[able_ranui]

Hi
I'm thinking of redoing my crayfish tank. Current residents are a crayfish, red-tailed black shark, banded loach, feeder guppies and chinese algae eaters. It has silk plants, but I'd like to have some live plants and I want to get rid of my resin logs. Any suggestions?

 

[able_ranui]

Well, I have decided to do mostly driftwood and rock. What kind of rock do you think that would look better, granite, slate, or other broken or river smoothed? I'm thinking of doing a truck stump like root as the center focus and other pieces scattered about with a few rocks. What kind of plants would look good in this type of tank? It has to be low needs and easy and cheap if the crayfish decides he doesn't like plants that much in his tank. He's a neat critter, but he is limiting as what I can do in the tank though I'd never get rid of him.

 

[able_ranui]

I'm planning on posting pictures after, but that'll be a while. I've to prep the driftwood and that can take over a month I've found. One piece I'm doing right now is sunk at one end, but weighted at the other. I actually got mad after 6 weeks and just stuck it in my one tank with a rock on the floating end. I'm hoping these other pieces don't take as long but... The only thing I know for sure is that I've got a lot of work to do before the tank is presentable.

 

[able_ranui]

I'll have to see what I can find for rocks when I go searching this spring/summer. Hopefully I'll find some flatter rocks. Most of the occupants of this tank like to have hiding places, so this will be very interesting to arrange. I have yet to decide what plants to put in, but a lot of them will be my excess plants I think so hopefully I won't get too upset when he eats, uproots or pulls apart. Floating plants or very cheap plants are a must if I have to buy them.

 

[able_ranui]

I've kinda got it set up, wood is weighted by rocks though. Right now I've got Java Fern, small vals, Java Moss. I might put some wisteria, bigger vals and dwarf sags in. Possibly some giant hygro. If I could find some Egeria densa I'd like to put that in. I'm just waiting until morning to see how many floating plants/leaves I have.

 

[able_ranui]

Well I put in some biggers vals and wisteria in yesterday. Nothing floating yet. He's hiding behind the vals so we'll see.

 

[able_ranui]

He didn't seem to be bothering the plants too much(Wisteria, Jungle Val(giant I think), Java Fern, Java Moss and dwarf sag). Goes through the dwarf sag like he's on a mission though. I think the secret is to make sure that he can fit through the areas, not real densely planted. I'm planning on adding a few more plants, so we'll see how that goes. I take pictures when I get my new camera and post them. It could be just my fellow as well, the next crayfish I get could destroy plants just because.

 

[able_ranui]

He gets Hikari Crab Cuisine, but also has a chance to get those sinking Wardley shrimp pellets and tetramin Tropical Tablets. Once a week my tanks get frozen brine shrimp and bloodworms. He is well fed, though he hasn't molted in a while. I think he maybe near mature size though.

 

[able_ranui]

I think it is a male, but I'm not totally sure. He/she is about 6/7 inches long when counting the claws. Body is about 4 inches, maybe a little more. Pretty big critter compared to what I bought(half that).