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Berried Female Crayfish Pictures


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#1 Guest_mikada_*

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Posted 30 March 2010 - 07:18 PM

Does anyone have photographs of female Crayfish carrying eggs. I have 5 big tanks and since the weather warmed up they are mating like crazy. I want to separate the pregnant females from the groups as soon as possible so the others will not eat the babies. Also how long after mating does it take for them to lay eggs? It looks like I am going to have a bunch of Louisana crayfish this year if they keep acting like this. The local Crayfish are more discrete.(LOL reputations I guess) Even my Florida Electric Blues are mating this year. The marmarkrebs are still at zero and down 2 due to death by the locals Crays eating 2 of them.

sincerely,

Mike

#2 Guest_UncleWillie_*

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Posted 30 March 2010 - 07:36 PM

If I can find them, I have some photos. However, they are not in tanks - just a few pics of berried females in hand if you are interested. I am amazed at how different egg color can be depending on species. Most I've seen have only been a brown color, but this summer I had the privilege to see red, purple and jet black (I know stage of development of embryos has a lot to do with color as well).

#3 Guest_fishlvr_*

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Posted 30 March 2010 - 07:37 PM

After you see a female mate you may want to go ahead and put her in a seperate tank. Females can take months to lay eggs but that ain't the case most of the time. As long as she don't shed she's still got the sperm plug, but once she sheds skin the sperm plug goes with it and she'll have to be mated again. Just try to keep stress levels down and feed her a good varied diet. I would post some pics but I don't have any on this computer. I'll try to post a few for you soon.

#4 Guest_UncleWillie_*

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Posted 30 March 2010 - 07:47 PM

Steve, long time no see. Steve is right about shedding, but I must warn against moving the females. in my experiences with moving crays to different tanks, they tend to shed within days of being moved to a new environment. Be it the water quality parameters or stress - I don't know. I wonder if you could move males instead? I found one pic of a younger female, but should have others in my office.
Posted Image
Edit: I can't remember the species in this pic - Orconectes longirostris?

Edited by UncleWillie, 30 March 2010 - 07:51 PM.


#5 Guest_mikada_*

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Posted 30 March 2010 - 08:04 PM

Moving the females, I know if its softer water they will molt. It is best not to move them but move the males. I have so may thou. Each tank has at least 50 or 60 crays minimum. I'll get a picture of one species thats different maybe somebody can identify it. At first I thought they were Clarkii's but I've changed my mine. The Ky crays are grey not so wide a tail with whitish legs and they die easy. I've lost several 100 this week for what reason I have no idea. The little ones died first then the bigger ones in order, I thought suffication but others in the same tank lived. I did have proper airiation another thought was they were bagged in a mesh bag for a day and stress may have got them. Any thoughts? But whats left is now hearty.


Mike

#6 Guest_fishlvr_*

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Posted 01 April 2010 - 04:12 PM

Unclewillie - it's definitely been a while. I haven't been able to do much with the fish yet but I'm plannin on gettin a new collection started soon.

Mikada - I would definitely try to move the males instead. Unclewillie made a good point that I completely forgot about to be honest. If you do move the females instead watch them and if they molt put a male in with them so they can mate again then move the male back to the original tank. But I'm guessin with as many crawdads as you got it would be the same amount of work to move the males as it is the females.

Edit - btw nice pic Unclewillie. What species is that?

Edited by fishlvr, 01 April 2010 - 04:13 PM.


#7 Guest_mikada_*

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Posted 05 April 2010 - 04:34 PM

This is off topic but someone said lighting a tank or direct sunlight would turn a crayfish [font size=6]blue [/font]. Is that true or did I just imagine reading that.

Mike

Edited by mikada, 05 April 2010 - 04:39 PM.


#8 Guest_UncleWillie_*

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Posted 05 April 2010 - 08:57 PM

I'd imagine you are thinking of THIS.

While I cannot comment on the genetics of this, I can say that I have seen a few 'blue' crays myself. But these were fairly large individuals in a mountain headwater stream (just below GSMNP boundaries) with blue coloration. I'd imagine it has something to do with pristine water - cold, clear, high dissolved oxygen. Same specied further downstream did not exhibit the same blue coloration.

Steve, If i remember right, it is Orconectes longirostris (longnose crayfish).




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