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Least dwarf crayfish

Cambarellus diminutus

Also known as Least crayfish, Mini lobster

FreshwaterCrayfish

Least dwarf crayfish (Cambarellus diminutus)

Care at a glance

Temperature
64–79°F
18–26°C
pH
6.5–8.0
Adult size
1 in
2.5 cm
Minimum tank
5 gal
20 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
Egg carrier · Easy
Rarity
Common
Family
Cambaridae
Origin
Gulf coastal plain swamps, Mississippi and Alabama

Overview

The least dwarf crayfish is the smallest dwarf crayfish in the hobby, and it lives on the bottom of a planted tank. It is easy to keep.

Did you know

The least dwarf crayfish is small enough that adult crayfish and adult shrimp can share a tank, which no other crayfish allows.

Caring for the least dwarf crayfish

The least dwarf crayfish is solitary by nature, but a group will live together in a planted tank of 5 gal (20 L) or more. Give them leaf litter, plant roots and plenty of cover, since they spend most of their time under the litter and among the roots.

No heater is needed in a normal room. Keep the water at 64 to 79°F (18 to 26°C) with a pH of 6.5 to 8.0, with some hardness for shell building.

Feed sinking pellets and blanched vegetables. It molts to grow, and it usually eats the discarded shell afterward for its calcium.

It is mostly peaceful, and a group lives alongside shrimp and small fish. Confrontations between the crayfish are mostly claw-fencing that settles nothing.

Females carry their eggs and then the juveniles under the abdomen, releasing miniature crayfish directly. Breeding them is easy.

Good to know

The least dwarf crayfish, Cambarellus diminutus, is one of the smallest crayfish in the world. It belongs to the family Cambaridae.

In the wild

The least dwarf crayfish lives in swamps and sluggish ditches of the Gulf coastal plain in Mississippi and Alabama. Its home water is warm, still and vegetated.

Common questions

What size tank does a least dwarf crayfish need?

A least dwarf crayfish needs at least 5 gal (20 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a least dwarf crayfish need?

A least dwarf crayfish is comfortable at 64–79°F (18–26°C) with a pH of 6.5–8.0.

What does a least dwarf crayfish eat?

A least dwarf crayfish eats sinking pellets and blanched vegetables. After a molt, it usually eats its discarded shell for the calcium.

How big does a least dwarf crayfish get?

An adult least dwarf crayfish reaches about 1 in (2.5 cm).

How does a least dwarf crayfish breed?

The female least dwarf crayfish carries her eggs and then the juveniles under her abdomen. She releases miniature crayfish directly, and breeding them is easy.

Related species