Can You Mix Different Colored Freshwater Lobster
The Electric Blueish Crayfish is a freshwater species you lot take to encounter to believe. The number of people who've said "that's photoshopped" when we showed them pictures is through the roof!
But if you ignore their stunning colour, there's still a lot to similar nearly this creature. These crayfish are easy to care for and a blast to watch (they are ever up to something).
This guide will teach you the essentials of Electrical Blue Crayfish care, so yous'll be prepared if you determine to get ane for yourself.
Table of Contents
- Species Summary
- Lifespan
- Advent
- Size
- Electric Blue Crayfish Intendance
- Tank Size
- Water Parameters
- Setting Upwards The Within Of Their Tank
- Mutual Possible Diseases
- Food & Diet
- Beliefs & Temperament
- Electric Blue Crayfish Tank Mates
- Breeding
- Time To Get One For Yourself?
Species Summary
Thanks to their middle-communicable colour, Electric Blue Crayfish (Procambarus alleni) are one of the most popular invertebrates in the freshwater aquarium market! Also known as the Bluish Crayfish, Sapphire Crayfish or Florida Crayfish, these creatures are a unique addition to whatsoever tank.
These crayfish are owned to Florida. They can be found residing in many bodies of h2o throughout the state. Nevertheless, they're most ofttimes found eastward of the state'southward longest river, the Saint Johns River.
Despite their delicate looks, Electric Bluish Crayfish are very hardy. They suit well to most any environment. As a effect, they're a good choice for aquarists of any skill level.
Lifespan
Like well-nigh crayfish species, the Electric Bluish Crayfish lifespan is about 5 or 6 years which is relatively long. It is possible for the crayfish to live a chip longer, simply this is the boilerplate in captivity.
If you desire your crayfish to live as long every bit possible, you will need to work hard to care for them and maintain their surroundings.
Several issues, such as high ammonia levels and disease, can shorten their life expectancy. The key to helping your crayfish live equally long as possible to keep water conditions in skilful shape at all times.
Appearance
At first glance, it'due south piece of cake to mistake Electric Blue Crayfish for lobsters. Truth is, freshwater lobsters don't exist. Crayfish belong to the same family unit, just they are much smaller in size and have some unique physical characteristics.
The Electric Blue Crayfish has a tough exoskeleton. They shed this protective shell multiple times throughout their life as they get bigger.
The main part of their body, the thorax, is where the head is located. If you look closely, you'll spot a pair of dark blackness eyes.
To keep the eyes and mouth protected, thorn-like horns beetle from the head. It's similar to what yous'd see on a large lobster or modest shrimp.
Besides extending from the caput are a couple of antennae. These antennae are used to help the crayfish smell their environs and taste their food.
Electric Blue Crayfish are leggy creatures! They have four pairs of pocket-sized legs. These accompany their large pair of chelipeds, or claws.
On the backend of the crayfish is their tail. Similar a lobster, the tail is girthy and curves inward. Tiny appendages, chosen swimmerets, cover the inside of the tail. As y'all might accept guessed, swimmerets help crayfish swim.
Of course, the most identifying feature of the Electric Blue Crayfish is its color. The near sought-after specimens are those that take on a vivid cobalt bluish hue. Ofttimes, this bright bluish colour is accompanied past darker spots and some white sections along the underside of the body.
Other colour varieties do be. This is especially truthful in the wild, where you'll see crayfish covered in brown or tan. However, the blue specimens are the ones you're most likely to meet in pet stores and aquariums.
There are some differences between males and females. These differences are very subtle, making it hard to distinguish the two. Usually, the biggest indicator is the shape of the tail.
Males tend to accept a straighter tail that's a bit longer when fully extended.
Size
When fully grown, Electrical Blue Crayfish get to be about four to 6 inches long. As nosotros mentioned before, the invertebrae will molt as they get bigger.
This process happens very frequently when they're juveniles. Molting tin can nonetheless occur as an adult, but it's much more infrequent once they have reached their total adult size.
Electric Blue Crayfish Care
Whether you lot're a seasoned aquarist or a newbie looking to go something interesting for your tank, this species is a great option. Electric Blue Crayfish intendance is very piece of cake considering they're very resilient and can live comfortably in many unlike kinds of environments.
Nevertheless, at that place are some bones intendance guidelines you need to stick to. You must provide your crayfish with a comfortable habitat if you lot want them to reach their full potential.
Tank Size
Some fish-keepers have seen success raising Electric Blue Crayfish in tanks as minor as 10 gallons. Nonetheless, we don't recommend going that pocket-size.
Because of their size as an adult, the minimum tank size you lot should go with is thirty gallons.
Juveniles tin be raised in something smaller, such as a 20-gallon tank. Only adults need plenty of infinite to explore. Sticking to a larger tank allows you to go on multiple crayfish together while reducing the adventure of aggressive behavior.
Water Parameters
The trick to keeping fish or invertebrate happy is to replicate their natural habitat as much every bit possible. Electrical Blue Crayfish are no different. Nevertheless, because they alive in many different kinds of environments in Florida, yous take some generous parameters to piece of work with.
Usually, these crayfish can be found in the Saint Johns River or smaller tributaries in the area. The waters are warmer and relatively neutral in pH.
They're likewise quite murky, but you plainly don't need to replicate the murkiness to keep your crayfish happy. Every bit long as you stick to the following parameters, these creatures should take no problem adapting.
- H2o temperature: 65°F to 75°F (70°F is ideal)
- pH levels: 6.5 to 7.5
- Water hardness: 3 to x dKH
Setting Up The Inside Of Their Tank
The great thing nearly keeping Electric Blue Crayfish is that they're non really picky when it comes to decor. Unlike other invertebrate and fish species, you don't necessarily have to replicate a natural surround. You tin can apply plastic plants or whimsical decorations how you run across fit.
The only requirement is some kind of cavern.
An artificial cavern, overturned pot, or PVC pipe are all skilful options. This cave will act as a hiding spot for the crayfish.
The cave should be relatively large. The crayfish will utilize it most when they are molting. During the molting process, they are very vulnerable to injuries and attacks. And then, having some kind of protected housing is a must-have.
To provide even more protection, you tin utilize live plants, driftwood, and other large decorations that volition hide their location.
Exercise caution with live plants, though. Sapphire Crayfish are notorious for eating, uprooting, and destroying fragile plants.
Y'all can fill the bottom of the tank with gravel or sand. If you lot use a fine sand substrate, the crayfish may burrow and dig every once in a while. It's simply another form of hiding your crayfish will enjoy.
When it comes to equipment, we recommend using a powerful filtration organization. It should be capable of cycling the h2o efficiently. Crayfish produce a lot of waste and are highly sensitive to extreme ammonia levels. Your filter needs to proceed levels manageable.
Writer Annotation: Another large thing to consider is the lid of your tank. Electric Blue Crayfish are escape artists that will climb on anything they tin can to get out of the aquarium!
You don't have to worry about the crayfish prying your lid open, only they will try to escape if kept in a lidless environment.
Common Possible Diseases
Electric Blue Crayfish can get ill only like any other creature in your tank. Thankfully, they tend to stay on the healthier side due to their thick shells.
If your crayfish does get sick, the culprit volition more than than likely exist poor water weather condition.
These creatures practice not tolerate high ammonia or nitrate levels. They can get stressed and get more susceptible to infections.
Luckily, you tin can lower the gamble of these issues occurring by performing a 25 percent water change. We recommend doing water changes every calendar week to get the best results.
Some crayfish can bring disease into your tank equally well. Crayfish Plague is a mutual consequence in the wild. It causes physical signs of infection besides as a loss of coordination.
If brought into the tank, it can touch on all of your invertebrae. Since it commonly affects crayfish in the wild, so be wary if y'all are purchasing a wild-caught Electric Blue Crayfish.
Food & Nutrition
Electric Blue Crayfish are omnivores. They're highly opportunistic and will consume annihilation they can get their claws on!
In captivity, you tin can feed your crayfish a nice balanced diet of dry and alive nutrient. We like to give them:
- Standard sinking pellets
- Dry flakes
- Algae wafers
For the occasional treat, you can feed your crayfish shrimp or blanched vegetables.
We recommend feeding your crayfish once a twenty-four hour period. Feed pocket-sized portions that they can manage. If you requite them more than than they can consume information technology will ultimately affect the h2o quality.
Beliefs & Temperament
These creatures are bottom feeders which means they'll spend all of their fourth dimension investigating and scavenging at the bottom of the tank.
Unlike other invertebrates, Electric Blue Crayfish aren't shy! They're very active and volition motility around the tank constantly. This makes them a joy to sentry.
These creatures can definitely exist ambitious and territorial. As we said before, they will eat anything they can catch. Sometimes they might try to grab nearby fish, but they won't run into much success if the fish is paying attention.
You might even witness your crayfish trying to get a bit more artistic with their efforts to mess with their tank mates. They tin can often be seen climbing on decorations to get closer to fish or the tank chapeau.
Electric Blueish Crayfish Tank Mates
Typically, keeping other creatures with aggressive invertebrates is a large no-no. However, that's not the example with Electric Blueish Crayfish tank mates.
As long equally you exercise some planning ahead of fourth dimension, this species tin be kept in large customs tanks.
These crayfish occupy the bottom of the h2o cavalcade. So, you should add fish that live in other parts of the tank to avert any bug. Make certain that you lot're getting fast swimmers!
Sapphire Crayfish volition attempt to catch and eat whatever fish that passes by. If you have fast-pond fish, you lot tin rest easy knowing that the crayfish won't be able to catch them.
Here are some good tank mates to consider:
- Hatchetfish
- Fast Danios
- Rainbow Darters
- African Butterfly Fish
- Crimson Tail Shark
- Guppies
- Pearl Gourami
Author Note: Yous tin can also keep multiple crayfish in one tank but information technology needs to be large enough to give each specimen its space. Keeping the crayfish well-fed is besides important or else you'll run the hazard of fighting and aggression.
Convenance
Electric Blue Crayfish are bred pretty extensively in captivity. They can lay hundreds of eggs at once, filling your tank with lots of color.
When a bonded pair is set up to breed, put them in a separate convenance tank so that they can perform their unique ritual. The male will eolith a sack of sperm onto the female person. She volition and so lay her eggs while passing them through the sperm for fertilization.
Then, she'll conduct the eggs under her tail for about a month. The male should exist removed before the eggs hatch to ensure that he will not consume the babies.
Tiny crayfish volition emerge approximately four weeks after breeding. The female may care for the young for a few days after birth. Yet, y'all should remove her from the tank subsequently about iii days to avoid aggressive beliefs.
Yous tin can proceed to raise the babies with foods like spirulina, infant brine shrimp, and pellets. The crayfish will abound up very fast, providing you with a tank total of large invertebrates in no time.
Fourth dimension To Get One For Yourself?
At present that you're an expert in Electrical Blue Crayfish care, the pick is yours to decide if this species is correct for you.
We've spent hours watching these fascinating critters. More so than well-nigh whatsoever other freshwater species we've endemic!
With their vibrant color, depression-maintenance intendance requirements, and high action level, nosotros definitely think they're worth considering.
If you're still unsure if they're correct for you, or only have some photos or tips you lot think nosotros should include, let us know! We hope you enjoyed this care guide and we look forwards to making another.
Source: https://www.aquariumsource.com/electric-blue-crayfish/
Posted by: daughertyreteneve.blogspot.com
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