Irianto red crayfish
Cherax snowden
Also known as Snowden's crayfish, Orange tip crayfish
FreshwaterCrayfish
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 72–82°F
- 22–28°C
- pH
- 7.0–8.0
- Adult size
- 4.7 in
- 12 cm
- Minimum tank
- 20 gal
- 75 L
- Temperament
- Mostly peaceful
- Social behavior
- Solitary
- Tankmates
- With caution
- Swim level
- Bottom
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Breeding
- Egg carrier · Medium
- Rarity
- Rare
- Family
- Parastacidae
- Origin
- Oinsok River drainage, West Papua, Indonesia
Overview
The Irianto red crayfish is a fairly calm crayfish from West Papua for a tank of its own. It is a step up from the easiest animals to keep.
Did you know
The Irianto red crayfish is named after Edward Snowden. Christian Lukhaup, the scientist who described it, chose the name to show support for him.
Caring for the Irianto red crayfish
Give one Irianto red crayfish a tank of at least 20 gal (75 L). Provide a soft bottom with several caves and lengths of pipe to claim, plus rockwork and driftwood for shelter. A tight lid stops escapes.
Keep the water hard and slightly alkaline, at 72 to 82°F (22 to 28°C) and a pH of 7.0 to 8.0. Steady filtration and stable warmth keep the crayfish active and out in the open. Feed sinking pellets, algae wafers, blanched vegetables and the occasional meaty morsel.
Two crayfish together will fight, and a freshly molted one can be killed, so one per tank is the safe rule. It will seize a slow fish, shrimp or snail, so tank mates are a real risk and best avoided.
Breeding is of moderate difficulty, with direct development. The female broods her eggs, then carries tiny, fully formed young beneath her tail until they can fend for themselves.
Good to know
The Irianto red crayfish, Cherax snowden, is a crayfish in the family Parastacidae. It is easy to spot by the bright orange tips on its claws. It was already selling in the trade as the orange tip crayfish before it got a scientific name in 2015.
In the wild
The Irianto red crayfish comes from the Oinsok river drainage on the Vogelkop peninsula of West Papua. It lives in warm tropical streams over a firm, rocky bottom.
Common questions
What size tank does an Irianto red crayfish need?
An Irianto red crayfish needs at least 20 gal (75 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.
What temperature and pH does an Irianto red crayfish need?
An Irianto red crayfish is comfortable at 72–82°F (22–28°C) with a pH of 7.0–8.0.
What does an Irianto red crayfish eat?
An Irianto red crayfish eats sinking pellets, algae wafers, blanched vegetables and the occasional meaty morsel. It will also seize a slow fish, shrimp or snail.
How big does an Irianto red crayfish get?
An adult Irianto red crayfish reaches about 4.7 in (12 cm).
How does an Irianto red crayfish breed?
Irianto red crayfish are moderate breeders with direct development. The female broods her eggs, then carries tiny, fully formed young beneath her tail until they can fend for themselves.
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