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  L# Do crayfish get whitespot like fish do?
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SubscribeDo crayfish get whitespot like fish do?
cichlid crazy
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female uk
We have 2 Australian Red-Claw Crayfish (Cherax-Quadricarinatus) also known as Ronnie + Reggie, which were happily in a tank with an Amazonian Pufferfish until we found that Puff had whitespot
We took Puff out and treated it in a hospital tank but unfortunately it died
Does anyone know if the Crays are likely to suffer from whitespot like a fish? - it is a parastite so will it go on anything alive in a tank?
If they are likely to have it what can I use to treat it with that's available in the UK?
Post InfoPosted 14-Feb-2006 03:01Profile PM Edit Report 
zachf92
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Big Fish
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male usa
i highly doubt crayfish get ich, as they have exoskeletons, and i dont think ich parasites can bury through bone
Post InfoPosted 14-Feb-2006 03:15Profile Homepage PM Edit Delete Report 
longhairedgit
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EditedEdited by longhairedgit
Confirmed, crustaceans may act as a vector for the parasites transmission but are in themselves completely immune.Shimp and crayfish dont allow the ich parasites to feed, the chitinous armour is too dense to penetrate and there are no veins or easily available tissues to be fed upon.Smaller shrimp are probably capable of cleaning themselves or each other at a microscopic level, but larger shrimp could feasably carry the adhered parasite on the armour, there will likely be algae, micro- abrasions and scratches a small parasite could attach to even if its unable to feed.
Post InfoPosted 14-Feb-2006 11:27Profile MSN PM Edit Delete Report 
Calilasseia
 
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I concur. Chances are your crayfish have armour plating that is simply far too robust for an ich parasite to stand even a remote chance of penetrating. Remember that they burrow through a fish's slime coat, then start burrowing under the scales to get a hold (or attach directly to the skin in the case of scaleless fishes). A crayfish has chitinous armour that is something like 40 times thicker than a fish scale on a typical aquarium fish such as a Neon Tetra, and the only way an ich parasite could get through that is if it had a torpedo handy to blow a hole in the crayfish!

Even if by some miracle it actually attaches to the armour, an ich parasite will starve to death on a crayfish. Leave your crayfish minus the fish companions for 14 days, and all should be well. Chances are you'll be able to reintroduce the fish once they're treated.

Oh by the way, I like it - Ronnie and Reggie Cray(fish)


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002
Post InfoPosted 17-Feb-2006 06:26Profile Homepage PM Edit Delete Report 
cichlid crazy
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Thanks for the replies everyone
We have put the Crays in a new tank and we are not planning on putting anything else in with them as they seem much happier on their own
They spend the daytime hiding in their tunnel then the night time trying to escape the tank
Great fun to watch
Post InfoPosted 19-Feb-2006 15:18Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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