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Blue Crayfish Procambarus alleni
Size: 2 - 7 inches Crayfish are sometimes kept as pets in freshwater aquaria. They prefer foods like shrimp pellets or various vegetables but will eat most leftover fish food. They also have a big appetite for plants and will eat most aquarium plants. They can be aggressive and may attempt to eat fish. However, crayfish are actually fairly shy and may often attempt to hide under leaves or rocks. If you are going to keep a crayfish as a pet, remember to give it some hiding space. At night, some fish become less energetic and settle to the bottom. The crayfish might see it as a danger and hurt or kill it with its claws. Crayfish are great escape artists and may try to climb out of the tank so any holes in the hood should be covered. In nations where imported alien crayfish are a danger to rivers, such as England, catching and keeping crayfish as pets is one of the main means of the spread of the destructive species — since they are often flung back into a different river.
The Blue Florida Crayfish can make a striking pet. These unique animals are interesting to observe and, with their unique colourings and body shapes, they can make amazing display pets. In the wild, Blue Florida Crayfish are usually found in habitats that have distinct wet and dry seasons. Although they are abundant in wet seasons, they normally remain hidden in dry periods. During this time, Blue Florida Crayfish burrow into the mud to remain damp until their habitat becomes wet or flooded once more. When water is abundant, Blue Florida Crayfish stay near the bottom of the flooded area, eating invertebrates and algae. In captivity, Blue Florida Crayfish are kept in heavily planted enclosures where they can hide easily if they feel stressed. Normally they do not move or dig into their substrates; they are not known to burrow in captivity. By maturity, Blue Florida Crayfish achieve lengths of 15 centimetres. As their names would suggest, they are blue. Shades of blue vary from bright electric blue to a duller bluish white. In appearance, Blue Florida Crayfish are similar to small lobsters. They have heavily segmented bodies, multiple pairs of legs, and long antennae. The Blue Florida Crayfish is native to North America. Specifically, as its name would suggest, it is found in Florida. It is the only crayfish native to the area; the other species that lives near it has been introduced. The Blue Florida Crayfish is environmentally important as a prey item for quite a few species.
Blue Florida Crayfish should not be kept in enclosures smaller than 100 litres. Temperatures should remain between 10 and 22 degrees Celsius. They usually require pH values upward of 7.0. Usually, Blue Florida Crayfish get along well with other fish. They are omnivorous and can be fed on invertebrates as well as plant materials. They will often eat formulated fish foods as well. It has been reported that the addition of freshwater salt greatly enhances the health of this species. Blue Florida Crayfish breed regularly in captivity. In the wild, Blue Florida Crayfish normally reproduce in large numbers during the wet season. During the mating act, Blue Florida Crayfish constantly clean each other. It is the male that initiates copulation. The female carries the eggs in her pleopods. Blue Florida Crayfish eggs normally hatch in about four weeks. They emerge as miniature versions of adults, though lacking reproductive organs. In the first 24 hours of life, Blue Florida Crayfish fry must moult, and many may not survive this first moult. You should begin changing the water regularly and maintaining the best water conditions possible to aid the fry in surviving. They can be fed freshly hatched brine shrimp, microworms, or liquefied foods. After about two weeks, the young Florida Blue Crayfish have generally become much more hardy. They will still be rather transparent, but by the time they reach sexual maturity they will have gained adult colouration.
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