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Electric Blue Crayfish

Procambarus alleni

The Electric Blue Serial Killer (4.5-5 inches / 12 cm). The Florida Crayfish is sold massively because of its jaw-dropping, blinding neon-blue coloration. However, it is an absolute nightmare for beginners. It is NOT a 'peaceful bottom cleaner'. It is a ruthless, heavily armored bulldozer armed with massive claws. It will actively hunt and murder your sleeping fish, it will brutally chop down and uproot every single live plant you own, and it is a master escape artist that will routinely climb out of your tank and dry out on your living room floor.

Family
Cambaridae
Origin
Nord America (Florida, Stati Uniti)
Tank use
Used in 0 tanks
Temperature

18 °C - 26 °C

pH

7 - 8.5

Water type

Freshwater

Ecological role

Spazzino alfa / Predatore

Copper

Estrema (Morte istantanea)

Care and observations

The Midnight Slaughter (Fish Fatalities):

The Sleep Assassin. During the day, they look clumsy and slow, fooling beginners into thinking their fish are safe. THE LETHAL ERROR: When the lights go out, fish fall asleep and sink to the bottom (especially Corydoras, Plecos, and long-finned Bettas). The Crayfish uses the dark to sneak up on them, reach out with its massive claws, and violently snip them in half or rip their tails off. They CANNOT be kept in a community tank. They must be kept strictly alone or only with ultra-fast, top-dwelling fish (like Zebra Danios) that never sleep near the bottom.

The Plant Chainsaw (Aquascape Destruction):

The Deforestation Error. Never put them in a beautiful planted aquarium. Crayfish are both gluttonous omnivores and neurotic interior designers. They will literally use their claws like hedge-clippers to aggressively cut the stems of all your expensive plants right at the base, leaving them floating ruined at the top of the tank, just because the plant was 'in their way'. You must decorate their tank exclusively with heavy rocks, PVC pipes, and fake silk plants.

The Houdini Escape Artist:

The Dry Carpet Death. In the wild, they naturally leave their ponds to walk across wet land to find new lakes. In your home, they will climb the filter intake tube or heater cord, pop the lid open with their powerful claws, crawl out of the tank, wander across your bedroom floor, and be found dead, dried out, and covered in dust the next morning. YOU MUST COMPLETELY AND HEAVILY SEAL EVERY HOLE IN THE TANK LID.

Invertebrate profile

Type
Gambero di fiume gigante (Crayfish)
Diet
Onnivoro spietato, cacciatore notturno
Ecological role
Spazzino alfa / Predatore
Minimum group
1
Adult size
12 cm
GH
10 dGH - 20 dGH
KH
5 dKH - 15 dKH
TDS
200 ppm - 500 ppm
Copper
Estrema (Morte istantanea)
Shock sensitivity
Bassa (Resistente come l'acciaio)
Calcium and minerals
Massima. Costruire chele enormi richiede acqua durissima (Liquid Rock) o la muta fallirà mortalmente.
Molting
Post-muta mangia il suo stesso vecchio guscio per riprendere calcio. Molto aggressivo in questa fase.
Reproduction
Specie cannibalistica; madri e cuccioli si mangiano tra loro se lo spazio scarseggia.
Compatibility
NON ABBINARE a NESSUN pesce da fondo o pesce lento (Betta/Guppy). Verranno sventrati.

Image gallery

Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.