Blue crayfish: keeping and breeding, photo

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

In the wild, blue crayfish live in shallow warm water bodies located on the island of Cuba. Back in 1980 they were brought to the territory of our state. Since that time, they have gained extraordinary popularity among domestic aquarists. Animals are quite unpretentious and quite suitable for keeping at home. From this article you will learn about the main features of these arthropods.

Appearance

Blue crayfish, photos of which can be seen below, have a typical body shape, inherent in all animals of this species. The average length of an adult is six to twelve centimeters, excluding claws.

Cuban crayfish move with the help of four pairs of legs located at the bottom of the cephalothorax. As organs of touch and smell, they use rather long whiskers. The abdomen of the animal consists of five segments, the last of which smoothly passes into a fan-shaped caudal fin.

From the name itselfit becomes clear that Cuban blue crayfish have a non-standard color. Moreover, their color largely depends on nutrition and conditions of detention. So, you can often see individuals of a blue or light yellow hue. All the fullness and brightness of the color appears after the cancer reaches the age of two.

Character traits and compatibility with other creatures

Peaceful blue crayfish in the aquarium get along well with other inhabitants. It is important that they do not experience hunger. A well-fed arthropod is unlikely to touch fish or plants.

Most of their lives, these animals are busy looking for food. They can crawl under rocks, leaves, and plant roots. Frightened crayfish are able to develop impressive speed.

It is desirable to keep no more than one male in one aquarium. Otherwise, you will have to regularly watch fairly tough skirmishes, often ending in serious injuries. It is also undesirable for blue crayfish to live with small, slow, bottom or predatory fish and with water turtles. If necessary, they can be added to catfish, cichlids, balanteocheilus or barbs.

Containment conditions

Many people in the aquarium hobby recommend keeping these arthropods in 100 liter containers. But there are also experts who are sure that you can limit yourself to smaller volumes. In their opinion, fifty liters will be enough for two adults.

Becauseblue crayfish have a not too good habit of running away, it is recommended to cover their aquarium with a lid. Water intended for keeping these animals must be clean and saturated with oxygen. It is desirable that its temperature be in the range of 20-25 degrees. It is important to equip the home of arthropods with a good biofilter and aerator. Daylight hours in summer should be at least ten hours, in winter - at least eight.

At the bottom of the aquarium, sand mixed with limestone or marble chips should be poured. If possible, hard-leaved plants should be planted there, on which the cancer could hang. For these purposes, the Thai fern or Usteri cryptocoryne is excellent. As shelters, it is advisable to install snags, stones and other decor there.

What do crayfish eat?

These arthropods are unpretentious in everything related to food. It is known that Cuban crayfish do not disdain even slightly spoiled products. They are happy to eat live or dry food for bottom fish. Young individuals can be given crushed bloodworm and tubifex. Separately, Java moss, dwarf anubias and hornwort should be grown for them.

Adult crayfish should be fed with large bloodworms, earthworms, and small pieces of squid, fish or meat. It is important to provide the animal with a complete and balanced diet.

How do blue crayfish molt?

Where are these arthropods found and what do we alreadyfigured it out. Therefore, we now turn to the equally important issue of changing the chitinous cover. Moreover, young individuals molt more often than adults.

During this period, defenseless cancer has to get out of the cover that has burst across the back. The discarded shell becomes completely transparent. In appearance, it resembles the cancer itself with claws and whiskers. Over the next three days, the arthropod eats its chitinous cover.

The molting period is considered one of the most dangerous stages in the life of an animal. At this time, its covers do not have time to harden enough to protect it from predator attacks. Therefore, cancer often becomes easy prey for its enemies. In addition, the arthropod has nothing to grind food with, as a result of which he goes hungry.

Experts recommend placing crayfish in a separate aquarium for the time of molting, which has good aeration and numerous shelters.

Blue crayfish breeding

Sexually mature individuals are considered to have reached the age of six months. They are able to breed throughout the year. For one pair, a twenty-liter aquarium filled with water heated to 25 degrees is enough. Soil is not needed in this case.

The selected pair is placed in a separate container. The mating process is quite lengthy. It usually takes at least an hour and a half. After that, the male is removed, and the female should bear from thirty to three hundred eggs under her tail for three weeks. During this period, she becomes very shy, so it is better not to disturb her. Afterthree weeks later, offspring are born from ripe eggs. In appearance, small crustaceans are very reminiscent of adults, they even have transparent shells. After the second molt, they can be separated from their mother in a separate dwelling. Until that time, the younger generation will be next to the female and, in case of a threat, hide under her tail.

The basis of the diet of growing crayfish should be dry rations for fry, chopped blue whiting fillet, small daphnia and cyclops.