How long can I keep crayfish alive?

I am going to the lake next week for a little fishing and r&r. We usually catch some crayfish a day or two before and use them for bait. They keep great for a few days in a bucket with a bubbler

Unfortunately this weekend is the only time I can go cray hunting, and it will be at least a week before I can get out to the lake. Anybody keep them alive that long?

I guess I would need to feed them

Any thoughts?

 

This could be option 2.

 

Oh good, someone sensible shows up

 

That's a great option that has been done many times before. But when I can add some nice bass to that pile..... Life is good

I googled keeping the bastards alive and there is a bunch of stuff about aquariums and the like, but I have no intention of setting up a entire habitat for bait

 

The biggest thing is to keep the water they are staying in clean, and oxygen rich. A simple aquarium airator will work well to help them live longer. We would keep a small foam cooler with big holes in the lid for bait that we needed to last. Then used a small airator that can run on 12v. Keep the air oxygenated and they will last a lot longer. Don't change out the water quickly either. Fast temperature changes of even 5-10 degrees can quickly kill them as well.

 

+1 to what Bama said.

They need to be treated like maintaining a fish tank. In particular, crustaceans are some of THE most sensitive creatures that live in water.

Lots of airflow, some current, and frequent water changes will keep them alive. I would first store them in the bucket with water from their original source, and add a bubbler/powerhead to the bucket. When doing water changes, make sure the water is the same quality as the water in the bucket by making sure temp is correct (use a heater), and if you have any handy, use some de-chlorine/chloramine/ammonia treatment.

As far as feeding, you probably only need to feed them once in the middle of the week, and don't feed much. Too much food will cause an ammonia spike, which will quickly kill the bucket.

Good luck, and happy fishing.

 

My buddy kept one a live for a year in a 2.5 gallon aquarium with a small air pump.

 

I do have a bubbler and even a aquarium heater. I will get them set up and see what I can do

 

It will also help if you have something that they can crawl outside of the water for a bit if they want to. They are not truly aquatic animals, and will like to perch up on a piece of wood that is sticking out of the water.

 

keep us in the know on this one. I just went fishing with a rubber craw, but nothing is biting still.....

 

I kept one alive an entire summer in a kiddy pool by adding new water every once in a while as needed and then feeding it tuna fish.

 

thats alot of water for one crawfish.....did it actually eat the tunafish?

 

I do have a bubbler and even a aquarium heater. I will get them set up and see what I can do

 

The hunting trip got completely busted so no life bait for me yet

 

I've fed a crawfish feeder fish, triops, giant caterpillars, spiders, fiddler crabs, smaller crawfish, small African frogs, earthworms and brine shrimp. They'll even eat their old exoskeleton after they molt.