Using baby crays as figure 8 food?

Tihsho · Post by **Tihsho** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 8:13 pm

Well, I have been raising some crayfish in the past 4 to 5 months and were going to use their offspring as food for my puffs. I just happened to accilmate one into brackishwater (I heard that they can be low brackish to fresh.) I plopped it into the tank with the figure 8 (the little cray is 3/4s the size of the figure 8 ) and my f8 just flipped out and keeps lunging towards it and the cray fights off the f8 by waving his claws in the water or swimming off. Im glad the cray is fighting back because I actually didnt want him to die.... But still my puffs gotta eat and when winter rolls around its hard for me to come by snails of a good size. So my main question is will my puff be ok when it goes to sleep and that the crayfish wont kill him/her when (s)he's out?

Disclaimer:
**NOT TRYING TO PUT THE CRAY IN THE TANK FOR THE PURPOSE OF MY OR ANYONeS ENTERTAINMENT**

Post by **RTR** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 11:58 pm

I would not trust any clawed cray with any fish I valued.

Pamela · Post by **Pamela** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 7:55 am

What about putting one less that half your F8s size, and taking him out if he's not eaten by lights out?
Will a bigger cray go for the F8s eyes when he's asleep?
Pami.

Post by **RTR** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 12:45 pm

Crays are like puffers, if it is edible, or potentially edible, they will try for it. If it is many times their own size, they try for part which can be bitten off.

Tihsho · Post by **Tihsho** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 9:21 pm

Well sucess so far. My figure 8 took last nights one out when I turned the lights out. (S)he got each claw off then worked on its belly region then tail. I put another one in a few mins ago. This one only had one claw so this one should be less of a threat (same size as last nights.)

Ok, if this one isn't eaten I will just keep saving them for when I get my GSP and when the gsp is about 3 to 4 inches there for it to eat.

perek · Post by **perek** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 1:09 am

I fed a full size cray to my Turgidus, she did even byte the claws at all. She bit it in half then ate the tail then bit the head. Leaving just the claws and legs, which I fed to my GSPs. I think any puffer that is a good hunter wont have any problems with a crayfish.

Post by **Pufferpunk** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 1:51 am

I had a crab bit the lip of my suvattii. It left quite a scar. Fed only female crabs after that.

onebadpuffer · Post by **onebadpuffer** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 4:07 am

My new fugu bit off the eyes first, then took off a few legs and let it die:(

wannapuffer-20g · Post by **wannapuffer-20g** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 6:26 pm

thats pretty cool, im feeding my figure eight snail,bloodworms, and ghost shrimp.

but im gonna go to my river later on and catch some crayfish for him.

but dont worry! ill quarantibne them for a week to know there alright to eat and etc.

that'll be fuuuun to watch.

onebadpuffer · Post by **onebadpuffer** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 10:26 pm

wannapuffer-20g wrote:thats pretty cool, im feeding my figure eight snail,bloodworms, and ghost shrimp.

but im gonna go to my river later on and catch some crayfish for him.

but dont worry! ill quarantibne them for a week to know there alright to eat and etc.

that'll be fuuuun to watch.

I wouldn't recommend that unless you bred them through a few generations. You just never know what is in that water column. No telling what pathogens, pollutants are actually in the crayfish.

wannapuffer-20g · Post by **wannapuffer-20g** » Wed Sep 14, 2005 5:19 pm

but if i quarantine them wouldnt it be alright?

Tihsho · Post by **Tihsho** » Wed Sep 14, 2005 9:59 pm

Wannapuff, your talking about exactly what I did. I went to a about 3 local streams and caught the largest and healthiest crays I could find. I have had them a wee bit over 5 months and had 3 spawns from a total of 40 crays. The crays I have now are like ranging from 3/4s or 1/4 inch. The main thing I remembered to do was treat them with melafix and pimafix and remove them from the parents to a seperate tank. I also have a hang-on UV steralizer running on side of the tank to make sure and thing that shouldnt be (bacteria wise) isnt in the water.

My figure 8 has eaten 2 so far. Still seems to be as hyper as ever! Other then the fact (s)he glows in the dark now....psych. Havn't noticed any issues yet.

Tip on quarantining would be to keep the crays in a huge tank, no heater (wild crays prefer cool fastish running water) and change 50 to 75% of the water every other day to make sure any impurities from the crays feces are removed from the water (I did that process for 4 months.)

Post by **RTR** » Thu Sep 15, 2005 11:50 am

Excelent suggestions for adapting wild-caught inverts to become suitable fish food!

Write it up, Tihsho! We need that here!

wannapuffer-20g · Post by **wannapuffer-20g** » Thu Sep 15, 2005 4:45 pm

RTR is right, when i get another tank im surely gonna do that.

then i can watch my figure eight eat them....but ill still have to wait he only about 1 1/2 inches big. he gets bloated fromm 1 adult ghost shrimp.

Tihsho · Post by **Tihsho** » Thu Sep 15, 2005 9:18 pm

RTR wrote:Excelent suggestions for adapting wild-caught inverts to become suitable fish food!

Write it up, Tihsho! We need that here!

Well, if you want me to do it I will do it gladly. Should I PM it to you RTR? Or another mod or admin? I have enough time in history tomorrow to write it all out

The Puffer Forum

The Puffer Store

Using baby crays as figure 8 food?

Using baby crays as figure 8 food?