Cambarellus Montezumae Montezuma (Montezumae dwarf crayfish)
Origin: Mexico. Appearance: The females have a slightly firmer build and the male usually have a darker colour. Colours vary from dark brown, grey to grey-blue. Colours can change slightly each time the water is refreshed.
Sexing: Clear to see, even at a younger age.
Females have a wider tail and the males have gonopodes instead of the first pair of swimming legs. Life span: 2 years. Size: Up to 5cm. Sexually mature: When they are 2.5 to 3cm. Gestation: 14 to 21 days. Character: Friendly and not aggresive to other species or fish. Can be kept in a community aquarium. Males can fight but this is usually no problem if enough hiding places are provided so they can retreat. Usually it is best to keep more females than males. They do not tend to dig or eat plants.
Tank setup: From 20 liters and above. Moss and plants with fine leaves. Choice of plants is determined by water temperature and lightning.
Use wood and rocks to create hiding places.
Make sure the aquarium is closed well because otherwise the crayfish will climb out. Refreshing water is needed and promotes the health, mating behaviour and moulting. Waterconditions: Temperature 12-28ºC (22-23ºC is ideal). Acidity can vary between pH6.5 to pH7.8 and water hardness ranges from 2-18dGH. Feeding: Will eat nearly everything. Detritus, dead fish, small snails, dead plants and special crayfish food. Try to diversify the food and do not feed too much. Breeding: Easy. Females carry eggs for about 4 weeks, depending on watertemperature.
Make sure there is enough detritus, the young will like this. Separating young and older cray fish can be wise in order to limit the risk that the young will end up as food.
Young will grow well if water is refreshed on a regular basis and food is varied. Tank mates: Snails and small non agressive fish. Other crayfish are not suitable as tankmates. Shrimp can be placed in the tank. Despite the fact that they are not active hunters an occasional shrimp will be eaten. Copyright photos: © www.faszination-krebse.de(left), water-paradise.de(right)
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