Small crayfish - a real aquarium decoration. They are bright and mobile, and the decorative properties of these crumbs cause a smile on the face of the owner.
Dwarf crayfish live very little, they were released only a couple of years. But with proper care, pets can live a little longer than the allotted time.
Water Requirements
Dwarf crustaceans love space, they need an aquarium with a volume of at least 25 liters. In such a tank, you can populate three babies, but no more. Special conditions apply to water for dwarf crayfish.
Its temperature is 18-26 degrees. If the thermometer shows an increase, then the water must be cooled. Pets very poorly tolerate it in the form of heat.
Water hardness is 10-15 dH. It seems that this is a lot, but the crayfish are shedding. And to restore the shell they need hard water.
These aquarium inhabitants are extremely sensitive to the content of chlorine and ammonia in the water. For this reason, the water is well upheld (at least three days) or use a special conditioner to help remove harmful impurities.
Equip an aquarium
Aquarium dwarf crayfish have two favorite things to do: hide and seek and archaeological excavations. They also like the design work, but not as much as the two entertainments. And if in the aquarium there will not be enough shelters or normal soil, then the kids will begin to get upset and hurt on nervous soil. Of course, we exaggerate this. In fact, a decapod will simply not be comfortable living in an unsettled tank.
What knowledge does the owner need to create a "dream aquarium" for dwarf crayfish?
Kids love to hide from prying eyes. And in shelters are able to spend up to 15 hours. Therefore, the aquarium should have decorations in the form of snags, pipes or grottoes. Watching how the crayfish equip their "apartments" is a pleasure. Then they fill up the entrances with soil, intending to drag it inside. Then they begin to scatter him away from their shelters. At the same time, they are shaking their claws formidably, pretending that they will now cut everything that has come in their way.
The soil is selected taking into account the addiction of crustaceans to dig holes. That is, it should be soft so that the baby does not get damaged on the sharp edges of pebbles or small stones. Ideally, you should choose small pebbles with rounded edges or sand.
No plants in the aquarium for dwarf crayfish can not do. These cute creatures love to dig their holes 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 in an aquarium with small crayfish.
The tank must be covered with a lid, for our pets are notable for escaping. They will crawl out of the aquarium, run away, and then the owner will find the dried shell, because the crayfish cannot be for a long time without water.
Talk about molting
When containing dwarf crayfish, their molting must be considered. Kids actively throw off the shell, in the first year of life, this can happen 8-10 times. As adults, the aquarium inhabitants switch to a two-time molting regime.
The duration of the process varies from 2 to 10 days, in which the cancers become defenseless. The carapace is their reliable shelter, which is why babies hide in their "apartments" when they begin to molt. This is due to their vulnerability and inability to stand up for themselves.
During molting, they practically do not climb out of shelters, the owner must take this into account when feeding pets. The food rushes as close as possible to the grottoes and snags, where the baby is hiding.
Compatibility
Crayfish babies are friendly comrades, they have no other choice. Dimensions do not really allow you to resist neighbors, so you have to be good-natured kids.
Many keep dwarf crustaceans along with small fish such as guppies, zebrafish or neon. But more comfortable living for crayfish - only with their own kind. And in no case should you put your kids in one aquarium with large predatory fish. Harmless crayfish can not understand who is dangerous for them. They will not be able to hide in time and will become easy prey for predatory fish.
Nutrition
Newcomers are worried by the question: how to feed cancer? Gourmets from decapods are useless, they are happy to eat everything that the owner offers. And owners love their pets, trying to feed them more diversely. The main preferences of dwarf crayfish include:
Ground beef.
Beef boiled heart.
Carrots, nettles, seaweed.
Artemia and bloodworms frozen.
Dry food for cancers (in tablets).
As for the latter, pelleted feeds are not only for crayfish, but also bottom fish are happy to eat them. 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 the pets do not overeat. They hide the remains of food in their shelters, which should not be allowed. The food begins to rot, polluting the water in the aquarium, which leads to diseases of its inhabitants.
Breeding
Breeding crayfish at home can be difficult for beginners. It is important to consider some features here:
Preparation of a separate tank for the female with the brood. The aquarium where mother and children will live will be equipped with a good filter, many plants and soil.
Crustaceans are able to produce offspring several times a year. During their short life they can become parents 8-10 times.
- When breeding crayfish at home, information on the quantitative ratio of males and females will be useful for beginner aquarists. For one "man" there are two or three young ladies.
The mating process begins after molting. The male writes out a pretzel around a female person, and if she is not against his courtship, then she informs about this with the help of entwining with a mustache. "Groom" responds in the same way, hugging the partner's mustache with his own. After such dances, pairing occurs, and after 21 days the owner will see that the female has clusters of eggs. During this period, she prefers not to appear from the shelter. Having to feed the expectant mother, given this, and toss the food closer to the entrance to the shelter.
As soon as the owner saw the eggs, it is necessary to plant a 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 maternal 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 a slow flow.
There are several dozen types of cancers. We’ll talk about the most common ones separately.
Originally from the swamp
Dwarf swamp cancer, despite the inconsistent name, is very beautiful. To begin with, its color is diverse: from brown to gray. Lines lie on the back; they can be wavy or broken. The lines are always dark. On the tail, the crumbs have a large dark spot, and the sizes are very small. Males grow up to 4 centimeters, their girlfriends barely reach 2 centimeters.
Handsome patzcuaro
It's about tangerine cancer. He has several names: orange, tangerine or patsquaro. The baby received the last name in honor of the Mexican lake, which is its main habitat.
The bright carapace of the cancer is the result of breeding work, its natural color is dark brown. On the body you can see spots or stripes, clearly visible. This species is slightly larger than the marsh comrade: males grow to 4.5 centimeters. Females are larger, but not capable of growing more than 6 centimeters.
When buying orange crayfish, you should know that they are very cocky and cannot get along with other species.
Streaming cancer
It is also called Mexican Dwarf Cancer. This species is the closest relative of the patsquaro, only the color is slightly different. The behavior is similar to how orange cancer behaves. This is an aggression towards other species and a predisposition to eating their own offspring.
In appearance, Mexican cancer is quite pale. Its color is gray with spots, and brown stripes pass on the back and sides. Dimensions do not exceed five centimeters.
By the way, this species is active during the day, while other cancers prefer nightlife.
Blue cancer
This handsome man simply draws his eyes to his unusual color. Blue or Florida cancer, 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 antennae is blue, and his eyes have an unusual dark purple color.
Such an aquarium inhabitant grows up to 8 centimeters, looks very attractive. Lovers have long appreciated its beauty, and cancer from Florida has become one of the most popular aquarium inhabitants among its kind.
Marble Cancer
In fact, the techanus cancer is not a dwarf cancer, because it grows up to 15 centimeters in length. But for its color, aquarists liked it.
The pet is handsome, a real reason for pride. Its color is very unusual, as if a lot of stains on marble. They can be black, brown or greenish.
Louisiana cancer
This cancer lives in North America, as the name implies. There is the state of Louisiana, in whose honor he received his name. Of course, his place of residence is not on the streets of the state, but in the Mississippi River.
Outwardly similar to swamp cancer, the color can be either dark brown or grayish. Black points or wavy stripes are required throughout the body.
How to distinguish a male from a female
Is it possible to do this? A rather difficult task, because dwarf cancers are too small, and their genitals are pretty well hidden.
In males, judging by the reviews of aquarists, the genitals are presented in the form of two tubes. These tubes are next to the last pair of legs. In the female, 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 consider the genitals. Experienced aquarists argue that the "men" have longer and sharpened claws, and the body is more massive than that of the representatives of the female crayfish.
Conclusion
Dwarf crayfish have become popular inhabitants of aquariums. I am glad that they do not need too large a tank. Kids are unpretentious in nutrition, and only strict requirements for water parameters spoil the general background. But for a person responsible and loving his pets, this will not be a big problem.