All species of crayfish require clean, well oxygenated water. The water must be circulated with a good filter or air stone of some kind at all times. Crayfish will drown in stationary water in 6 hours due to the fact that oxygen will settle to the top of the water column out of their reach. Water parameters should be Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates <=10

North American crayfish due best in waters between 60F & 75F with 72F being optimal. Australian crayfish are generally the same with the exception of Cherax Quadricarinatus (Australian Redclaw). They can handle tropical temperatures as they are from the tropical region of Australia near Queensland. Keeping any crayfish in water warmer than they are used to in nature can cause your crayfish stress, make them grow faster which in turn will cause a shorter lifespan.

All crayfish have basically the same requirements when it comes to food. They are all scavengers in nature & will eat whatever you give them or whatever they find in the tank. This includes plants & whatever fish they can catch. The general rule is a good quality shrimp pellet or one of the many specialty foods avail. Like Hikkari Crab Cuisine or HBH Crab & Lobster BITES. They also enjoy the odd frozen pea, potato & carrot. If you do it correctly the can also be trained to hand feed taking the food right from your fingers. They should be fed once per day max or every other day. Remember in nature they arent going to find food everyday. Once they reach approx. 6 in size this amount can be increased.

All species of crayfish are great at escaping. Trust me its happened to me many times when I thought it wasnt possible. They love to climb & will find any small opening in your lid. Secure all openings around filter intakes, airlines etc. I mean secure like with duct tape. Or sheet metal & a welder. LOL just kidding. If they do get out they can survive for a few hours but only as long as their gills remain wet.

It is generally considered a bad idea to keep more than one crayfish in the same tank together as they will fight & possibly kill each other. Although this is a personal decision you will have to make as many people keep multiple crays together. If you do decide to keep multiple crayfish together make sure they have many, many hiding spots. They will need them when they molt to stay safe from predators. North American crays require at least 10 gallons per crayfish & Australians require from 30-50gals per cray depending on species as the Aussies can get VERY large.