Was it a bright colored blue or a dark blue green color. There are two main
species of Australian crayfish for sale in North America. The Cherax
quadricarinatus (Red Claw Crayfish) Blue/green color, males get bright red
patch on claws. Or Cherax tenuimanus (Blue Marron) Bright blue crayfish. Red
claws need at least a 30gal tank & Marrons 50gal. The Redclaw can reach 12"
long but rarely exceeds 10". The Marron is the big boy that can get to 16"
but rarely exceeds 12". Definitely not a community tank fish. They will kill
& eat anything they can catch & actually learn & get better at hunting as
they get older. Red claws can be kept in groups & are fine with tropical
tank temperatures as they are from Queensland the tropical part of
Australia. Marrons need room temp. water & will not live long in warm water.
They also are too territorial to be kept together.
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Basic Guidelines for Crayfish Care

By Craig Williams (CanadianCray)



All species of crayfish require clean, well oxygenated water. The water must
be circulated with a good filter or air stone of some kind at all times.
Crayfish will drown in stationary water in 6 hours due to the fact that
oxygen will settle to the top of the water column out of their reach. Water
parameters should be Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates =10



North American crayfish due best in waters between 60F & 75F with 72F being
optimal. Australian crayfish are generally the same with the exception of
Cherax Quadricarinatus (Australian Redclaw). They can handle tropical
temperatures as they are from the tropical region of Australia near
Queensland. Keeping any crayfish in water warmer than they are used to in
nature can cause your crayfish stress, make them grow faster which in turn
will cause a shorter lifespan.

All crayfish have basically the same requirements when it comes to food.
They are all scavengers in nature & will eat whatever you give them or
whatever they find in the tank. This includes plants & whatever fish they
can catch. The general rule is a good quality shrimp pellet or one of the
many specialty foods avail. Like Hikkari Crab Cuisine or HBH Crab & Lobster
BITES. They also enjoy the odd frozen pea, potato & carrot. If you do it
correctly the can also be trained to hand feed taking the food right from
your fingers. They should be fed once per day max or every other day.
Remember in nature they aren't going to find food everyday. Once they reach
approx. 6" in size this amount can be increased.



All species of crayfish are great at escaping. Trust me it's happened to me
many times when I thought it wasn't possible. They love to climb & will find
any small opening in your lid. Secure all opening around filter intakes,
airlines etc. I mean secure like with duct tape. Or sheet metal & a welder.
LOL just kidding. If they do get out they can survive for a few hours but
only as long as their gills remain wet.



It is generally considered a bad idea to keep more than one crayfish in the
same tank together as they will fight & possibly kill each other. Although
this is a personal decision you will have to make as many people keep
multiple crays together. If you do decide to keep multiple crayfish together
make sure they have many, many hiding spots. They will need them when they
molt to stay safe from predators. North American crays require at least 10
gallons per crayfish & Australians require from 30-50gals per cray depending
on species as the Aussies can get VERY large.



Craig Williams

www.CanadianCray.tk

www.Bluecrayfish.com