Luckily, though, things are a little different with dwarf crays. Hardness: 3-15 dkh Dwarf orange crayfish tankmatesĬrayfish in general are notorious in the aquarium hobby for their aggressive tendencies. As always the water values should be kept as stable as possible, because sudden fluctuations can easily prove fatal. Nitrate is less of a problem but you should still do regular water changes to remove some of it (25% per week is a good place to start, but the exact frequency depends on factors like tank size and the amount of crayfish). This being said, as discussed earlier dwarf orange crayfish do need a fully cycled tank as they don't deal well with ammonia or nitrite. This makes them a great option for beginners who don't have the experience to keep more fragile and expensive shrimp or crayfish yet. Dwarf orange crayfish water qualityĭwarf crayfish such as the dwarf orange crayfish aren't too fussy about water quality and you should usually be able to keep them without having to modify the water too much. Multiple hides per crayfish are recommended live plants or shrimp tubes should work well. As a result, these inverts love to have plenty of hiding places in the aquarium that they can retreat to during molting to avoid any possible predators or aggressive fellow crayfish. After molting the new exoskeleton doesn't harden right away, which means the crayfish is very vulnerable. If you're considering breeding your crays you might want to go for a gentle filter such as a sponge filter to prevent the fry from being sucked in. A heater is not a necessity if your tank is placed indoors and ambient temperatures are stable, but if this is not the case you might want to consider one just to be sure.ĭwarf orange crayfish are prey animals that molt regularly. Without it, the tank won't cycle and your crayfish will be at risk. Contrary to their larger cousins they do fine in small aquariums something around 10 gallons (38L) would be a great place to start.Īs with all aquarium inhabitants, a filter is a must when keeping dwarf orange crayfish. With a maximum size of around 2 inches (5 cm), dwarf orange crayfish stay quite small. Setting up a dwarf orange crayfish aquarium Dwarf orange crayfish requirements

Scientific name: Cambarellus patzcuarensis 'orange'Ĭommon names: Dwarf orange crayfish, CPO crayfish, Mexican dwarf crayfish Keep reading for everything you need to know about dwarf orange crayfish and keeping these crays in your own aquarium! They are appreciated by shrimp keepers for their peaceful nature and are the perfect addition to a shrimp-/invertebrate setup or even a community tank.

Cambarellus patzcuarensis 'orange', also known as the dwarf orange crayfish, are a dwarf crayfish species selectively bred to have a striking orange color.

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