Question about black cray

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demonte1997

Gambusia
MFK Member
Jan 18, 2011
186
10
18
Connecticut
Forgive me because I'm definitely a novice when it comes to the land of crays. I might be getting a black Cherax. Saw a few images of them and they look menacing. Can anyone shed some light on how big these get, water conditions, size of tank they should be in? I have a 55-gallon that I might put it in or maybe I'll get something bigger for it.

Thanks in advance. :)

-R
 
do you mean cherax preissii? that is the only real black cherax species i know of. they can range from a total jet deep black like so

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u8qCAlXlXcY/SjdNEgd2D3I/AAAAAAAAAIQ/MG1EvOCKFLc/s1600-h/Black+jet.jpg

to having a few bluish tinted parts such as

http://www.crayfishworld.com/image/zzzzzzcheraxpressiii.jpg

and all have red antannae.

lately people have been trying to sell a darker variation of cherax holthuisi as black cheraxes, but they are never anywhere near all black and i've never even seen one i'd describe as black. they usually have quite a bit of orange tinting to them and their antannae are not red.

if you can tell me which you are getting i could tell you more, but all cherax species get quite large. a 55 would be plenty big enough for 1 or 2 though. footprint of the tank matters more than gallons though.
 
Be careful if it's a Cherax preissii, they're not for novice or beginners. It's generally a more expensive crayfish to find, and one that has very specific care and water requirements. Even those with lots of experience end up killing off their first few of that species.

If you know what species you're looking at, that would be more helpful in being able to determine the right needs for it.
 
I appreciate the input. It seems to be the Preissii, however the shipper that used to ship them has since sold the business. :( Sources say that the new owner does not ship them correctly and they may die in transit so this is not going to happen. I'd rather not even chance having these beautiful creatures die in shipping if it's not a sure thing for them. For now I have two very happy healthy prawn to love and we'll see how big and evil they get before I delve into the land of crays.

The info is much appreciated though. Not a matter of if but when I get a cray into a large tank. :) Will post more when I get closer to getting one.
 
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