Dwarf crayfish: types, description, conditions of keeping and reproduction

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

Small crayfish are a real aquarium decoration. They are bright and mobile, and the decorative properties of these crumbs put a smile on the face of the owner.

Dwarf crayfish live very little, they only have a couple of years left. But with proper care, pets can live a little longer.

Requirements for water parameters

Dwarf crustaceans are very fond of space, they need an aquarium with a volume of at least 25 liters. Three babies can be settled in such a tank, but no more. Special conditions apply to water for dwarf crayfish.

1. Its temperature is 18-26 degrees. If the thermometer shows an increase, then the water must be cooled. Pets do not tolerate it very well in the form of heat.
2. Water hardness is 10-15 dH. It seems that this is a lot, but crayfish molt. And they need hard water to rebuild their shells.

3. These aquarium inhabitants are extremely sensitive to the content of chlorine and ammonia in the water. For this reason, waterdefend well (at least three days) or use a special conditioner to help remove harmful impurities.

Equip an aquarium

Aquarium dwarf crayfish have two favorite activities - hide-and-seek and archaeological excavation. They also like design work, but not as much as these two entertainments. And if the aquarium does not have enough shelters or normal soil, then the kids will start to get upset and get sick on a nervous basis. Of course, we exaggerate this. In fact, the ten-legged simply will not be comfortable living in an unsettled tank.

What knowledge does an owner need to create a "dream aquarium" for dwarf crayfish?

1. Kids love to hide from prying eyes. And in shelters they can spend up to 15 hours. Therefore, the aquarium should have decorations in the form of snags, pipes or grottoes. Watching how crayfish equip their "apartments" is a pleasure. Then they fill up the entrances with soil, intending to drag him inside. Then they begin to scatter it away from their shelters. At the same time, they shake their claws menacingly, pretending that they are about to cut everything that gets in their way.

2. The soil is selected taking into account the predilection of crustaceans for digging holes. That is, it should be soft so that the baby is not damaged on the sharp edges of pebbles or small stones. Ideally, you should choose small pebbles with rounded edges or sand.
3. You can't do without plants in an aquarium for dwarf crayfish. These lovely creatureslove to dig their burrows right under their roots. The owner will have to pay special attention to the choice of aquarium plants, and acquire species with strong roots. Cryptocoryne is a great option for an aquarium with small crayfish.
4. The tank must be covered with a lid, because our pets are addicted to shoots. They will crawl out of the aquarium, run away, and then the owner will find a dried shell, because crayfish cannot be without water for a long time.

Let's talk about shedding

When keeping dwarf crayfish, their molting must be taken into account. Babies actively shed their shell; in the first year of life, this can happen 8-10 times. As adults, aquarium inhabitants switch to a two-time molting regime.

The duration of the process varies from 2 to 10 days, during which the crayfish become defenseless. The shell is their safe hiding place, which is why the babies hide in their "apartments" when they begin to molt. This is due to their vulnerability and inability to stand up for themselves.

During the molting period, they practically do not climb out of shelters, the owner must take this into account when feeding the pets. The food is thrown as close as possible to the grottoes and snags where the baby is hiding.

Compatibility

Baby crayfish are friendly comrades, they have no other choice. The dimensions do not really allow you to resist the neighbors, so the kids have to be good-natured.

Many keep pygmy crustaceans along with small fish like guppies, zebrafish or neons. But a more comfortable living for crayfish is only with their own kind. And in no case shouldput the kids in one aquarium with predatory large fish. Harmless crayfish are unable to understand who is a danger to them. They will not be able to hide in time and will become easy prey for predatory fish.

Food

New owners are concerned about the question: what to feed cancer? Decapod gourmets are useless, they gladly eat everything that the owner offers. And the owners love their pets, trying to feed them more varied. The main preferences of dwarf crayfish include:

• Beef mince.
• Boiled beef heart.
• Carrots, nettles, seaweed.
• Artemia and bloodworms frozen.
• Dry food for crayfish (tablets).

As for the latter, tablet food is not only for crayfish, but also bottom fish eat them with pleasure. When buying food, focus on the need for a specific food, namely for crayfish.

The baby loves to eat, it is important to ensure that pets do not overeat. They hide the rest of the food in their shelters, which should not be allowed. The food begins to rot, polluting the water in the aquarium, which leads to illness in its inhabitants.

Breeding

For beginners, breeding crayfish at home can be difficult. Here it is important to consider some features:

• Preparation of a separate tank for a female with a brood. The aquarium where the mother and children will live will be equipped with a good filter, lots of plants and soil.
• Shrimpable to bear offspring several times a year. During their short life they can become parents 8-10 times.
• When breeding crayfish at home, for beginner aquarists, information on the quantitative ratio of males and females will be useful. For one "man" there are two or three young ladies.

The mating process begins after the molt. The male writes a pretzel around a female person, and if she is not against his courtship, then she reports this with the help of an entanglement with antennae. The "groom" responds in kind, embracing the partner's mustache with his own. After such dances, mating begins, and after 21 days the owner will see that the female has clusters of caviar. During this period, she prefers not to appear from the shelter. We will have to feed the expectant mother, taking this into account, and throw food closer to the entrance to the shelter.

As soon as the owner saw the eggs, it is necessary to remove the pregnant female. And they keep it in a separate tank until the crayfish babies grow up. After the birth of offspring, the female becomes more aggressive, actively protecting her children. At the slightest danger, babies hide under the mother's belly. The crumbs feed on what they find at the bottom of the aquarium, and scraps of aquarium plants.

Types of crayfish

Mexican and American babies are kept in the aquarium. Most of them prefer bodies of water with stagnant water or slow flow.

There are several dozen types of crayfish. Let's talk about the most common separately.

Originallyfrom the swamp

Dwarf marsh crayfish, despite the dissonant name, is very beautiful. To begin with, its color is varied: from brown to gray. There are lines on the back, they can be wavy or interrupted. The lines are always painted dark. On the tail, the crumbs have a large dark spot, and the dimensions are very small. Males grow up to 4 centimeters, their girlfriends barely reach 2 centimeters.

Handsome Patzcuaro

It's about tangerine cancer. It has several names: orange, tangerine or patzcuaro. The last name of the baby was in honor of the Mexican lake, which is his main habitat.

The bright shell of cancer is the result of selection work, its natural color is dark brown. On the body you can see spots or stripes that clearly appear. This species is slightly larger than the swamp fellow: males grow up to 4.5 centimeters. Females are larger, but are unable to grow more than 6 centimeters.

When buying orange crayfish, you should be aware that they are very cocky and will not be able to get along with other species.

Flow Cancer

It is also called the Mexican dwarf crayfish. This species is the closest relative of the Patzcuaro, only the color is slightly different. The behavior is similar to how orange cancer behaves. This is aggression towards other species and a predisposition to eat their own offspring.

Mexican crayfish is rather pale in appearance. Its color is gray with spots, and brown stripes run along the back and sides. Dimensions notexceed five centimeters.

By the way, this species is active during the day, while the rest of the crayfish prefer the night life.

Blue Cancer

This handsome man simply draws the eye to his unusual color. Blue or Florida crayfish, as the name implies, is very brightly colored. Its main color varies from blue to dark blue, and the presence of white wavy stripes is mandatory on the body. Even our hero's mustache is blue, and his eyes have an unusual dark purple color.

This aquarium inhabitant grows up to 8 centimeters, looks very attractive. Lovers have long appreciated its beauty, and the Florida crayfish has become one of the most popular aquarium inhabitants among its kind.

Marble Cancer

In fact, tehanus cancer is not a dwarf one, because it grows up to 15 centimeters in length. But for its color, aquarists fell in love.

The pet is handsome, a real reason to be proud. Its color is very unusual, as if there are a lot of stains on the marble. They can be black, brown or greenish.

Louisiana cancer

This cancer lives in North America, which is clear from the name. The state of Louisiana is located there, after which it got its name. Of course, his place of residence is not on the streets of the state, but in the Mississippi River.

Outwardly similar to a swamp crayfish, the color can be either dark brown or grayish. All over the body must have black dots or wavy stripes.

How to distinguish a male fromfemales

Is it possible to do this? Quite a challenge, because dwarf crayfish are too small and their genitals are quite well hidden.

In males, judging by the reviews of aquarists, the genitals are presented in the form of two tubes. These tubules are next to the last pair of legs. In the female, the primary sexual characteristics are hidden under the third pair of legs, have a rounded shape.

To distinguish a male from a girlfriend, it is not necessary to examine the genitals. Experienced aquarists claim that the "men" have longer and pointed claws, and the body is more massive than that of the female crustaceans.

Conclusion

Dwarf crayfish have become popular inhabitants of aquariums. The good news is that they don't need an overly large tank. In nutrition, kids are unpretentious, and only strict requirements for water parameters spoil the general background. But for a responsible person who loves his pets, this will not be a big problem.