My New Crays :)
- Thread starter MOsborne05
- Start date
Ya know I should have put a quarter or something underneath them when I took that pic! Oh well 
I'll get some pics of them in their new 10 gallon in a little while, if I can find them! I've got the tank set-up with lava rocks, and lots of moss & guppy grass, so they have plenty of hiding places.
Yep BV, hopefully I will be able to breed them, that's the plan They are supposed to be a sexed pair, although I haven't looked. Is there anyway to tell other than looking at the pleopods? I don't want to pick them up, and they are so tiny that I don't even know if I would be able to tell. I just got the two of them, because they were too expensive to get any more! Hopefully I will get my money back once they start breeding, and then I could get a few more pairs from different sources. I worry about only starting with two, because any other babies that I get after the first batch will be in-bred. Are there any worries about in-breeding crays?
Edited to add: They only get about 2" max, and they are very peaceful crays. They don't eat plants and they can be kept in a community tank. I hope to spread them out amongst my tanks when I get them breeding.
I'll get some pics of them in their new 10 gallon in a little while, if I can find them! I've got the tank set-up with lava rocks, and lots of moss & guppy grass, so they have plenty of hiding places. Yep BV, hopefully I will be able to breed them, that's the plan
They are supposed to be a sexed pair, although I haven't looked. Is there anyway to tell other than looking at the pleopods? I don't want to pick them up, and they are so tiny that I don't even know if I would be able to tell. I just got the two of them, because they were too expensive to get any more! Hopefully I will get my money back once they start breeding, and then I could get a few more pairs from different sources. I worry about only starting with two, because any other babies that I get after the first batch will be in-bred. Are there any worries about in-breeding crays?Edited to add: They only get about 2" max, and they are very peaceful crays. They don't eat plants and they can be kept in a community tank. I hope to spread them out amongst my tanks when I get them breeding.
Your best bet will be to flip em' over, uncurl their tails, and check.
I know it's not what you wanna do, but that's gonna be about your only reliable way of finding out for sure.
I've done this successfully with small juvenile blues I've raised from the breeding I've done with them, and they were likely about the size of the dwarfs you've got right now (mine may have even been a bit smaller at the time).
BV
I know it's not what you wanna do, but that's gonna be about your only reliable way of finding out for sure.
I've done this successfully with small juvenile blues I've raised from the breeding I've done with them, and they were likely about the size of the dwarfs you've got right now (mine may have even been a bit smaller at the time).
BV
Not reliably, and certainly not with an untrained eye.
Also, it helps tremendously to be well-versed with whichever species you intend on attempting this with.
For example, with adult Procambarus alleni (the Florida 'Electric Blues') and other decent-sized North American crays, I am able to fairly accurately sex them based on claw size/shape and tail shape. And I know that I'm fairly accurate at this because I ALWAYS check their undersides to make sure. Males have longer claws, whereas females have shorter ones. Males have a narrower tail, whereas females have a wider, more flared-out tail (which makes perfect sense given the fact that they use the added space for holding berries).
Of course, much of this is oversimplifying/overgeneralizing, and I don't want folks to think that any of this is reliable. If you were to have me guess on your dwarf crays without looking at their undersides, the claw method would be completely useless (they are way too small). They are pretty much too small for me to guess based on their tail shape as well, but if I absolutely HAD to take a stab at it, I'd say the one on the upper-left of that first pic is male and the one on the lower-right of that same pic is female.
I base this partially on the tail shape, but also on the overall body size to claw-size ratio. For the size of its claws, the one I suspect to be male has a more slender body. The one which I suspect to be female has a more 'plump' body, which is fairly typical in many of the N. American crays I've dealt with.
But again, MO, this is all guesswork!
Uncurl their little tails and check for yourself---shouldn't be a problem as long as their shells are hard (meaning as long as they haven't moulted recently).
BV
Also, it helps tremendously to be well-versed with whichever species you intend on attempting this with.
For example, with adult Procambarus alleni (the Florida 'Electric Blues') and other decent-sized North American crays, I am able to fairly accurately sex them based on claw size/shape and tail shape. And I know that I'm fairly accurate at this because I ALWAYS check their undersides to make sure. Males have longer claws, whereas females have shorter ones. Males have a narrower tail, whereas females have a wider, more flared-out tail (which makes perfect sense given the fact that they use the added space for holding berries).
Of course, much of this is oversimplifying/overgeneralizing, and I don't want folks to think that any of this is reliable. If you were to have me guess on your dwarf crays without looking at their undersides, the claw method would be completely useless (they are way too small). They are pretty much too small for me to guess based on their tail shape as well, but if I absolutely HAD to take a stab at it, I'd say the one on the upper-left of that first pic is male and the one on the lower-right of that same pic is female.
I base this partially on the tail shape, but also on the overall body size to claw-size ratio. For the size of its claws, the one I suspect to be male has a more slender body. The one which I suspect to be female has a more 'plump' body, which is fairly typical in many of the N. American crays I've dealt with.
But again, MO, this is all guesswork!
Uncurl their little tails and check for yourself---shouldn't be a problem as long as their shells are hard (meaning as long as they haven't moulted recently).
BV
The problem is that I can't find hardly any info on these guys. I've searched and searched, and the only thing I've found is the difference in pleopods. I have no idea when their last moult was, although I could ask the seller. I emailed her asking her about the difference in sex as well, so maybe she will have another option.
These guys seem pretty rare, which is good I guess as far as selling any babies that I get. But its not easy to learn about them, and to determine what is best for them.
Do you ever feed your crays Indian Almond Leaves? I've got some for my shrimp, and I was wondering if the crays would like them. What do you feed your crays anyway? I've got algae wafers, and a bunch of different shrimp foods. Crab & lobster bites, mosura food and some homeade shrimp cookies. I might pick up some sinking carnivore pellets, because I've read that most crays like them.
These guys seem pretty rare, which is good I guess as far as selling any babies that I get. But its not easy to learn about them, and to determine what is best for them.
Do you ever feed your crays Indian Almond Leaves? I've got some for my shrimp, and I was wondering if the crays would like them. What do you feed your crays anyway? I've got algae wafers, and a bunch of different shrimp foods. Crab & lobster bites, mosura food and some homeade shrimp cookies. I might pick up some sinking carnivore pellets, because I've read that most crays like them.
You might find it best to join up on the forum over at bluecrayfish.com • Index page now that you've ventured into the world of keeping and breeding crays. There are members there who keep these guys, and I'm sure they'd have plenty of helpful advice for you.
As for feeding...
I can't comment on the almond leaves, but I can tell you that pretty much everything else you mentioned ought to be perfectly suitable for them. I tend to use a sinking shrimp pellet as a staple and supplement with algae wafers, sinking carnivore pellets, and occasionally frozen bloodworms and silversides. For raising babies, I typically start off with a combination of Hikari First Bites and finely-crushed flakes and then graduate onto some of the larger foods I mentioned as the crays get bigger.
BV
As for feeding...
I can't comment on the almond leaves, but I can tell you that pretty much everything else you mentioned ought to be perfectly suitable for them. I tend to use a sinking shrimp pellet as a staple and supplement with algae wafers, sinking carnivore pellets, and occasionally frozen bloodworms and silversides. For raising babies, I typically start off with a combination of Hikari First Bites and finely-crushed flakes and then graduate onto some of the larger foods I mentioned as the crays get bigger.
BV
Here are a couple of new pics of them exploring their new home. Their colors have really brightened up quite a bit, which is a good sign.
This is their new home (10 gallon)
This isn't a very good shot, but you can see both of them
This one was being pretty photogenic
Until he found a new hiding spot!
This is their new home (10 gallon)
This isn't a very good shot, but you can see both of them
This one was being pretty photogenic
Until he found a new hiding spot!
Thanks everyone
I fed them for the first time tonight, and naturally they both decided to go after the same shrimp pellet. I dropped in two tiny shrimp pellets, although they look huge compared to the crays. I finally had to take a net and seperate them, and move the one cray closer to the other shrimp pellet. Then they were both happy, because they each had their own shrimp pellet to munch on Here's some more pics.
This one knew there was food in the tank almost immediately!
The Staredown
I fed them for the first time tonight, and naturally they both decided to go after the same shrimp pellet. I dropped in two tiny shrimp pellets, although they look huge compared to the crays. I finally had to take a net and seperate them, and move the one cray closer to the other shrimp pellet. Then they were both happy, because they each had their own shrimp pellet to munch on
Here's some more pics.
This one knew there was food in the tank almost immediately!
The Staredown
I know I've said it already, but they're really beautiful crays, MO. *thumbsup2
I love seeing pics of those little guys. Say, could you do us a favor and lean a penny or something up against the side of the tank for a photo-op when one of the crays comes by? I think it would really help put the size thing (lack thereof, lol) into perspective.
BV
I love seeing pics of those little guys. Say, could you do us a favor and lean a penny or something up against the side of the tank for a photo-op when one of the crays comes by? I think it would really help put the size thing (lack thereof, lol) into perspective.
BV
LOL, yeah, and that was one of the tiniest shrimp pellets in the can! They can be kept in community tanks, but I think these guys are way too small right now to not become food. They reach a max of about 2" and can be kept with peaceful, community fish. I wouldn't put them in with anything that might be able to fit them in their mouths though.
Yep, this is who I got them from and she has an auction going for them right now AquaBid.com - Your Aquatic Auction Website
Scientific name is Cambarellus patzcuarensis sp. Orange, you can find some more info on them here Cambarellus patzcuarensis | Freshwater Aquarium Crayfish Species Information Page
BV, I'll try to get a pic later tonight of them next to something for size. A penny would be good, because a quarter is bigger than them!
Scientific name is Cambarellus patzcuarensis sp. Orange, you can find some more info on them here Cambarellus patzcuarensis | Freshwater Aquarium Crayfish Species Information Page
BV, I'll try to get a pic later tonight of them next to something for size. A penny would be good, because a quarter is bigger than them!