procambarus alleni help!

[YahooFishKeeper]

i was gone for a couple days and came home to a new and improved blue! but i was looking at him and was like... hmm... somethings off. then i realized he was missing both claws!!!!!!! i dont know if it was a bad shed or an opportunity from little one to get at him... but little one doesnt seem the type. hes always cowering in the corner and blue just tries to pinch me when i put my hands in the tank. i have no clue when he chedded, because i was gone. jeez. i leave for two days and things go wacky! i added melafix to the tank... i dont know if that will help any, but i dont think it will hurt. any ideas what could have happend? similar experience? go on and share whats on your mind.

 

[Lotus]

It's a bad idea to keep two in a tank together, as you have found out. They do fight.

You might be able to improve the situation by adding more caves and plants to the tank.

 

[YahooFishKeeper]

they have a good supply of hidy holes. i think it was just an opportunity by little one to get back at blue for taking the best cave. will the melafix i added do any good? should i continue dosing?

 

[Lotus]

I doubt the Melafix will help, as it's designed for fish, which have a different physiology.

This might help you with tank setup: http://www.bluecrayfish.com/north_american_crayfish_care_she.htm

 

[Big Vine]

yahoofishkeeper,

I need you to check a couple things. It may be tough to determine since you were away for a while and haven't been watching the tank, but I'm trying to figure out whether or not the brown cray ripped the blue's claws off, or whether the blue just had a bad moult:

Look at the old moult...it should have the claws still attached to it, or sitting on the gravel nearby, right? Now look around the tank and see if you find another pair of blue claws.

If you find more than 2 blue claws, then the brown cray is the culprit. If not, then perhaps blue had a bad moult---OR, either of the crays could have simply eaten the ripped-off claws already. It's tough to say for certain.

Bad moults are often associated with high nitrates in the tank (or ammonia, or nitrites---neither of which you should have in a cycled tank). Still, you mentioned having water quality issues with your DPs, so that may be your problem here as well.

Give things a good vaccuuming while doing a water change, and hopefully you'll get the water quality back up to par before it is time for the next moult.

Big Vine

 

[YahooFishKeeper]

he had already eaten most of the shell. all that was left was a little piece of the head area. he must have done it soon after i left. i am going to check water quality right now, before i do a change. be back soon.

 

[YahooFishKeeper]

just checked it.
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate:30
i hope that helps.

 

[Big Vine]

Okay, water quality looks good, so that probably wasn't the culprit. With nitrates at 30 PPM you'll probably wanna go ahead and do a water change in the next few days (I would do it before next weekend).

he had already eaten most of the shell. all that was left was a little piece of the head area. he must have done it soon after i left.

Hmm...I figured that might have happened. It's a good sign that it's eating though. I find that Jericho usually waits about 12 hours before eating his old moulted shell. He usually eats the claws last.

So, either your blue had a bad moult, or the little brown one ripped off its claws, and then they got eaten.

Either way, your water quality seems fine, so I wouldn't worry about it. Just keep a close eye on them and make sure they aren't killing each other.

Big Vine

 

[YahooFishKeeper]

actually whenever blue goes in the cave little one frequents, little one willingly backs out and moves. even now that blue lost his claws. its really weird... like some strange respect or something.

edit: i forgot to say that i am doing water changes on all my tanks today.
also, some of my ornaments are pretty tall so i always keep the water level about halfway up to prevent escapes. is that okay?

 

[Big Vine]

Well, then blue probably just had a bad moult. S*it happens.

Maybe he'll moult sooner next time, in order to re-gain his claws. They'll be smaller, of course, but should be back to normal size after a couple of good moults.

Good luck.
Big Vine

 

[YahooFishKeeper]

thanks for the help big vine and friends. is there anything i can do to help him? does it hurt? (ofcourse! he got his arms ripped off) but will it affect him too badly?

 

[Big Vine]

You're welcome.
Have you looked into this at any of the crayfish forums yet? The ripped-off claws should not harm him (well, not directly) in the least bit. But like I said, keep an eye out on both of the crays. You said that blue was the dominant one, but this balance of power may shift once your little brown cray discovers that blue can no longer defend himself...And I'm sure you wouldn't want a dead blue cray on your hands.

Big Vine