As you may know, a while ago I set up a 5 gallon aquarium for three Cajun dwarf crayfish (Cambarellus shufeldtii). When getting the crays, I also grabbed a pack of food from a brand I know and love: Hikari crab cuisine.
The information on the back of the pack seemed mostly correct, which is always a big plus to me when it comes to aquarium products. The text contained a few quotes that seemed particularly interesting to me – it said the pellets were mineral-enriched and promoted healthy shell development in crustaceans because of this. It also mentioned that the pellets wouldn’t fall apart “to allow prolonged access”. So no failed molts because of calcium deficiencies and no dirty water due to pellets falling apart? Sounded quite promising!
Luckily, I was not disappointed. It’s been almost 3 months since I started feeding my crayfish Hikari Crab Cuisine and they have grown very well and molted many times since – around 8 times between the 3 of them as far as I could see. For some extra variety in their diet, I also feed the crays pieces of fresh veggies, algae tablets and goldfish gel food.
Because of the minerals Hikari Crab Cuisine contains I have also been feeding this food to the snails in my snail breeding tank and, occasionally, the shrimp in our tropical aquarium. They all love it, although I would not use this as a daily food for either of them because they both need more plant matter in their diet.
All in all, Hikari Crab Cuisine is definitely a food I would recommend if you’re looking for a daily staple for crustaceans like crabs, crayfish and hermit crabs. It seems to aid in succesful molting, the pellets are appropriately sized for these smaller invertebrates, it keeps its promise of not falling apart and one pack will likely last you a long time. Of course it’s still a good idea to feed your crustaceans other foods now and then to provide them with a varied diet, but as a regular staple, this does just fine.
For more information about Hikari Crab Cuisine and the ingredients and nutrients, check out the Hikari website (which, by the way, also contains some interesting videos about how they make their products).
You can buy Hikari Crab Cuisine for your crayfish, crabs or hermit crabs or as a snack for snails, shrimp and bottom feeding fish on Amazon.
Hikari Crab Cuisine 50g
Check PriceIf you have any more questions about my crayfish or this food, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below. Happy fishkeeping!
