Crayfish are crustaceans that live in freshwater, feeding on whatever plants or animals they can find. However, the diet of crayfish varies by species and subspecies, as well as by region.
Therefore, it’s important to understand what they eat when keeping crayfish in your home aquarium. Here’s what do crayfish eat and some tips on how to feed them properly.
It is a complete guide if you have a crayfish or plan to have one. In this guide, I will not only discuss the proper diet crawdads should be getting. I will also talk about how you can take better care of them, so make sure you don’t miss any points.
Exciting? Let’s begin the journey!
What Do Crayfish Eat As Pets?
If you have a crayfish as a pet, you should not worry much about what do crayfish eat as pets. It is because crayfish are omnivores; they can eat almost anything. That also does not mean you can feed them anything you want to without looking at their nutritional need.
You can feed them with commercial pellets that are easily available, and they contain all the nutrition your crayfish would need.
They are mostly made from algae, prawns, fish, or kelp. Even when you’re out of pellets, you can feed them with vegetables available in your fridge. Yes, soft-boil the veggies chunks, and they would be the perfect diet for your crayfish.
You won’t need to worry thinking about what do crayfish eat if you add an aquarium plant to your tank. Crayfish also feed on fish, so you can add cheap goldfish too. Fish and plants can make good live food for your crayfish.
What Do Crayfish Eat In The Wild?
It is a valid question to ask what do crayfish eat in the wild, and I won’t judge you for asking it. Crayfish are crustaceans that are not picky eaters at all. They don’t face a hard time hunting for their food in the wild as the options available for them there are endless.
Obviously, there are no commercial pellets available in the wild, nor can any boiled carrot chunks, broccoli chunks, or peas be available there. The crayfish have to find their food on their own. Here is what their diet in the wild looks like.
They can feed on other fish, insects, worms, shrimps, plankton, and decomposed dead animals in the wild.
In plants, they can eat decomposed matter like seaweed, tree leaves, and grass. In short, Crayfish are predators who can hunt for anything to satisfy their hunger attacks.
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7 Tips For Properly Feeding Crayfish?
Although Crayfish are not fussy pets, they will probably eat whatever you feed them. Feeding them properly is important. When you are feeding it, you should know what do crayfish eat.
Here are a few tips to educate you on properly feeding your crayfish.
- Be cautious and keep your fingers away from your crayfish when feeding it. They have sharp claws and can pinch you really hard.
- When you are feeding vegetables, make sure to cut them into long slices to be easier for them to grasp.
- Avoid overfeeding your crayfish as it can weaken their exoskeletons when crayfish overeat, and they may die from it.
- Don’t provide your crayfish with raw shrimps or prawns, as they can carry diseases that may cause death to your crayfish.
- Your crayfish can eat the day-old decomposed food left in its tank, which is safe for them. However, it can pollute the tank water, so make sure you don’t put an extra amount of food in your tank.
- You can feed leftover or stale food to your crayfish, and it won’t harm them.
- If you’re planning to go somewhere for a long time, adding water plants in the tank can provide your crayfish with some food on the go.
How Often Should You Feed Your Crayfish?
As I have already mentioned, overfeeding your crayfish won’t do any good, and it may die. When crayfish are in their natural habitat, they’re independent and eat whenever they think it is suitable for them. But your crayfish is completely dependent on you.
So how often should you feed your crayfish?
Crayfish eat almost anything but small portions, so feeding crayfish once a day is enough. Make sure you feed it at the same time every day; otherwise, it may mess up its routine and eating habits.
When feeding them, make you drop little pieces of 2 cm in the tank for them to eat. No matter what you’re providing it first, measure it, and only then feed. If your crayfish is younger, then reduce the portion even more.
Final Verdict:
If you’re also a curious person like me who always wanted to know what do crayfish eat, I hope you enjoyed reading. Even if you plan to get a crayfish but are confused about its diet, I hope this writing has helped you. Now you know what to feed to your crayfish.
Crayfish need a protein-packed diet to meet their daily needs. If you follow all the tips I mentioned above regarding their food, your crayfish will stay healthy. Just don’t feed it the same thing every day, and keep it away from other fish as it may eat them.
Crayfish (or Crawdads) can be an interesting addition to your tank. These crustaceans are amazingly easy to feed and amusing to watch. If you don’t have one, this article is a sign that you should go and buy a crayfish.
Frequently Asked Questions
#1 – Will crayfish eat my fish?
Yes, Crayfish are omnivorous creatures that can eat fish, insects, and flies. It is not good to keep your crayfish with other fish in your tank as it can eat the other fish present in the tank. It is suggested that you should keep a crayfish separately from others.
#2 – What do crawfish eat in a tank?
When in a tank, crayfish may eat commercial pellets, vegetables, or freeze-dried protein like bloodworms easily available in the market
There are endless options to feed them as they can also eat food leftovers in a tank. They also accept fish food.
#3 – Can crayfish survive in tap water?
Naturally, crayfish are freshwater crustaceans that live in running rivers and streams. They cannot survive in tap water as it can contain impurities and metal ions which may cause their death. You will need to use water from another source or filter the tap water using solutions.
#4 – Do crayfish eat carrots?
Crayfish can happily munch on carrots. Ensure that the carrots are slightly boiled/blanched before feeding them to your crayfish. You can feed it other vegetables like carrots too using the same procedure.
#5 – Do crayfish eat fish poop?
No, crayfish don’t eat fish poop at all. It is true that crayfish eat anything that comes their way, but not poop.
They prefer having a nutrient-rich, protein-packed diet, and they are not interested in eating fish feces. No freshwater fish or crustaceans would like to eat fish poop.
#6 – Do crayfish eat fish eggs?
Yes, as Crayfish eat everything that gets in their vicious claws, they can feed onto fish eggs too. They eat fish eggs, young fish, snail eggs, young snails, tadpoles, insects, and flies. They can even eat their own babies.
#7 – What do crayfish eat in the ocean?
In the ocean, the eating options available for crayfish are endless. They can feast on many things like dead decomposing animals, other fish, eggs, larvae, weeds, water plants, and literally anything they can find. They easily satisfy themselves by eating whatever they wish as they are not picky at all.
