding the purity of water, so even at the planning stage of the pond, care must be taken to ensure that the water is changed as often as possible and is not subject to severe pollution and blooming. Also, do not forget about the oxygen saturation and water temperature (should be 17-18 degrees Celsius) intended for breeding and breeding crayfish at home. When starting to build a reservoir, you should purchase sandy soil or rocky soil, in which crustacean creatures love to settle. The river inhabitants that fill the reservoir get along well with trout, which is not their food competitor.
Feeding the crayfish
Besides creating favorable conditions For normal life and reproduction, arthropods must be provided with a sufficient amount of food. When asking the question of what crayfish eat, you can find a clear answer: everything.
Being omnivores, they eat any food that comes their way. Particularly popular in their diet are plants that grow along the banks of rivers and lakes and contain lime: reeds, reeds, hornwort, and so on. Crayfish also prefer protein, which is present in natural conditions in the form of snails, small fish, worms, various insects and tadpoles. The creature's diet changes with its age. He moves from smaller and plant foods to larger and animal ones.
Walking around the markets in search of what to feed crayfish, you can buy food. Today, there are various feeds created for the purpose of feeding river inhabitants bred at home. Often such supplements contain a high percentage of sprouted wheat and other cereal crops, replenishing the natural needs of crustaceans and not polluting the water space. The optimal ratio of beneficial vitamins and minerals ensures complete and healthy complementary feeding. The plant components included in the food help resist various diseases found in crayfish. In the process of organizing your diet, you must remember that crayfish eat quite a bit, so it is better to underfeed them than to overfeed them. An excess of nutrients in a pond can lead to their decomposition, pollution and cloudiness of the water, as a result of which all the inhabitants of the pond begin to die.
Growing crayfish
There are several ways to grow crayfish in an artificial environment, which depend on the goals and breeding capabilities. However, in any case, as mentioned above, not a single option for growing arthropods can do without clean and mineralized water containing the required amount of oxygen. Breeding crayfish begins with the process of purchasing or developing a reservoir in which there is access to a continuous source of water, for example an artesian well.
The water temperature in the reservoir in summer should fluctuate between 15-20 degrees. There should be 2-3 containers installed on the territory for the purpose of transplanting young animals from their larger relatives, who are capable of devouring the younger generation. You can also purchase an artificial reservoir, which is available on the market in a wide range: swimming pools, ponds and the like. the main task purchased structure - to ensure rapid water circulation, so its shape should be oblong, and the depth should not exceed 7 meters. Small pools and aquariums are mainly used for breeding and hatching larvae from eggs, after transplanting the females into prepared containers. The material in which the crayfish will be placed must be harmless, so metal containers should be replaced with plastic or plexiglass.
Building a reservoir for crayfish with your own hands
If it is not possible to purchase a ready-made reservoir, you can build an artificial one yourself. Building a pond for such a creature as a crayfish at home is quite a labor-intensive task. You must first select a place for construction, next to which there is a lake, river or pond. Otherwise, the cost of an artificial reservoir will increase significantly. Important role In construction, a waterproof bottom plays a role, on which the entire future structure will depend. Special waterproof and waterproofing layers are usually placed at the bottom to protect the pond from leakage. In the first years of crayfish breeding, it is recommended to use a purchased tank, which is reliable and has a longer service life.
The benefits and harms of crayfish
Very few lovers of sea food know how many useful vitamins and elements river crayfish have. The benefits of breeding a relative of the crab in the garden are obvious, and since they live only in a clean environment, they can be consumed without any fear. In addition to quickly digestible protein, crayfish meat contains large amounts of calcium, iron, phosphorus and cobalt. Wide range of vitamins such as E, D, B, C, sulfur and folic acid contained in their meat. Nutritionists recommend consuming crayfish while on a diet, since their meat is a fairly low-calorie product - only about 80 kcal is contained in 100 grams of product. Doctors also advise including crayfish meat in the diet if there are problems with the kidneys, heart or gastrointestinal tract. By eating crayfish for some time, you can cleanse the liver and remove bile from the body. Iodine, found in them in large quantities, serves as a preventive measure for the thyroid gland.
Crayfish: contraindications
Speaking of contraindications, it should be mentioned that arthropods are prohibited for people who have individual intolerance. Allergies can also be caused by seafood, and in particular crayfish. The benefits and harms of crayfish are incomparable concepts, since the quantity useful substances, vitamins and macroelements in the creature's meat far outweigh the harm and any of its disadvantages.
Feeding crayfish: how and what do crustaceans eat?
Often when breeding crayfish, the question arises as to what crustaceans eat. Feeding crayfish is a responsible process that requires a serious approach. After all, their immunity depends on what arthropods eat, taste qualities and further development. You cannot feed crayfish with any food. The article covers all the points related to feeding crayfish.
Features of feeding
As for feeding crayfish kept in an aquarium, swimming pool or specially created pond, it is important to know some rules and features:
- It is recommended to feed arthropods in the evening. Under natural conditions, individuals go in search of food when it gets dark.
- During the periods of reproduction and molting, crayfish eat in larger quantities, because their body begins to expend energy much faster.
- With improper or unbalanced nutrition, crayfish are prone to cannibalism, especially during the molting period. The place where crayfish are kept should be free and spacious, with several shelters.
- The daily diet of young crayfish is much higher than that of adults.
- Crayfish are able to leave their habitat in search of food. It is necessary to create conditions in which arthropods cannot escape.
- There are different diets for females and males. A rachikha (female) can consume food once every three days, while a crayfish requires food once every two days.
- After molting, you should not remove the remaining shell - later the cancer will eat it, because it is rich in a large amount of calcium, which contributes to the rapid recovery of the body.
Crayfish that eat properly and balanced grow intensively and are less likely to try to get out of their habitat.
Types of feed
Crayfish are absolutely omnivorous creatures. They are fed both plant and meat foods. In nature they most They spend time in shallow waters in search of food, where they feed on a variety of mollusks, small fish, tadpoles, worms, and insects. Among plant foods, crayfish prefer water lilies, elodea, and pondweed. The total share of plant foods in the diet of arthropods is up to 90%.
Preparing feed yourself
Homemade food for crayfish should be similar to the food they are used to consuming in their natural environment. Replacement of animal food is bloodworms, pieces of squid, fish, shrimp or lean meat.
When preparing a diet for crayfish, crayfish should receive food of animal origin no more than twice a week. Many crayfish breeders claim that meat feed provokes the aggressive state of arthropods.
From plant foods, crayfish are fed the following products:
- zucchini;
- lettuce leaves;
- cucumbers;
- Chinese cabbage;
- spinach;
- carrots (contains keratin, which significantly enhances the color of crayfish);
- hornwort (the plant should be located in the habitat of crayfish).
When planting plants in an aquarium or a created pond, you must be extremely careful, because very often they are treated with insecticides, which can cause mass death of arthropods.
Industrially produced feed
Industrially produced feeds are produced in granular form different sizes, come in the form of flakes or sticks.
Whichever option is preferred, the food must meet the following criteria:
- do not pollute the water in the pond;
- provide balanced nutrition;
- maintain the natural color of the shell;
- facilitate the process of changing the shell.
Specialized stores can offer types of food that are intended for special periods of life of crustaceans. For example, specialists often use feed designed to stimulate reproduction processes or strengthen the immune system of young animals.
Feeding the young
Young animals are fed differently than adult crayfish. Young individuals are fed with small daphnia, food for fish fry, vinegar nematode, crushed tubifex, and brine shrimp.
When feeding small daphnia to crayfish, it is first recommended to scald it with boiling water, because when alive it is very mobile, which will make it difficult for small crayfish to catch it.
Young crayfish need more food than adults. For these reasons, they are in search of food day and night. They feed on detritus - a product of the natural decay of various organic matter. For example, in an aquarium whose water is constantly filtered, there is very little detritus.
It is prohibited to use freshly picked leaves to add to the aquarium - they have the ability to release toxins into the water.
Feeding adult crayfish
Adults prefer minced meat from warm-blooded animals and fish, frogs and tadpoles. Before the molting period, it is advisable to feed crustaceans with crushed small mollusks, strongly crushing the bivalve shells.
They use kitchen waste for feeding, giving the arthropods meat trimmings, vegetable peels, bread scraps, etc. If the waste is not completely fresh, it is pre-boiled.
Heavily decomposed food should not be used for feeding, as this can cause a massive disease of crayfish.
Boiled grains, especially round ones (corn, peas), need to be mashed before giving to the crayfish, otherwise it will be difficult for him to grab them with his claws. The food is laid out in the dark in small places. They give food in such a way that it is completely eaten. It is important to establish control over the consumption of food by running a net along the bottom. Crayfish in reservoirs are fed moderately, especially if they are fed animal food.
If there is leftover food, the owner needs to reduce the amount or not feed the crayfish at all for some time. When food remains rot, the reservoir becomes polluted, causing arthropods to suffer from various diseases leading to their death.
Feeding begins in April with a diet of 0.5% of the live weight of the crayfish, increasing in warm times after molting and during the period of intensive growth, so that the amount of food is 2-2.5% of the live weight. During the molting period, stop feeding the crayfish for several days. When it gets cold, arthropods are not fed or food continues to be given in dense plantings at reduced rates. In winter, feeding crayfish should be careful: during this period the nutritional requirement is small, but they need to be fed periodically.
A properly formulated diet will ensure good health for arthropods. It is important to take a responsible approach to feeding crayfish. It is unacceptable to use the first available products or feed of questionable quality to feed crayfish.
Diet during molting period
Molting is common for crayfish. Crustaceans grow throughout their entire life; due to the chitinous cover, this is not possible, because it is hard. Cancer needs it to be reset regularly. During molting, arthropods lose their activity and spend most of their time in shelter. If instead of a cancer, only its shell was seen, do not be alarmed, this is a natural process.
The chitinous cover is not removed - the cancer will eat it. After molting, young crayfish require a lot of calcium, which contributes to the rapid restoration of a new coating. In the first stages of their life, arthropods molt 5-6 times. After a few years, molting occurs several times throughout the year. The process itself lasts only 2-3 minutes. The new cover is completely restored in 1-1.5 weeks.
Before molting, it is necessary to increase the volume or frequency of feeding by approximately 4 times. It is allowed to feed crayfish with specialized food.
Arthropods will also like a diet consisting of cabbage, lettuce, peas, parsley, zucchini, nettles, spinach, frozen vegetables, tree leaves, and even dry food for aquarium fish.
Crayfish feeders
Various feeders are used to feed aquarium crayfish. There are a wide variety of options available for sale. But most often, feeders are made on their own.
The simplest feeder for crayfish is a small fixed platform, which is made from any non-toxic plastic. Aquarium stores offer feeders that attract attention with their leaf-shaped shape and many other options.
How to feed crayfish when catching them?
Bait for catching crayfish is selected based on the season of the year. Vegetable complementary foods are effective in spring and summer. In autumn and early winter, animal food is used to feed arthropods. For this use:
- meat trimmings;
- fish;
- entrails of fish and poultry;
- shellfish;
- worms;
- snails;
- frogs;
- meat.
The fish is served fresh or slightly spoiled. To enhance the smell, it is dried a little in the sun. Cancers like roach, crucian carp and bream. For meat products, it is advisable to use poultry or meat carcass. It is also served stale. Clams, snails and frogs are caught in the same body of water where they are going to catch crayfish. Worms are used extremely rarely in the absence of other options: they are placed in a piece of thin gauze, preventing them from spreading.
Of the vegetable baits, it is most effective to use corn, dill, peas, black bread, macadamia, and garlic. Peas and corn are boiled, steamed or purchased canned. Crustaceans are attracted to the garlic aroma, which is why it is recommended to add it to other products.
When choosing bait, take into account the time of year:
Finding out what crayfish eat at home
Breeding crayfish at home is gaining popularity. Arthropods are bred both in aquariums for the sake of exoticism and on farms for food consumption. Feeding the crayfish is the most important part of care. From correct selection food depends on the health and growth of pets, as well as the cleanliness of the reservoir.
What do crayfish eat at home?
Crayfish are omnivores. Their diet contains both animal and plant foods. At home, stick to this menu when choosing food for crayfish.
Arthropods have a well-developed sense of smell. In nature, they quickly find dead fish by smell. At home, replace such prey with bloodworms, pieces of fish, meat, squid or shrimp.
Crayfish are given animal food no more than twice a week. There is a widespread belief that it increases the aggressiveness of arthropods.
Crayfish in their natural environment feed mostly on algae, but also come out onto land and feast on grass and leaves. To keep your pets in good shape, plant hornwort or elodea in the aquarium. Plants contain lime, which is necessary to maintain the strength of the shell or grow a new one after molting.
The following are also suitable as plant food:
Regular feeding
In nature, the diet of crayfish consists of 90% plant foods. The remaining 10 are phytoplankton, invertebrates and small fish. Cancer eats dead fish and animal meat.
For convenience and to reduce the cost of time and money for maintenance, create natural living conditions:
- Apply organic and mineral fertilizers without exceeding the norm: nitrogen 0.5 mg/l, phosphorus 2 mg/l. Crayfish are susceptible to the composition of water and dirt will cause the animals to escape or even die. Apply fertilizers before filling the reservoir. Industrialists have a recommended proportion of 1 kg of superphosphate and 50 kg of ammonium nitrate per 1 ha.
- Fertilizers can be replaced with legumes. Their use is environmentally friendly and saturates the water with nitrogen.
- The acidity in the reservoir should not exceed 7–8.5 pH.
- To provide the elements necessary for the growth of a new shell, plant plants rich in lime.
- Introduce daphnia, cyclops, snails, tadpoles and small fish into the pond. By catching them, crayfish will be able to partially provide themselves with food. Phyto and zooplankton will serve as food for both the crayfish themselves and their prey.
Bring the pond closer to natural conditions with the help of fertilizers, plants and inhabitants. With natural feeding, crayfish will require less maintenance and attention.
Artificial feeding
It is not always possible to recreate a natural body of water at home. In such cases, crayfish are fed artificial food.
Types of feed
Crayfish are omnivorous, with the exception of products with synthetic and chemical additives. Feed can be either industrial or self-prepared.
Self-cooking
When creating your own diet, remember to balance animal and plant foods. Homemade food for crayfish includes:
- pieces of raw meat, chicken, fish;
- earthworms, maggots, bloodworms;
- a variety of vegetables;
- nettle;
- bread;
- seaweed.
Do not give crayfish fatty foods, which will pollute the water.
Industrial manufacturing
Release form - flakes, granules of different sizes or sticks. Regardless of appearance, the food chosen should be:
- balanced;
- do not pollute water;
- contain elements that facilitate molting.
Some types of feed are formulated specifically for different stages life of cancer. There are varieties of complementary foods to stimulate reproduction, enhance the color of the shell, and strengthen the immunity of the fry.
Rules and features of feeding
- Crayfish are thrifty creatures and know how to hide food. Excess food will cause the water to dry out and the pets will die.
- Control your diet so that you have enough food, but not excess.
- During molting, more food is required, this is due to the energy costs of restoring the shell.
- The breeding season also requires an increase in portions.
- The diet of juveniles differs in composition and volume from the diet of adults.
- Males can feed once every 2 days, and females once every 3 days.
- Leave the shell in the aquarium after molting. It is part of the diet of wild arthropods. By eating the shell, they restore the normal level of calcium in the body.
- Crayfish are nocturnal animals. Feed them in the evening.
- Make sure there is enough food, otherwise the crayfish may start eating each other.
- But also, lack of food will lead to arthropods attempting to escape.
Feeders
Stores sell feeders of various shapes and sizes. The simplest option you can do it yourself. Secure a sheet of plastic or a piece of board with nailed sides in place where the crayfish accumulate. The crayfish feeder is ready.
Choose non-toxic plastic for your feeder!
Norm in the diet
- The female eats more than the male, but also takes longer to digest food.
- There is no clear standard for the amount of feed. Fresh food is added to the feeder only when it is empty.
- The remaining food is removed after two days, otherwise the decomposition process will begin, polluting the water in the aquarium.
- 2–3% of the animal’s weight is the recommended amount of food. Pets will be full and there will be no surplus left.
- It is better to slightly underfeed the crayfish than to allow them to die due to spoiled water.
Feeding the young
The growing body of young crayfish requires a larger volume of varied food.
Before reaching a length of 2 cm, they require detritus - a product of organic decay. In nature, at the bottom of a reservoir, it is quite enough for young individuals. Due to constant filtration, there is not enough detritus in the aquarium.
Dry leaves of oak, alder or beech are used as feed. Not only young crayfish eat them, but also adult ones. Add leaves as you eat them. Do not use fresh leaves. They are capable of releasing a dangerous toxin into the water. Two-centimeter crustaceans begin to eat various insect larvae. From three centimeters of height, shellfish are included in the diet. Having reached 4 cm, the crustaceans begin to eat small fish.
You can feed young fish at home using food intended for fish fry. Aquarists advise adding small daphnia to the diet. Before being introduced into the aquarium, daphnia is scalded with boiling water to reduce mobility.
Conclusion
Simple care and undemanding food habits make crayfish an excellent pet or a convenient source of income when breeding for sale.
What do crayfish eat at home? Cultivation and breeding features
Despite the fact that crayfish meat is not very popular, it is quite healthy. This product is not believed to contain any harmful substances, since these arthropods can never be found in polluted water bodies. However, not everyone has the time to catch these animals, so many are starting to think about setting up a farm to raise them. We will look at what crayfish eat at home, their contents and other features in today’s article.
Short description
These valuable invertebrates belong to the order of decapod crustaceans. Distinctive feature These animals are considered to have three anterior thoracic segments fused to the head. Together they form the so-called cephalothorax.
Those who don’t know what crayfish eat at home will probably be interested in this and other information. The head and body of the animal are covered with a shell, which is called a carapace. Food is captured through the jaws, formed from the three anterior pairs of thoracic limbs. The color of crayfish depends on the color of the bottom of the reservoir in which they live.
What species are suitable for breeding?
In Russia and most European countries, long-toed, signal and broad-toed arthropods are grown. Those who want to figure out what crayfish eat at home will do well to know that river species are not suitable for breeding. They cause a lot of trouble. In addition, during the winter they hibernate, which significantly slows down their growth. Large blue or lake crayfish are best suited for breeding. These arthropods adapt well to home conditions and grow quite quickly.
For breeding, it is advisable to purchase sexually mature individuals whose length is at least eight centimeters. Moreover, for one male there should be two females. The latter can be distinguished by their wider abdomen and undeveloped first pair of limbs. Next we will tell you what crayfish eat at home.
Growing in an aquarium
This breeding method is suitable even for city apartments. But its scale will be much smaller than in a pond. This technique has whole line significant advantages, including:
- Convenient control over the life and growth of pets.
- Ability to strictly adhere to what is needed temperature regime.
- Simple catching of crayfish.
- Reduced amount of feed.
- Shortened wintering time.
Young animals living in greenhouse conditions grow and develop faster than their relatives. To ensure that your venture does not end in failure, you need to choose the right aquarium. To grow crayfish, it is advisable to purchase a wide-bottomed container with low plastic walls. It is important that its volume is at least two hundred and fifty liters. The bottom of the aquarium must be covered with soil and pebbles. You can also plant algae in it and put driftwood there. A little later we will look at what crayfish eat at home.
Features of breeding in a pond
Let us immediately note that this is quite a profitable and uncomplicated activity. Any owner can engage in this activity land plot, on which there is space for the construction of a reservoir. It is preferable that the pond area be 25-60 square meters and the depth 1-3 meters. It is advisable to pour sand and stones at the bottom so that animals can dig holes.
For fattening and holding young animals, it is recommended to build separate concrete pools. It is important that the pond is equipped with a reliable water flow and a source of replenishment. This advice will be useful for those who do not know what crayfish eat at home. Breeding these arthropods in artificial reservoirs requires the presence of high-quality aeration and purification systems.
With the onset of cold weather, the inhabitants open ponds need to be caught and transplanted into an indoor pool. Otherwise, they may suffocate under the ice.
Requirements for an artificial reservoir
Before answering the question: “What do crayfish eat at home?”, you need to understand the criteria that a pond intended to contain them must meet. It is important that it has a shaded sandy shore and a rocky bottom suitable for digging holes.
It is strictly forbidden to install a pond in a sunny place. It is advisable to regularly check for the absence of pathogenic flora. To protect your farm from unauthorized catching of crayfish, you can install streamers with bells around the ponds, and stretch a net over them.
What to feed arthropods?
It's time to take a closer look at what crayfish eat at home. The peculiarities of their diet are that these herbivorous animals do not disdain carrion and various organic remains.
The basis of their diet is earthworms, greens, insect larvae, small snails and bottom fish. This is what arthropods living in the wild feed on. Those who are interested in what crayfish eat at home can be recommended to supplement the menu of these animals with grated carrots, fish, boiled potatoes, meat and chopped steamed grain. The average daily food intake should be 2% of the individual’s weight.
Food for crayfish can be purchased at specialized markets, in greenhouses and at enterprises related to the fishing industry. To prevent leftover food from spoiling, you should not leave it in water for a long time. Unfinished food must be promptly removed from the reservoir.
Features of reproduction and growth
Having figured out what crayfish eat at home, we need to briefly consider one more issue. The mating season for these arthropods falls in the autumn months. Those who plan to seriously engage in breeding these arthropods should take into account that from one sexually mature female you can get from thirty to sixty babies.
The mating period, which begins immediately after molting, continues for several hours. Twenty days later, the female lays eggs and carries them on herself for some time. To preserve all the offspring, it is advisable to place the crustacean in a separate aquarium. Until the first moult, the cubs will cling to their mother, and after that it is recommended to separate her from the growing offspring.
The most common cancer diseases
Like any other animals, these arthropods are susceptible to various ailments. Health problems can be caused by overfeeding, insufficient aeration, dirty water, untested food, temperature disturbance or infection.
The most common illnesses that crayfish can contract include plague and porcelain disease. All of them have a bad effect on appearance arthropods and their ability to reproduce. In some particularly severe cases, the infection can lead to the death of an entire generation of crayfish. Therefore, at the slightest suspicion of animal health problems, you need to show it to a veterinarian.
Those who decide to start breeding crayfish must provide them with conditions that are as close to natural as possible. In addition, you should understand that you are unlikely to be able to raise a large number of individuals at once. Experienced experts recommend purchasing several spacious aquariums in order to separate the adults from the young.
Mature arthropods should be kept in a separate reservoir, and babies should preferably be left in their usual conditions. This way you will protect the younger generation from unnecessary stress and illness. In addition, it is important to comply with the recommended population density.
To create a farm, you will need special equipment, including aquariums, pools and ponds. It is advisable that the former be equipped with compressors, filtration systems and heaters for incubating eggs. Ponds should be oval shaped as it is believed to ensure proper gas exchange. At the bottom of the reservoir it is necessary to build shelters for its inhabitants. They can be made from stones, driftwood and debris plastic pipes. You cannot plant artificial plants in a pond or aquarium. Crayfish can eat them and die. These are the basic rules for keeping crayfish at home.
At a certain point, every aquarium owner has a desire to make it special, add some zest, get an unusual pet... The choice of many falls on crayfish, and for good reason! Crayfish not only have an expressive appearance and often bright colors. Their behavior, lifestyle, anatomical features, even their method of movement - all this is a never-ending source of inspiration! It's always interesting to watch them.
Even a simple doggystyle technique is a breathtaking sight!
Cancer can regrow lost limbs, mustaches, even claws!
Tropical and American crayfish are suitable for life in an aquarium, for example:
- Florida (California);
- Louisiana;
- Mexican;
- marble.
Cold-water crayfish from Russian reservoirs are not suitable for aquarium keeping.
Contrary to popular belief, crayfish can coexist with fish, under certain conditions.
Feeding the crayfish
The diet of crayfish directly depends on where it lives. So the crayfish adjacent to the fish in a common aquarium eats the same as the fish, but it needs to be supplemented. But in a separate aqua, you can create your own, more balanced diet for it.
Crayfish are scavengers; they need plant and animal food (the latter in larger quantities). They clear the bottom of any remaining fish food and eat sick and careless fish. In rare cases, they specifically hunt fish.
Dry food for crustaceans is produced by the following companies: Sera, JBL, Tetra, Dajana.
When keeping crayfish together, it is recommended to feed them with submersible food for catfish, turtles, and crayfish. Particular attention, of course, should be paid to ready-made dry food intended specifically for crustaceans because They have the required amount of important microelements. However, in this case, it would be useful to give your pet live and frozen food once a week: tubifex, bloodworms, and others. Additionally, in order to protect the plants in the aquarium from tenacious claws, give the crustacean vegetable food 2 - 3 times a week: cabbage leaf, a slice of cucumber, zucchini, carrot.
Cancer over a vegan snack.
In order for treats to reach the recipient, you need to accustom your pet to feeding with tongs. In addition, crayfish eat quite carefully; you can even install a feeder in the aquarium, to which your pet will come when hungry. The fish will soon understand that taking away food from an arthropod neighbor is fraught with danger and will stop feeding from there.
The shrimp feeder can also be used for other crustaceans.
There is an opinion that the proximity of crayfish and fish is impossible, I disagree with it.
Neighborhood
Here are a few simple conditions, compliance with which will help to achieve a prosperous coexistence:
- Can capacity from 100 liters.
- Active fish, but peaceful. Living in middle and upper layers water. Fish should not have veil fins.
- Lack of catfish, macrognathus, shrimp and other bottom living creatures.
- The presence of reliable shelters in the crayfish into which fish do not swim.
A couple of days before molting, the crayfish loses its appetite. He may eat less than usual and even refuse to eat at all. During this period, be more careful to ensure that there is no excess food left in the water.
During molting, or rather immediately after it, until the chitin hardens, the cancer is defenseless against the fish.
Make or buy a ready-made grotto for crayfish; these secretive guys vitally need personal space.
During this period, offer the cancer a calcium tablet or crush it and add it to the water. Do not remove the “old skin” from the water immediately; it will be eaten within 24 hours. If this does not happen, and it is not necessary and can be thrown away.
Cancer eats the discarded chitin, replenishing the supply of essential microelements.
At home, you can prepare crustacean food with your own hands. However, the difficulty is how to make it balanced. This is, if not impossible, then very difficult.
I will give you some examples of homemade food, but my personal opinion is It is better to use them as treats and complementary foods, rather than making a permanent menu out of them.
Homemade food based on minced beef heart with agar-agar or gelatin and vitamins. Suitable for both fish and crustaceans.
Boiled beef heart
Boil the heart for 1.5 - 2 hours over medium heat. Without using any spices, including salt! Afterwards, cool it and grate it on a medium grater for crayfish or a fine grater for fish. Because a whole heart of hydrobionts will eat for a very, very long time; divide the prepared food into portions. For example, put into medicine or chocolate containers and freeze. Feed this way no more than 2 times a week, 1 time a day.
Low-fat minced meat
Minced chicken, turkey, and beef are also good high-calorie foods for crustaceans. Boil it in boiling water, cool and use for feeding. You should not eat such food more than once a week.
Fish and seafood
If you are 100% sure of the quality of the seafood, river or lake that you are going to present to your pet, it is enough to rinse them well and chop them. If there are doubts about the quality or freshness of the product, boil it. Offer the crayfish up to 3 times a week, 1 time per day, after chopping and removing the seeds.
Crustaceans feed on animal food in 80% of cases, and only no more than 20% should be allocated to plant foods.
Care and maintenance - general principles
The main rule for keeping crayfish in an aquarium is the presence of clean, high-quality water, the condition of which is constantly maintained by a filter. An aerator and a heater are also essential assistants in caring for your arthropod pet.
A bright, large and healthy cancer will grow only with proper care.
One of the most important parameters of water for crayfish is its hardness, because in too soft water the animal’s shell slowly collapses, which will inevitably lead to its death.
Multi-apartment grotto for crayfish.
The soil in the crayfish house should be medium with a fraction size of 5 to 1.5 mm because arthropods arrange their own homes and love to dig holes. For the same reason, the aquarium must have well-rooted aquatic plants, near which the crustacean can build a shelter for itself, and thanks to the root system of the plants, the hole will not collapse.
It is definitely worth equipping the aqua with decorative grottoes, which will also serve as a shelter for the secretive pet.
Crayfish are prone to escape, so the aquarium must be covered with a lid or glass. You won't believe how deftly these little guys can climb equipment and glass to escape the aquarium. Most often, escapes are arranged by pregnant females, in search of a place to give birth.
Taking care of you and your pets, Fish in a Jar.
Crayfish quite often become pets kept at home in artificial reservoirs. Unfortunately, most aquarists still believe that they only need carrion, algae, leftover fish food and their waste products as food. In fact, the diet of crayfish is much more varied and the health and life expectancy of pets depends on it.
Gender. The amount of food and diet of river crustaceans depend on gender. Males feed daily, taking food once a day. Females eat only once every 3 days, but consume significantly larger portions.
Time for feeding. Crayfish are nocturnal. Therefore, aquarists who keep such pets at home should feed the animals in the evening.
Portion volume. Determining the required amount of feed is a simple task. Crayfish are not prone to overeating. Therefore, it is enough to simply place a feeder in the aquarium and fill it with food. As soon as the container is empty, you should put a new portion of food into it.
However, it is not recommended to use too large portions. Leftover food contributes to the contamination of the aquarium, so it will have to be cleaned at least once every 2 days to avoid the development of putrefactive processes that negatively affect the health of the aquarium inhabitants.
What do river crustaceans eat in natural conditions?
Crustaceans prefer plant foods; only 10% of their diet consists of animal food.
In their natural habitat, river crustaceans use the following as food:
- phytoplankton;
- seaweed;
- organics;
- small invertebrate creatures.
Seasonality. But their taste preferences depend on the time of year and a number of other factors. For example, during the breeding season or winter, crayfish prefer protein food in the form of worms, tadpoles, larvae, mollusks, and small fish.
Contrary to erroneously popular belief, crayfish do not feed on carrion. Or rather, they can eat it, but only in cases of extreme necessity, in the absence of any other food.
In the warm season, the diet of crayfish, which can exist both in the aquatic environment and on land, expands significantly.
Crustaceans eat stems, leaf blades, and roots of various plants with great pleasure.
The diet of river crustaceans in nature and when kept in an artificial environment are noticeably different. Aquarists need to know what and how to feed their pets in order to protect them from a number of diseases and rapid death.
Crayfish are omnivores, so problems with choosing food, as a rule, do not arise. Your pet's diet can include:
- bread crumbs;
- chopped pieces of meat of any kind;
- cereals;
- various cereals;
- pieces of fresh vegetables and fruits;
- greenery;
- nettle;
- earthworms.
In addition, you can purchase specialized food designed specifically for crustaceans, which are sold at any pet store.
The types of frozen or live food that are used to feed ornamental fish are ideal for river crustaceans, for example:
- small shellfish;
- cyclops;
- daphnia;
- rotifer.
Protein food is also necessary for crustaceans, but the basis of their diet should still be plant foods.
The most important thing is to monitor the portions of the food offered.
Otherwise, the remains of uneaten food begin to rot and decompose, which leads to the death of arthropods.
Natural food for river crustaceans
It is quite possible to simplify the task associated with feeding crayfish by pre-arranging an artificial reservoir intended for the residence of these pets. To do this, just plant on the bottom of the aquarium:
- lupine;
- legumes;
- peas;
- oats
These plants have a beneficial effect on the state of the aquatic environment, saturating it and the soil with the optimal amount of nitrogen. And most importantly, crayfish can use them as food.
I have only seen real live crayfish once. And it was a long time ago and creepy, because I, as a 15-year-old “cool” guy, said that I was not afraid of crayfish. We started talking about them because there was a fisherman nearby with a whole bucket of these creatures, live ones at that. And, of course, according to the classics of the genre, I was offered to hold them in my hands. Since there was no way back, everyone was looking at me, I took one of them and he grabbed me with his claw. :) The feeling was not very good...
What do these creatures eat?
What do crayfish like to eat?
Higher crayfish belong to the phylum of arthropods and include, according to the classification, about 35,000 different species. In Russia, crayfish are most often found, so I will talk about them here.
Length such crayfish can be up to 20 cm. The color of most crayfish is far from red, as many are accustomed to seeing on their plates. Where do crayfish live? Hm, good question. :) Yes! In the rivers! In fact, in addition to rivers, they are found in streams and lakes.
Now let's move on to the main thing - Crayfish feed on both plant and meat foods. Among plant foods, it is difficult to single out what he only eats. Crayfish practically eat any plants, who will meet. A special treat for them is nettle.
Among meat dishes crayfish prefer snails in cheese sauce, worm fricassee and baked maggots with apples. :) By the way, males eat much less at a time, but they feed more often. The female eats up immediately for 2–3 days.
I have prepared a small selection interesting facts about crayfish:
- I found evidence that if a cancer loses one claw, it can more or less continue to function normally. . And herehe can't live without a tail because it works for him like a motor on boats - for movement. And without this mechanism, he simply will not be able to get out of the water.
- The process of molting in crayfish is the norm. This is so normal that crayfish in their first year of existence undergo a change of “clothes” as many as 8 times.
- Crayfish live relatively long for small river creatures - 20 years.
