TiercelR
New Member
Hello all, please help for to ID a wild variety of a Dwarf Crayfish species from Mexico, and advice for their care.
In this moment i have six 6 individuals of them. One of them apparently is a female caring for their eggs, due by the position of her tail and the way she moves her plepodods. She is the lonely female of the group that apparently is in waiting for new borns. Also, the bigger of these individuals have the most lightest colors and at the same time it have the most notorious strips in its body. The rest of the individuals have much more darker colors than this the most bigger individual of this group.
Possibly they belongs to the Genus: Cambarellus, but could be a some difficult to determine to which species of Cambarellus exactly they belongs.
Apparently, this species is very active during daylight and quiet during the night.
They looks very similar to the next three 3 species: C. patzcuarensis ( its brown color morph ), or C. schmitti, or C. shufeldtii ( its striped variant ).
But i am completely sure that this particular species comes both from Central Mexico and from high lands. So, possibly this species paticularly do not belongs to the two 2 last species mentioned above, and it have a chance of to be the C. patzcuarensis ( its brown color morph ) (?). Still the chance of this species being another knowed different species than the three 3 mentioned above, or too, this species could be an unknowed species. But nothing better than the comments from the experts that do visit this thread !
The tank have a small stone-aereator of a blue color while i can be able of changing it ( as soon as possible ) for a miniature sponge filter.
This small stone-aereator is being powered by the most smaller of all the air pumps i could find, but the inner current of water still being very strong in the tank, and for this reason i will add a valvule for to control the force of the air.
The substrate is a very thin layer ( of two 2 millimeters at most ) of silical sand of the most fine grade ( just the same grade that the used inside the pool filters ), and this sand is of a ligh beige color. I know that this graduation of the sand is very bad for the filtration of the bottom of the tank if thick substrates are being used, but the layer is so thin that this is not a problem in this particular tank. Also, i know that the black color is the most recommended color as substrate for the tanks of the shrimps ( for to enhance their bright colors ), but in the case of this particular species of Dwarf Crayfish ( which have opaque colors ), maybe the light color of this substrate could enhance their opaque colors (?).
Also, the tank have a bunch of branches of the plant Elodea densa ( Egeria densa ). I have sunked all the bunch using six 6 saltwater fishing swivels, but i will change them as soon as possible for another weighted objects, because the Crayfish is very sensitive to the metals in the water. The purpose of to sunk the plants is for to give perching surfaces.
Actually i am in a hurry for to add in this tank, as soon as possible, a few of home made pvc shelters. They looks very uglies, but the clay versions of them for sale are very expansive.
The photographs 1 & 2 are from their 20 liters tank, which do not have a heater and it is keeped at a natural temperature indoors.
The photographs 3, 4, & 5 they are inside the transporting plastic bag.
The photographs 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10 they are inside their tank.
Thanks, regards.
Phograph # 1
Phograph # 2
Phograph # 3
Phograph # 4
Phograph # 5
Phograph # 6
Phograph # 7
Phograph # 8
Phograph # 9
Phograph # 10
In this moment i have six 6 individuals of them. One of them apparently is a female caring for their eggs, due by the position of her tail and the way she moves her plepodods. She is the lonely female of the group that apparently is in waiting for new borns. Also, the bigger of these individuals have the most lightest colors and at the same time it have the most notorious strips in its body. The rest of the individuals have much more darker colors than this the most bigger individual of this group.
Possibly they belongs to the Genus: Cambarellus, but could be a some difficult to determine to which species of Cambarellus exactly they belongs.
Apparently, this species is very active during daylight and quiet during the night.
They looks very similar to the next three 3 species: C. patzcuarensis ( its brown color morph ), or C. schmitti, or C. shufeldtii ( its striped variant ).
But i am completely sure that this particular species comes both from Central Mexico and from high lands. So, possibly this species paticularly do not belongs to the two 2 last species mentioned above, and it have a chance of to be the C. patzcuarensis ( its brown color morph ) (?). Still the chance of this species being another knowed different species than the three 3 mentioned above, or too, this species could be an unknowed species. But nothing better than the comments from the experts that do visit this thread !
The tank have a small stone-aereator of a blue color while i can be able of changing it ( as soon as possible ) for a miniature sponge filter.
This small stone-aereator is being powered by the most smaller of all the air pumps i could find, but the inner current of water still being very strong in the tank, and for this reason i will add a valvule for to control the force of the air.
The substrate is a very thin layer ( of two 2 millimeters at most ) of silical sand of the most fine grade ( just the same grade that the used inside the pool filters ), and this sand is of a ligh beige color. I know that this graduation of the sand is very bad for the filtration of the bottom of the tank if thick substrates are being used, but the layer is so thin that this is not a problem in this particular tank. Also, i know that the black color is the most recommended color as substrate for the tanks of the shrimps ( for to enhance their bright colors ), but in the case of this particular species of Dwarf Crayfish ( which have opaque colors ), maybe the light color of this substrate could enhance their opaque colors (?).
Also, the tank have a bunch of branches of the plant Elodea densa ( Egeria densa ). I have sunked all the bunch using six 6 saltwater fishing swivels, but i will change them as soon as possible for another weighted objects, because the Crayfish is very sensitive to the metals in the water. The purpose of to sunk the plants is for to give perching surfaces.
Actually i am in a hurry for to add in this tank, as soon as possible, a few of home made pvc shelters. They looks very uglies, but the clay versions of them for sale are very expansive.
The photographs 1 & 2 are from their 20 liters tank, which do not have a heater and it is keeped at a natural temperature indoors.
The photographs 3, 4, & 5 they are inside the transporting plastic bag.
The photographs 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10 they are inside their tank.
Thanks, regards.
Phograph # 1
Phograph # 2
Phograph # 3
Phograph # 4
Phograph # 5
Phograph # 6
Phograph # 7
Phograph # 8
Phograph # 9
Phograph # 10