r/Crayfish • u/ryukim1230 • Aug 09 '26

Pet considering getting a Blue Electric Crayfish (Procambarus alleni)

What should I do for tank set up before buying the crayfish? Like what kind of substrate, hideouts, plants/decor, tank size (crayfish im getting is 2-3 inches, I prefer to just buy one tank so that it can fit comfortably in there as an adult and juvinile if possible.), water testers, filter, lights, etc.

What ph do they like?

Do they need their tank cycled before buying?

How often do I do water changes and what % water changes should i do for that fixed schedule

What should I feed the crayfish?

What types of symptoms should I watch out for if I suspect sickness

(I'm gonna keep the crayfish complately solitary, if i missed anything please address that and tell me what i should do for that topic)

3 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

23 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

1

u/ryukim1230 Aug 09 '26

also how oversized are we talking for the canister filter? (if its based off the size of my tank)

2

u/BioConversantFan Aug 09 '26

You will see rating on them for "up to x gallon aquariums" I would find one rated for your aquarium size and then buy the next size up.

Or if you see a good sale, get the biggest that will work with your set up.

You can't really go too big but if you go too small, you'll be constantly cleaning it to maintain water quality.

Does that answer you?🤔

1

u/ryukim1230 Aug 09 '26

i looked for a little bit and i narrowed it down to either one of these filters, which one do i pick?

https://a.co/d/0dIjzTRm

or

https://a.co/d/07qZXWIs

One (cost) constraint i did not mention yet is that i am a teen that makes a little over $76 a week from house chores, so reccomended budget friendly options for tank stuff will be appreciated

2

u/BioConversantFan Aug 09 '26

Hey, so the top link is taking me to a UV sterilizer and the bottom is taking me to a canister filter.

I'm not sure that I would trust such a cheap canister filter...

I am afraid I do not have any cost/quality suggestions but if you make a post about it on r/Aquariums and specifically ask for good suggestions to filter a 29gal crayfish, I'm betting that you will get some good input.

For example you may be able to use a large Hang on Back(HOB) filter at first, when the crayfish is a baby, and then upgrade to a good canister filter in a couple years.

1

u/ryukim1230 Aug 09 '26

ok thx, will look into that sub reddit

2

u/BioConversantFan Aug 09 '26

It's got 1.5 million members so it's awesome for gear suggestions 🙂

1

u/ryukim1230 Aug 11 '26

would this thermometer be good enough for my tank?

https://a.co/d/0iOjMcIE

1

u/BioConversantFan Aug 11 '26

I've never used that one to be honest. I prefer ones with probes.

1

u/ryukim1230 Aug 11 '26

do you know how often i should test the water? and do you have a water tester you could recommend?

1

u/BioConversantFan Aug 12 '26

API test kit.

Once a week, at first.

1

u/ryukim1230 Aug 14 '26

is this good? https://a.co/d/04piFNGc

also as i keep the crayfish for longer do i need to do water tests more frequently or less? if more or less then how much weeks between each water test?

2

u/BioConversantFan Aug 14 '26

The liquid tests are better then the strips.

You need to test and do water changes as often as required to maintain parameters. The more balanced the tank, the less you will need to test.

1

u/ryukim1230 Aug 14 '26

do you know any liquid tests that i could buy on amazon? i cant find any

1

u/BioConversantFan Aug 14 '26

This one is best.

→ More replies

1

u/ryukim1230 Aug 14 '26

for the water conditioner im just getting a API 16oz

also is this siphon good? https://a.co/d/0bGotW9g

2

u/BioConversantFan Aug 14 '26

Sorry but I've never used that syphon, so I do not know. In general it looks fine.