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Encyclopedia / Crayfish & Crabs / Yabby
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Variations

3 kinds · tap one for a closer look

Yabby

Cherax destructor · Common yabby, Yabbie, Australian yabby, Cherax destructor

Territorial and will eat fish and plants.

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16 cmAdult size ✓
20–25 °CTemperature ✓
7.5–8.5pH ✓
UnknownSmallest tank ?
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Tank mates
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Not recommended
  • Yabby eats animals up to about 6 cm. Neon tetra only grows to 2.5 cm.
  • Their pH needs don't quite meet (7.5–8.5 vs 5–7). Aim between the two and keep it steady.
Not recommended
  • Yabby eats animals up to about 6 cm. Cardinal tetra only grows to 3 cm.
  • Their pH needs don't quite meet (7.5–8.5 vs 4.5–7). Aim between the two and keep it steady.
Not recommended
  • Yabby eats animals up to about 6 cm. Black neon tetra only grows to 3.2 cm.
  • Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 7.5.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: 24–25 °C.
  • Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 7.5.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: 24–25 °C.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

57 species in our list are a good match.

Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ✓2.8–16.8 dGH
Group size ?Can live alone
Temperament ✓Aggressive
Swims at ✓Bottom
Care level ?Easy
Diet Omnivore
Lifespan ✓3–6 years
Size in shops 3–6 cm
Growth Medium

Behavior

Territorial and will eat fish and plants. Keep alone.

Check your local laws. EU: added to the Union list of invasive alien species by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1422 (in force 7 Aug 2025), so it may not be imported, kept, bred, transported, sold or released in the EU. US: listed as injurious wildlife under the Lacey Act in 2016, so import into the US and shipment between US jurisdictions are prohibited; also prohibited by Florida, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin (all non-native crayfish) and Illinois (permit needed). England and Wales: keeping any non-native crayfish other than redclaw in indoor aquaria needs a licence from the Fish Health Inspectorate. Check the rules where you live before you buy one, and never release it into the wild.

Good to know: Invasive and restricted in some countries.

Food

Pellets, vegetables and meaty foods.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

MaleLarger claws
FemaleSmaller claws, wider tail
TipLook at claw size
How hard to tellEasy

Health

Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.

Breeding

Egg-bearing mating pairs · Easy

Spawns from early spring to midsummer once water is above 15 °C (longer days start egg development). The male deposits a spermatophore and the female carries the eggs under her tail, cleaning them; they hatch in 19-40 days depending on temperature (about 40 days at 20 °C; above 30 °C harms hatching). The young are carried until stage 3 juveniles. Can spawn up to five times a year at 18-20 °C with 14-hour days.

Pairing

One male and 2 females in a large tank with hides.

Setup

Large tank with caves and sand; separate female when berried.

What starts it

Seasonal temperature changes and good feeding.

Eggs

Average about 350 eggs, 30-450 per brood, and over 1,000 in a large female; eggs about 2 mm, olive green; incubation 19-40 days.

Raising the fry

Juveniles are tiny crayfish; feed meaty foods and keep separate to prevent cannibalism.

Common mistakes
  • Mixing males
  • Too little cover
  • Poor water quality
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionSouth-eastern Australia
Rivers and lakesMurray–Darling Basin
HabitatDams, billabongs, swamps and slow rivers
Native rangeAbout 1,200 km across
See it on the world map

The story of the yabby

Australia's most widespread crayfish, farmed and caught for food, that survives drought by burrowing deep into mud. Its name 'destructor' refers to its habit of burrowing into dam walls and levee banks.

Australian scientist Ellen Clark described the yabby in 1936. It is a familiar animal in Australian farm dams and is caught for food, farmed, and kept in aquariums.

First described by Ellen Clark in 1936. Named for 'Destructor' refers to its burrowing damage to farm dams.

  • It survives drought by burrowing deep into the mud until rain returns.
  • Catching yabbies with a piece of meat on a string is a classic Australian pastime.
  • Its colour varies widely, from brown and green to blue.

Sources

14 facts checked with sources