# Can i keep Crayfish without filter and heater?



## Edarion

I heard that you can do this via a special method.

It involves filling a container with just enough water to cover the crayfish. No heater or filter is needed because they can breathe Oxygen. 100% weekly water changes.

Has anyone heard about this. Or is it just misinformation floating around on the internet

Crayfish Basics


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## VinnyD

someone once told me that crayfishes are messy eaters......so the water might get dirty.....


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## Edarion

Hence, the 100% water changes. And feeding only once every two days


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## christhefish

i would still use some kind of filter they are messy


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## curtisonrad19

This sounds like it is possible,
However, a one thing i may be worried about. 
Is how big the container would be? 

One way to think about it is like goldfish. 
It is possible to keep goldfish in a small bowl without a filter. But the fish will not be healthy and or happy.

Although it is an example, it is not a perfect one (crayfish can need wamer waters for some speices, and they are crayfish, not goldfish) 

Just my 2 cents though


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## Buddiechrist

It would have to be a rather large tank to run it without heater and filter.
Basically I would look at it like 
1 cray = 20g
2 cray = 40g
etc....
As they are EXTREMELY messy, and I bet at the end of the week the tanks would be dirty, thus needing change. I find its best for crays just to run WAY over filtration, and still water changes every few days.


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## reeferious

*crayfish in shallow container*

rest assure you're not being cruel to a crayfish keeping it barely covered in a container. crayfish by nature is very site specific and will not venture out unless driven out by hunger. as of this moment my pet marble cray in his cassero plate is peering out at me from his hollow ceramic log that's barely fully submerged. only thing i do for it is feeding and waterchange every other day.


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## zhima

I have seen a friend who keeps his crayfish in a shallow clear plastic container and claimed that it does not die.


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## DR1V3N

This works for marble crays IME. You just need to give them a little cave so they aren't too stressed. Water params aren't too big of a deal as they will breath once submerged. 100% every week should be fine but you probably want to split this up in the week if you're planning on using a small container.

Just probably make sure you don't give your cray an easy exit out of your tank.


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## Edarion

The ones I got are austrailian crays.
I keep each one in its own 2 gallon tank.


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## skrick

Please read this post from the internet it will help you raise the red claw I would use filter and get them into a bigger tank as I breed them you can use shallow water so they can crawl around but survival in a 2 gallon tank with no filter and heater is not wise http://www.ca.uky.edu/wkrec/AustralianRedClaw.pdf


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## Edarion

Thats Great! Thanks.


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