Crayfish molting

[KyleBradley]

Does anyone have any info on crayfish molting (or moulting?) I have a crayfish that was in my tank when I bought it, and I just discovered its twin sitting in the cave where he normally sits, but he was outside is cave. So it couldn't be him!! He couldn't be in two places at once....or could he? He's pretty clever. But anyway, I reached in and pulled out the shell that he molted perfectly intact. Do they do that in order to grow? How often will he do it?

 

[Cichlidroobs]

If I remember right, he must do that to grow, I have heard they will do it every month to every two months, depending on the supplements in your water. Certain vitamins cause them to grow faster therefore molt more often. It will take him a few days to get his shell back to full hardness after molting, so you might want to protect him from any violent fish.

 

[Etheostoma]

Crayfish have to molt to grow. They'll also occasionally molt as a stress response. Usually the shell hardens overnight, if it's still soft after a couple of days it could mean your water isn't hard enough or the critter isn't getting all his vitamins.

How often? Indeterminate. Depends on how well-fed, environmental health and cues, usually 3-4 times per year in the wild for many US species. Sometimes as often as every-other month.

As above, after they molt, they're utterly defenseless until their shell hardens.

 

[YahooFishKeeper]

you should leave the old shell in the tank, so they can eat it. they need to so that it can help their new shell harden.

 

[Etheostoma]

Logic flaw Yahoo: Soft crayfish eats hard shell how?

Doesn't work that way in the wild either. The calcium for hardening the shell is stored beforehand in pseudo-otoliths; stoney deposits inside their head.

Just keeping the faith.

 

[YahooFishKeeper]

look it up! dude... seriously. its not like they cant eat. they are supposed to eat the old shell. i promise.

 

[Etheostoma]

I've dissected the things to retrieve the very lump of calcium that I speak of. Also, in my ignorance I limited my previous response to midwestern Procambarus and Orconectes.

I neglected to ask of which crayfish we were talking.

My bad. Sorry.

 

[YahooFishKeeper]

only some need to eat their shell? i have a procambarus alleni. i spoke to the man himself... Crayfish Bob. if anybody has any questions about crayfish, you should check out his forum at www.bluecrayfish.com