Electric blue crayfish care
Procambarus alleni · Florida, where it is found only in the east and south of the state and on some of the Keys
The electric blue crayfish is a Florida crayfish bred for a bright cobalt blue; wild ones are brown to blue.
- Tank size
- 20 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 65 to 78 °F (18 to 26 °C)
- Group size
- Alone (one per tank)
- Temperament
- Aggressive
- Adult size
- 5 in (including the claws)
- pH
- 7 to 8
- Hardness (GH)
- 6 to 15 dGH
- Lifespan
- 2 to 4 years
- Diet
- Scavenger and predator
- Care level
- Easy
In a 20 gallon long
30¼ × 12½ × 12¾ in outsideHow to keep electric blue crayfish
The electric blue crayfish is a Florida crayfish bred for a bright cobalt blue; wild ones are brown to blue. It grows to about 5 inches with its claws and lives two to four years. Keep one in a 20 gallon or larger tank with a lid that closes every gap, caves to hide in while it molts, and hard water for its shell. It eats plants, snails, shrimp and any fish it catches resting on the bottom at night, so most keepers give it the tank to itself.
Diet: Scavenger and predator: sinking pellets, crayfish and shrimp food, blanched vegetables, frozen foods. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Bottom of the tank.
Electric blue crayfish tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Electric blue crayfish belong in a tank of their own: they nip, bully or eat most tankmates.
Keep apart
Neon tetra: Electric blue crayfish belong in a tank of their own.
Cardinal tetra: Electric blue crayfish belong in a tank of their own.
Black neon tetra: Electric blue crayfish belong in a tank of their own.
Green neon tetra: Electric blue crayfish belong in a tank of their own.
Ember tetra: Electric blue crayfish belong in a tank of their own.
Glowlight tetra: Electric blue crayfish belong in a tank of their own.
What an electric blue crayfish tank needs
A tank of 20 US gallons or more (such as the 20 gallon long) with a cover, and the equipment below. Electric blue crayfish are comfortable at room temperature, so a heater is optional in a normal home.
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Aqueon PRO QuietFlow Power Filter 10
Rated by the maker for up to 20 US gal, which covers a 20 gallon electric blue crayfish tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter 15–30 gal
Rated by the maker for 15–30 US gal, which covers a 20 gallon electric blue crayfish tank without being built for a far bigger one.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding electric blue crayfish.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 65 to 78 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a 20 gallon tank. We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common electric blue crayfish problems
- It climbs out along filter tubes and cables; close every gap in the lid.
- After a molt it is soft for a few days and hides; leave the old shell in the tank, since it eats it for the calcium.
- Two in one tank fight, and one may kill the other just after a molt.
- Copper in medications kills crayfish; check labels.
- Never release one: keep it out of ponds, streams and drains.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name and origin checked against Wikipedia: Procambarus alleni. Adult size, temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Electric blue crayfish Dirk Rohlfs, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Neon tetra Holger Krisp, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cardinal tetra CHUCAO, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Black neon tetra Debivort, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Green neon tetra Sascha Biedermann, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Ember tetra Klaus Rudloff, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Glowlight tetra gonzalovalenzuela; cropped by Kyknos, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cherry shrimp TheJammingYam, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Amano shrimp Stefanie Leuker, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Ghost shrimp Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Mystery snail Gabriel Resende Veiga, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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