florida crayfish

Introduction

Morphology

Behaviour & Life cycle

• Sociability
  living in small groups
• territorial
  Yes
• Venomous
  No
• Way of living
  nocturnal

Reproduction

Harmless species

Conservation status of populations (IUCN)

Natural environment characteristics

• Temperature
  18 - 30 °C
• pH (acidity)
  7.5 - 8
• gh (hardness)
  1 - 15

Biotope presentation

Deontology

Respect for wildlife

In order to preserve wildlife, if you acquire this animal, it must not be released into the wild. See also, the Fishipedia charter.

Fishipedia supports the practice of responsible and environmentally friendly aquarium keeping. We encourage maintenance if it is motivated by a desire to understand the biological functioning of living things and if it is done with respect for animal life.

We believe that aquaristics is an opening to the discovery of aquatic environments, especially freshwater, and that this knowledge is necessary to better protect and respect these environments. Logically, we refute the compulsive purchase of animals that would not find a sufficient and / or adapted place in the host aquarium.

Our recommendations

• Min volume
  120 liters
• Population min
  1
• Temperature
  18 - 30 °C
• pH (acidity)
  7.2 - 8

Characteristics

• Type of maintenance
  Aquarium
• Maintenance difficulty
  easy
• Availability
  usual
• Behaviour
  moderately aggressive
• Robustness
  robust
• Environment
  fresh water
• Breeding
  fresh water

General reminders

Before acquiring an animal

It is strongly advised to read the complete dedicated file and to get information on the feedbacks of maintenance of the envisaged animal, this to avoid any potential conflict whose end result is generally the death of the individual (or the other inhabitants). It is important not to overload your aquarium to limit pollution. This will make maintenance easier.

Freshwater conditions

In nature, animals are subject to weather conditions and live in waters with variable characteristics. The recommendations offered by our team for aquarium maintenance are a guidance and cannot be assimilated to scientific datas.

General reminder on maintenance datas

Setting up your aquarium

Le démarrage d'un aquarium est une partie primordiale pour l'équilibre et le bien-être des poissons. Lorsque l'on met en eau un aquarium, l'eau passe naturellement par un cycle biologique : le cycle de l'azote. Celui-ci dure environ trois semaines. Tous les 2 jours, nous vous conseillons de tester votre eau jusqu'à ce que le taux de nitrite soit à zéro pendant plusieurs jours d'affilée.

Pour accélérer ce cycle, vous pouvez utiliser un activateur de bactéries comme JBL Denitrol. Cette solution riche en bactéries vivantes et enzymes permet une mise en place rapide du cycle de l'azote. Les poissons peuvent alors être introduits plus rapidement.

Testing water parameters

Il est important de tester l'eau de son aquarium régulièrement pour maintenir un environnement sain pour les poissons et les autres habitants. Les tests d'eau permettent de mesurer les niveaux de différents paramètres tels que le pH, la dureté totale, ainsi que les taux de nitrates, de nitrites et d'ammoniaque.

Pour réaliser ces tests, vous pouvez utiliser des produits d'analyse spécialisés tels que JBL ProScan qui permet de réaliser un diagnostic de l'eau directement via un smartphone. Il existe également des coffrets de tests plus classiques de bandelettes, comme JBL PROAQUATEST.

Water changes

En cas d’usage de l’eau du robinet, vous pouvez utiliser un conditionneur d’eau de type Biotopol de JBL pour éliminer les substances nocives comme le chlore, le cuivre, le plomb et le zinc. Les conditionneurs d'eau garantissent une meilleure santé aux poissons et une meilleure croissance des plantes.

Precautions to be taken with chlorine

Chlorine and chloramine are dangerous for the health of animals. Used to disinfect water, these agents are present in significant quantities in tap water. We recommend using an anti-chlorine agent every time you change the water. In addition to chlorine, treatments and medicines sold for aquarium use sometimes contain dangerous heavy metals in high doses.

Specific needs for the florida crayfish

The florida crayfish is a species which lives naturally at a temperature between 18 °C and 30 °C. For proper maintenance, the temperature should never exceed the 33°C for long periods. Nitrate levels should remain below 50mg/L. To keep the water clean and unpolluted, plan on changing 20% to 30% of the water volume each month.

Maintenance difficulty

Breeding this species is accessible to any hobbyist. It is recommended to follow some basic rules and to be rigorous to achieve a good maintenance.

Common species in aquarium keeping

This species is particularly common in the aquarium trade. Animals from long-term breeding are usually acclimatized at a temperature of about 26 °C in neutral water.

Precautions on copper

Copper is toxic to many invertebrates. Some fertilizers and aquarium foods contain copper sulfate and should be used with caution. Since The florida crayfish are sensitive to copper, we do not recommend using these products in any form.

Precautions to take with crayfish

By nature, the crayfish has the ability to adapt its gills to breathe in the water, but also outside. This allows it to get out of the water when it lacks food or to escape from predators.

It is also an outstanding climber, it uses this skill to take refuge under woods, rocks or in crevices in its environment. In aquarium, by instinct, it will seek by all the means to leave the tank. Every pipe or hole will be a potential means of escape. To avoid an exit that could be fatal to it, it is necessary to plug all holes in the aquarium.

If by accident it manages to get out of the aquarium, it will be able to survive for a while and adapt its breathing. If you capture it, it is crucial to let it get reaccustomed to the water gradually, for example by putting it on a surface with two land/water areas. Putting it back in the water immediately will result in an irreversible drowning.

Formal incompatibilities

Be careful, the florida crayfish is incompatible with plants.

Cohabitation & Environment

The florida crayfish is a crustacea which it is advisable to maintain in specific aquarium. Associating it with other species is not fundamentally impossible but a documentation work is necessary for the constitution of the population. Being a living in small groups crustacea, it is advisable to install at least 1 individuals in an aquarium of 120 liters minimum. The maintenance in groups allows to observe its natural behavior within the aquarium.

The males of this species do not support each other, the maintenance of several of them in the same tank is strongly disadvised.

Due to their fragile state during moulting, all crustaceans need an environment provided with hiding places (roots, pebbles, leaves, plants, etc.) to shelter in case of danger. It spends part of its time in burrows. It is important to provide a substantial thickness of substrate so that it can build his refuge.

Be careful, this species does not appreciate plants and will end up destroying, uprooting or nibbling them. It will not be possible to make an aquarium planted in its presence.

Basic water maintenance

The florida crayfish naturally living in basic water, the presence of limestone rocks such as millstone or travertine will improve its environment. It is also advisable to add sand with a contribution of specific salts to stabilize the pH, to be gauged according to the hardness of the water used.

Tips for feeding

The florida crayfish is omnivorous with carnivorous tendency.

Reproduction protocol

• Maintenance difficulty
  easy
• egg-laying protection
  No

Reproduction of this species in an aquarium is considered easy.

Reproduction of this species is feasible in captivity, with the entire process taking place in fresh water. If the water conditions are met, the females will give birth to fully formed larvae that are ready to fend for themselves at birth.

Hybridization risks

In general, it is advised not to mix several species of the same genus or different varieties of the same species, to avoid the risks of hybridization.