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How to Propagate Crayfish

Propagating and breeding crayfish takes little extra effort beyond what is already required for their general care and maintenance. Once you have two adult crayfish of the opposite gender, the breeding process occurs quite naturally. The offspring of crayfish, known as fry, are largely independent after birth and require minimal care. There are many reasons to breed crayfish, including the desire to keep them as pets, sell them or eat them.

Things You'll Need

Male crayfish
Female crayfish
15-gallon aquarium tank
Aquarium pebbles
Aquarium plants
Un-chlorinated water
Boiled Lettuce
Cucumber
Shrimp pellets
Fish meat

Instructions

- 1
  Identify a male crayfish and a female crayfish. Male crayfish have genital openings around their second set of legs in the middle of the body, while female crayfish have a genital openings around their third set of legs near the tale. Some crayfish have both female and male genital openings. These structural hermaphrodites function as males.
- 2
  Prepare an aquarium tank that is at least 15 gallons. It must be large enough for the mating pair's comfort. Add pebbles and rocks to the bottom. Also add fake or real plants. Crayfish are most comfortable when there are plenty of hiding places available. Fill the tank with un-chlorinated freshwater.
- 3
  Place the male and female crayfish in the tank. Do not simply drop them in. Hold each one upside down and place it just below the surface of the water for at least 10 seconds before releasing it. This allows any collected air bubbles to escape from their gills, preventing the crayfish from drowning.
- 4
  Feed your crayfish boiled lettuce, cucumber and shrimp pellets. A weekly serving of fresh fish meat is also recommended. Your crayfish are more likely to mate if they have a healthy diet.
- 5
  Wait for the crayfish to mate, which can occur at any time. During mating, the male prepares a packet of sperm and inserts it into the females abdomen. It looks much like a cotton ball. She will lay her eggs, allowing them to pass through the sperm and become fertilized. Next, she wil place the eggs on her tail. If at any point during the mating process one of the crayfish starts to eat or harm the other, separate them to prevent serious injury or death. However, note that it is common for the female to loose a claw while mating.
- 6
  Wait approximately four weeks for the eggs to hatch. The fry are typically very small, but fully formed crayfish.
- 7
  Ensure that the fry are not eating one another. Fry are cannibalistic and will consume their siblings if they feel hungry or threatened. To prevent this, add plants and rocks to create hiding places in the aquarium as necessary.
- 8
  Feed the fry boiled lettuce and cucumber. As the grow, incorporate fish meat and shrimp pellets into their diet.

Animals & Science