1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Peaceful; keep with small peaceful fish and plenty of hides.
308 species in our list are a good match.
Peaceful; keep with small peaceful fish and plenty of hides.
Check your local laws. EU: not on the Union list of invasive alien species (listed crayfish: Procambarus clarkii, P. virginalis, Pacifastacus leniusculus, Faxonius limosus, F. virilis, F. rusticus, F. immunis, Cherax destructor). As a North American crayfish it can carry crayfish plague (Aphanomyces astaci), deadly to European, Australian and New Guinea crayfish: never release animals or tank water, and keep apart from Cherax (Garnelio). Check the rules where you live before you buy one, and never release it into the wild.
Pellets, wafers and blanched vegetables.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Males have hooks on the 2nd and 3rd walking legs and forward-pointing V-shaped mating organs (gonopods) under the body; females are slightly larger (to 3.7 cm vs 3.1 cm).
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Direct developer: the male turns the female over and places a sperm packet; within days she carries dark eggs under her tail, and after about 3-6 weeks 30-40 fully formed young are released. Separate young from adults or give many hides and leaf litter, as they eat each other.
Keep a group with more females than males.
20-40 L tank with many hides, plants and moss.
Warm water and good feeding.
Up to about 30-40 young hatch after 3-6 weeks.
Juveniles look like tiny crayfish; feed powdered food and moss.
A small, robust dwarf crayfish from Mexico, the "acocil", eaten since pre-Columbian times. It tolerates a wide range of temperatures, including cool water, and is peaceful and suitable for beginners.
Swiss naturalist Henri de Saussure described this crayfish in 1857 from Mexico. It has lived alongside people for centuries in the lakes of central Mexico and is now a popular nano-tank crayfish.
First described by Henri de Saussure in 1857. Named for Named after the Aztec ruler Montezuma.
16 facts checked with sources
Invertebrate (freshwater dwarf crayfish, family Cambaridae, North/Central America). Cambarellus (Cambarellus) montezumae (Saussure, 1857); synonyms include Cambarus montezumae. Mexican name "acocil". The orange CPO (C. patzcuarensis) was first described as a subspecies of C. montezumae.
Wikipedia: Acocil (Cambarellus montezumae) (cites IUCN Red List: Alvarez et al. 2010; WoRMS) · Garnelio (German invertebrate breeder/retailer): Montezuma Zwergflusskrebs - Cambarellus montezumae (German)Legacy has no family; recorded as sourced.
Wikipedia: Acocil (Cambarellus montezumae) (cites IUCN Red List: Alvarez et al. 2010; WoRMS)Translation: females reach up to 3.7 cm, slightly larger than males at 3.1 cm. Legacy 6 cm is far too large. Single retail source.
Garnelio (German invertebrate breeder/retailer): Montezuma Zwergflusskrebs - Cambarellus montezumae (German)Aquarium range 18-28 °C (Garnelio); native waters 10-30 °C. Legacy 14-24 °C is within the wild range but cooler than the aquarium advice; it does tolerate cool water.
Garnelio (German invertebrate breeder/retailer): Montezuma Zwergflusskrebs - Cambarellus montezumae (German) · Wikipedia: Acocil (Cambarellus montezumae) (cites IUCN Red List: Alvarez et al. 2010; WoRMS)Legacy 7-8 within 6.8-8; text says slightly alkaline.
Garnelio (German invertebrate breeder/retailer): Montezuma Zwergflusskrebs - Cambarellus montezumae (German)Legacy had none; new value.
Garnelio (German invertebrate breeder/retailer): Montezuma Zwergflusskrebs - Cambarellus montezumae (German)Translation: from 20 L for a pair or a trio (2 females, 1 male), well structured. Legacy 40 L is generous but fine.
Garnelio (German invertebrate breeder/retailer): Montezuma Zwergflusskrebs - Cambarellus montezumae (German)Retail source only.
Garnelio (German invertebrate breeder/retailer): Montezuma Zwergflusskrebs - Cambarellus montezumae (German)Translation: peaceful, not very territorial. Fine with small fish such as guppies and platies; may take an occasional dwarf shrimp; cannibalism after moults if hides are short.
Garnelio (German invertebrate breeder/retailer): Montezuma Zwergflusskrebs - Cambarellus montezumae (German)Translation: ideal for beginners.
Garnelio (German invertebrate breeder/retailer): Montezuma Zwergflusskrebs - Cambarellus montezumae (German)Legacy has no range; recorded as sourced. Threats are minor (introduced common carp).
Wikipedia: Acocil (Cambarellus montezumae) (cites IUCN Red List: Alvarez et al. 2010; WoRMS) · Garnelio (German invertebrate breeder/retailer): Montezuma Zwergflusskrebs - Cambarellus montezumae (German)Genus character (hooks) from Adams 2012 via USFWS. Legacy supported.
USFWS Ecological Risk Screening Summary: Cajun dwarf crayfish (Cambarellus shufeldtii), 2016, quoting ITIS, Adams 2012, Faulkes 2015 · Garnelio (German invertebrate breeder/retailer): Montezuma Zwergflusskrebs - Cambarellus montezumae (German)Legacy "20-60 eggs for about 4 weeks": time fits; source gives 30-40 young. Retail source only.
Garnelio (German invertebrate breeder/retailer): Montezuma Zwergflusskrebs - Cambarellus montezumae (German)Legacy "20-50 eggs for about 3-4 weeks" is close; no wild egg-count data found.
Garnelio (German invertebrate breeder/retailer): Montezuma Zwergflusskrebs - Cambarellus montezumae (German)Legacy claims supported.
Wikipedia: Acocil (Cambarellus montezumae) (cites IUCN Red List: Alvarez et al. 2010; WoRMS) · Garnelio (German invertebrate breeder/retailer): Montezuma Zwergflusskrebs - Cambarellus montezumae (German)National rules not checked. Translation: like all American crayfish, C. montezumae is a potential carrier of crayfish plague.
Wikipedia: List of invasive alien species of Union concern (summarises EU Reg. 1143/2014 implementing lists 2016/1141 to 2025/1422) · Garnelio (German invertebrate breeder/retailer): Montezuma Zwergflusskrebs - Cambarellus montezumae (German)