Crayfish

Crayfish are small and have an interesting way of life. They look like tiny lobsters but live in fresh water. They come in many colors, are 4-6 inches long on average, and have an exoskeleton. 

They eat plankton, brine shrimp, plants, and fish. Like humans, crayfish have favorite foods that may be in your garden or local store like green beans, raisins, spinach, zucchini, carrots, squash, sweet potato, and leaf lettuce.

Crayfish are mostly nocturnal, but will move around during the day. In my tank my crayfish feeds during the night, because every morning there's something missing from my tank.

I see crayfish near my house at Gallup Park and the Botanical Gardens, but they also live around the world in clean, freshwater rivers. If you would like to see a crayfish, I would suggest going to Louisiana where the Mississippi River delta is and the people there eat lots of crayfish. 

A number of animals eat crayfish like humans, otters, and herons. One way humans eat crayfish is by boiling them and sucking the heads while pinching the tails.

 There are many reasons why you might want a crayfish in your fish tank. I wanted a crayfish in my tank because they dig holes and valleys and eat things (plants, snails) allowing me to count death tolls each morning which is fun. Me and my crayfish are excellent friends. We build things together and laugh about how silly our creations look.

Note: This is a cat with a crayfish. Not a catfish!