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weisswasser
Crustaforum-Team
Age: 29
Joined: 23 Jan 2006
Posts: 59
Location: Sasbachwalden
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Procambarus clarkii
The american red pond-crayfish, also known as Lousiana-River-Crayfish is probably the most commonly kept crayfish in the fresh water aquaristic. Many different color breedings exist already and besides its nature appearance, colors like blue, orange and white are possible.
The crayfish is undemanding concerning the water parameters, pretty active and easy to breed. Its fully grown size will be approximately 15cm, whereas the males turn out to be bigger than the females and are equiped with even more remarkable claws.
It can be socialized with many fish, but sick or not very nimble individuals could end up as crayfish-food. Strong and healthy fish though ain’t endangered at all. Still I have observed one exception: sozialization with the red neon ended up deadly for the fish. Although no fish was chased during daytime, some of them just dissapeared over night. Just 14 out of 30 fishes I found leftover when breaking off my try after about two weeks. They were all lively and healthy. Since each fish was caught at night I couldn’t watch a single capture by the crayfish ever.
To keep a pair of the clarkii you’ll need a tank with the size of at least 112litres (80cm x 35cm). Not much technical accessories are needed. A heater ain’t necessary since temperatures between 10°C and 15°C are tolerated; the top temperature is 25°C. The recommended filtering system is the Hamburger Mattenfilter.
Illumination plays a tangential role, for plants usualy don’t have any chance in the clarkii tank. Adult crayfish might spare the plants but as soon as offspring has emerged all plants will imidiately been eroded. In the past I have already tried a whole bunch of different plants but none have ever survived – despite of feeding enough vegetable food. Even swimming plants such as duckweed didn’t do for a longer period of time.
Regardless of all of that you can still arrange a good looking tank. A thick layer of coarse-grained gravel, some pebble stones as well as wooden roots and hidy-holes can constitute an interesting sight.
Don’t choose on too bright lighting. The brighter my tank has been illuminated, the less I could watch my crayfish. The slightest movements will induce them to imidiately look up for a hiding place.
When it comes to feeding, crayfish ain’t very choosy and so is the clarkii. It will fairly do well with fresh plants, flake food, frozen food, dead fish, feeding pills, vegetables as well as live food such as red mosquito larvae.
The more vegetable food is provided the more plants will survive in the tank. Nevertheless, no plant has continuously been reprieved.
But still, these crayfish are ideal inmates to any interested aquarist. Undemanding as they are, red pond-crayfish happen to be an easy start-off for both beginners to the aquaristic hobby as well as the crayfish-keeping.
Like all the other american crayfish, the clarkii is a potential carrier of the crayfish pestilence. European as well as australian crayfish are inable to subtend that disease and will die from it. Therefore they must not be kept together with american crayfish.
written by Christian ~ chrisp
translated by Claudine ~ weisswasser |
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Kind regards,
Claudine |
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