The fraud inherent in the cray trade makes for a tricky and sometimes dangerous foray into crustaphilia. In turn, the price of (true) blue crays should fall, but the aquarium industry is a notably lavicious one and prices may remain high. True blue crays are rare in nature but are being bred more reliably as time goes on. In some cases dealers actually inject blue dye into the cray which shortens the cray's lifespan considerably. The connection gets muddier more recently, however, as dying the cray's water blue or subjecting the cray to special lighting which causes the cray to temporarily change color. Electric Blue Lobsters are almost always either blue color morphs of Procambarus clarkii or Orconectes alleni. To directly answer your question, all freshwater lobsters sold in pet stores are crayfish. In the aquarium trade, exotic animals sell for higher prices than mundane native animals, and so to advertise their animal shops often blur an animal's name. The term is also used for other marine species of various types. Lobster, on the other hand, has traditionally represented the Homarus genus, which includes the saltwater American and European lobsters. Crayfish refers to three families of freshwater species. Lobster and crayfish are the non-scientific names for different, though closely related, groups of decapod crustaceans. Thank you so much for all the wonderful info. Are ALL Blue Lobsters, Crayfish? And visa versa? Or is there a diffference? If so how do you tell? My tank is certainly large enough to sustain a 2 pound lobster (the size the store clerk told me the Lobster, NOT CRAYFISH mind you, would grow), and I don't want my children fighting or eating each other! I am also concerned my Lobster or Crab will eat or attack my bottom swimming Pleco, although I hope the size of the tank will allow for each to claim it's own territory. Crayfish information I've been getting online and in stores. However, I'm quite confused by the whole Lobster vs. If you’re considering building or adding to your freshwater tank, try enhancing it with something as unique as these Electric Blue Crayfish! Right now until Octoyou can get your very own Electric Blue Crayfish for only $19.I am a soon-to-be crustacean mother and I have an empty 100 gallon tank I won a few years ago I hope to add a Blue Lobster and Fiddler crab to, in addition to Ciclids and hopefully a Pleco. Feeding them regularly will help keep aggressiveness to a low and will make for a happier, healthier crayfish. You may feed your crayfish invertebrate or fish food diets such as formula-specific pellets, algae wafers, live treats, or even certain blanched vegetables. Animal or plant, live or deceased, the crayfish will eat anything it can get its claws on! Crayfish can consume nearly any prey they can catch, but are slow in movement and therefore rarely a threat to most types of fish or other invertebrates.Įffective at keeping tanks clean and reducing waste, they typically scrounge the bottom of the aquarium for anything organic to eat. Try adding plants, landscaping items, caves/hides, rocks, and /or driftwood to satisfy this need.Īlthough they are not typically going to be too amicable with any other tank inhabitants, they can at least often reside with fast-moving tankmates without the worry of a healthy fish being eaten. These brilliant invertebrates can become vulnerable to other crayfish or potential aggressors while or just after shedding their exoskeleton, so providing some hiding spaces for them is essential. Due to their possible growth in size, they should not be kept in tanks smaller than 20 gallons. This can be influenced by certain environmental factors as well, such as diet and water conditions.Ĭrayfish can be especially beneficial in larger aquariums of 30 gallons or more. Some may be more intense and vivid in hue, too. While the “electric blue” coloration appears to be extremely bright, it is indeed natural! A specific “missing” gene causes this beautiful mutation in color. These crustaceans are incredibly active and enjoy exploring their environment instead of hiding! They can live up to 5 – 6 years and grow up to 3 – 6 inches with proper care. They are rather hardy and may flourish in most freshwater conditions – though nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia levels should be monitored as usual. Reptile & Amphibian Light Bulbs & Fixturesįreshwater crayfish are members of the Astacidea infraorder, making them relatives to lobsters, and can be some of the most colorful lifeforms that thrive in freshwater aquariums.
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