lol yeh they keep you entertained. he will need a tank of 30+ gallons as he grows. and they can go from 2 inches to 6 in less than 12 months. he will need caves and hiding spots.
he will destroy any plants you care to put in. they love to climb and explore, this exploration will include your living room, unless you secure the lid well. try this: put the gravel in your new tank, then just dump the other bits like stones and lighter decorations, in the middle of the tank. over the next few weeks the Cray will place everything where it wants it, and will regularly, rescape your tank while you sleep. he looks young but mature, so he should cast every 3 to five weeks, but dont worry if not, cray can hold a moult if conditions are not right. if you use darker gravel, over the next few casts, he should slowly turn, a lovely royal blue. feeding colour enhancing, koi or gold fish food seems to help too. on the subject of food, they eat everything. i feed fresh peas, not par boiled, cucumber, not par boiled, chicken, fresh roast, fish flake and ground food. avoid bloodworm, it appears they are very high in fat. i only par boil potatoes as i have been advised, they can carry some nasty chemicals, used to control weeds in the collection aria.
many crays love to sit on an air stone, they do need well oxygenated water, especially in a tropical tank, hot water holds less oxygen than cold water. he should be happy in water from 75 to 80f
that's as really nice male redclaw! they are the most fascinating creatures. you bought lots of fun there!
Its an Australian Redclaw Crayfish!!! [size=-1]Cherax quadricarinatus, [/size][size=-1]common name Blue Lobster! as stated in the third post.
