wanting to change substrates DID IT!!!!!

[rickykline]

Re: wanting to change substrates DID IT!!!!!

well he finally came out of hiding today..



he seems to be getting along with everyone in the tank... and he seems to have taking a liking to some of my plants.. and is eating them.. im going to have to train him..hehe

[HFBfounder]

Re: wanting to change substrates DID IT!!!!!

I love it

[rrocket2002]

Re: wanting to change substrates DID IT!!!!!

What kind of Cray is he?

[rickykline]

Re: wanting to change substrates DID IT!!!!!

hes a baby blue lobster...he is really tiney and really really really fast... lol

[rrocket2002]

Re: wanting to change substrates DID IT!!!!!

Cute guy.  Is it a Florida Blue Cray or Australian?  Australian Blue Crays get over a foot long, just fyi.

Also, you need to know that the older he gets he will devour any plants in your tank and fish if he can catch them.

I think the Blue Crays are great, I have some myself.  I just wanted to make sure you were aware of a couple of things.

[Spot86t]

Re: wanting to change substrates DID IT!!!!!

The tanks looks great!  I've found that my blue guys seem to get VERY blue in tanks with dark substrate - it's amazing what a color can do.  Black really seems to intensify the color.  Nice selection on the whole setup!

Rocket's not joking on the plant thing though - you will come home one day and find them all shredded on the bottom.  I keep anachris in the pond outside just so I have some to feed my crays.  Other than that I keep no plants in the tank.  I tried some plastic ones once - they got eaten, and some silk ones - they got chewed up horribly....  So now they get an occasional anachris treat.  Frozen bloodworms are also high on the "treat" list for them.

You will enjoy your little blue guy for sure though - they're quite entertaining.  Remember to pick up some "Iodine" (available in the saltwater section of most fish stores) and put 1-2 drops for every 10 gallons of water.  This helps them shed their old shell when they molt.  With age, this becomes more critical.

[rickykline]

Re: wanting to change substrates DID IT!!!!!

you know i was wondering about the iodine additive..and i will go pick some up tonight...  im not sure if its a australian blue cray or florida blue cray. but i will do some research on it..

[Spot86t]

Re: wanting to change substrates DID IT!!!!!

What you have there is a Procambarus Alleni - A Florida Native.  The Aussies don't get quite as bright blue - and they are much larger and longer-lived than the Floridians.  
(Edit:  Not intended to steal your thread, but the below pictures are so you can see the differences between the 2 varieties)
Here are some pics of my Aussies:  







And here are some of my Floridian breeders: