Hang On Baby
Posted by Marilyn Bell on January 22, 2004
Q: My daughter "adopted" a crayfish after her class was done studying it. It was in an enclosure with several other crayfish while it was in her classroom. We set up a 10 gallon acquarium for our new friend and this morning noticed that she was loaded with eggs under her tail. My question is this...Are the eggs generally fertilized by a male AFTER she lays them or are they already fertilized when she lays them? Thanks for your help!
A: Fertilization takes place internally so the eggs that are under the females tail now should be fertilized. The 10 gallon setup sounds good and should provide plenty of oxygen and space for the young once they are old enough to leave the mother. The babies will be difficult to provide food for so I have a suggesiton. If you can go to a local creek and get some rocks from the stream, especially if they have plant material growing on them, these will provide a variety of foods for the young. The rocks will also provide lots of places for them to hide in and under. If the water temp is the same as your home this winter (high 60's or low 70's) that should be good for the crayfish - don't heat the water as you would for tropical fish. Good luck.
John Wiessinger ( January 23, 2004)