CPO - dwarf OrangeCrayfish















































Temperature Range: 10-26 C
Hardness Range: 6-12dkh
Life Span: 2-3 years
Size: 1-1.5 inches
Diet: Omnivorous
Habitat: aquatic


These crayfish come from Mexican waters and are very easy to keep. Some breeders say it was a Dutchman who originated this variety in an effort to show off his country’s color- orange. These versatile crayfish are able to live in tanks as small as 10 gallons if given food regularly and good hiding places.  You should always have more places for them to hide than you have crayfish. They will need plenty of places to hide and feel safe or they will try to climb out of your aquarium and are quite capable of doing so. The Dwarf Crayfish isn’t as hard on plants as some of the other crayfish aquarists keep and if given enough other food will even leave your live plants alone. You can give blanched veggies such as zucchini and spinach for treats. They will clean up your algae and excess fish food. In addition a high quality shrimp pellet should be added or algae wafers to enrich their diet. They will molt several times and eat their molted shell to salvage the nutrients. Many hobbyists will also tell you they love Java moss. As with many invertebrates it is often advised to give calcium supplements so their shells are strong. Males tend to have larger claws then the female and will pin her down during copulation to deposit sperm. She can carry the sperm for quite some time until she feels comfortable enough to release her eggs. Many hobbyists report a dip in temperature and then a climb back up will induce molting and berrying of females. If there aren’t plenty of hiding places when the larvae are hatched they will cannibalize each other (a danger when they are molting as well). These can be more aggressive than other crayfish that are popularly kept so it’s important to give them enough room, hiding places and food. Unlike many crayfish, they are not nocturnal so you will be able to enjoy their movement during the day. You’ll want to house with small, fast moving fish or shrimp as they may be able to catch larger, slower moving animals. Crayfish are fantastic escape artists and should be kept in a tank with a close fitting lid. They can climb and are able to live outside of water for quite some time. They are also quite hardy so please be responsible and do not release them into the wild.



Mexican Dwarf Orange Crayfish