Ideal substrate?

[Fishguy2727]

What would be the ideal substrate for crayfish? Right now I am specifically interested in electric blue (alleni seem to be the likely species for those simply marked 'electric blue crayfish') but may get others before long. I use sand in all my tanks and am planning on doing the same with these.

[badflash]

clarkii are a better choice. The get along much better and have a more intense color. You can also get whites, reds, oranges and blacks.

No subtrate is the best. Just lots of good hides.

[Fishguy2727]

What are the downsides of sand?
What problems have people had with it?

[badflash]

It gets into everything and plugs up moving parts. It gets ugly & dirty and is hard to clean. It turns into concrete and then releases toxic gas into the tank.

[Fishguy2727]

Except, not.

I use sand in all my tanks. It is cleaner (than gravel, just as good as bare bottom as far as cleanliness goes). I only use Estes' Marine Sand which does not need to be cleaned. It is heavy so it sinks right away. I never have any in any of my filters. To be extra careful I keep all intakes at least halfway up the tank. The fish would literally have to spit it in to the intakes for there to be an issue. It is more natural. I have enough filtration in all my tanks so the water (and sand) stays clean. It does not turn in to concrete, maybe if you are using a true marine sand (calcium carbonate) and do not ever stir it (which crayfish will do for you). And it is VERY hard to get anoxic bacteria in there (what give off the hydrogen sulfide gas).

[Fishguy2727]

Not to mention that burrowing and moving substrate is a very natural and healthy behavior that should be allowed for.

[Neonshrimp]

I also use sand (Black "Tahitian Moon") and don't need to worry about it getting into the sponge filters. The shrimp seem to like spending the day shifting though it.

[badflash]

Fishguy-
If you knew the answer, why did you ask? You must not use much sand. No substrate is still the best.

[Fishguy2727]

I want to know about other the experiences of others with crayfish. There may be something I have not encountered that I may be overlooking.

I see no advantage to a bare bottom tank over sand, only disadvantages (such as very unnatural and prevents natural behvaiors).

I use enough for live plants to root in and for cichlids to dig in.

[fishbone]

I don't have experience with crayfish, but pool filter sand works great in my crab tanks. It is coarser than regular play sand, chemically inert [does not affect water parameters] and sinks right to the bottom. Doesn't float around, no "dust" and doesn't clog anything because like I said, sinks RIGHT to the bottom, unless there is a strong current that constantly mixes it. Doesn't form anaerobic pockets unless you REALLY pile it high and compact it with weight. A bag of 25 pounds will run you about 10-15 bucks. I have a depth of about an inch and works awesome.
If you don't mind the white-light gray color, go for it. It may even bring up the natural color in crayfish.
Here is a picture of what it looked like in my 10g freshwater before I moved to Eco Complete
http://picasaweb.google.com/fishbon3/10 ... 4858395586
And here's a picture of it in my 7 fiddler crab colony
http://picasaweb.google.com/fishbon3/Cr ... 5783871570

Make sure you rinse it well before use, until the rinsing water isn't cloudy anymore. You can buy it at any pool/spa store. Just make sure and double-check it is not chemically treated, which in 90% of cases it is not.

[Fishguy2727]

I only use Estes' Marine Sand. It requires absolutely no cleaning but also is heavy and sinks immediately. It comes in multiple colors. I usually do a 50/50 black and white mix that looks very natural. There are a number of pictures in my PhotoBucjet page that show it.

[Neonshrimp]

Thanks for the information, I have wanted to try black and white conbo but thought it would turn out grey. I will try it out on my nest time around.