Least Dwarf Crayfish/Mini Lobster (Cambarellus diminutus), Tank-Bred

Introducing the Least Dwarf Crayfish, the newest addition to our collection of invertebrates!  This miniature freshwater crayfish features a spunky personality and a marbled pattern of various brown, tan, blue, and beige colors.  Dwarf crayfish are also known as mini lobsters, although true lobsters do not exist in freshwater.  Least Dwarf Crayfish are very similar to the Orange CPO Crayfish in appearance and behavior, but their colors are earth tones as opposed to the bright orange color that the CPOs display.  

 

Dwarf crayfish like this one are one of our favorite invertebrates here at Aquatic Arts.  They are much larger in size than dwarf shrimp (they can grow up to 1.6 inches long) and tend to live much longer, but are still small enough to comfortably live in a tank as small as five gallons.  They are are quite active and do not hide during the day like most larger crayfish.  They definitely make an exciting addition to any aquarium and are a great way to get into invertebrates if you haven't joined the craze already! It is a skilled climber, so extra care must be taken to ensure that it does not escape its enclosure. 

 

Though this crayfish is small enough not to be a threat to most other tank inhabitants, they have on occasion gone after dwarf shrimp, so we cannot recommend keeping them in the same tank. These are normally peaceful, but all crayfish are opportunistic omnivore hunters/scavengers so there is always a small chance they could try to fin clip slow moving fish or ones with long flowing fins. We have kept them with schools of fast moving small fish like rasboras, rainbowfish, and danios with very little to no issues. Caution just needs to be advised whenever housing a crayfish with other tank mates.