Zebra Crayfish (Cherax peknyi), BREDBY: Aquatic Arts

Zebra Crayfish (Cherax peknyi), BREDBY: Aquatic Arts

$ 44.99

In stock, ready to ship
Backordered, shipping soon

Due to state restrictions on invasive species, we are not able to ship or sell any color morph of the Cherax sp. crayfish to the following state(s): California, Florida, Texas, and Wisconsin.

This species is prohibited to own in the above state(s), meaning it is illegal to possess them live in these state(s). This includes possession for consumption, education, aquarium trade, or any other live trade. If you attempt to add this item to your cart to a state listed above you will receive an error message at checkout that will prevent the order from being placed.

* For the safety of our animals, we now ship Cherax crayfish exclusively via UPS Next Day Air. If your order contains this item, you will only see UPS Next Day Air as a shipping option during checkout *

This variant is one of the most spectacular and striking crayfish in the world! We are proud to offer specimens bred in house at Aquatic Arts!

The Zebra Crayfish (Cherax peknyi) is a fairly recently discovered and uncommon species of crayfish native to Papua New Guinea. This crayfish is also commonly known as the Asian Tiger Freshwater Lobster, though true lobsters do not exist in freshwater. It is one of the largest freshwater crayfish available and features stunning pastel colors. Orange, blue, white, and purple are all distinctly shown on this crayfish. The Zebra Crayfish breeds easily in the aquarium, although the fry are extremely slow growing. In fact, many of our specimens have bred in our tanks at our facility!

This particular crayfish is relatively active and spends plenty of time exploring the floor of the aquarium in search of food. The Zebra Crayfish is an omnivorous scavenger and will eat most any meaty or plant-based foods. This crayfish should not be kept with ornamental live plants, as it will eat them at a surprising rate. It is a skilled climber, so extra care must be taken to ensure that it does not escape its enclosure.

As it reaches adulthood, the Zebra Crayfish will become relatively territorial, so it may behave aggressively towards other animals in the tank. It is important that ample hiding places such as rockwork, driftwood, or PVC pipes be provided. This is even more crucial when housing multiple crayfish in the same tank. Due to the size and waste production of this crayfish, a minimum 30-gallon, well-filtered aquarium is necessary for one adult. A larger aquarium of 55 gallon or larger aquarium can house multiple adults of similar size. This is a reasonably hardy animal, but regular water changes are vital to its optimal health. Other bottom-dwelling invertebrates and fish should not be kept with large crayfish. It is possible to keep mid- and upper-level, fast-swimming fish with the Zebra Crayfish, but crayfish are opportunistic feeders and will generally eat whatever they can catch.

What We Like About This Crayfish:

Consistently excellent orange, blue, white, black, and brown coloration
Less aggressive than many other crayfish
Easy to feed
Excellent scavenger

RECOMMENDED TANK PARAMETERS:

Temperature: 68° - 80° F (20° - 26.7° C)
pH: 6.5 - 7.5
KH: 6 - 15 dKH
Minimum tank size: 30 gallons

CARE GUIDELINES:

Diet: Crayfish are typically very easy to feed since they are mostly omnivorous scavengers. However, Cherax species can sometimes be a bit finicky. In addition to various plant matter, we have been feeding all of our Cherax crayfish frozen peas and carrots as well as frozen shrimp that is chopped into manageable pieces after thawing. We highly recommend that our customers at least initially offer this diet to their Cherax crayfish. In time, it is very likely that the crayfish will also accept high-quality dry foods, though a varied diet is required for optimal health, coloration, and activity.
Social behavior: Can be aggressive/territorial with other crayfish, but is much less so than Procambarus species (such as the Electric Blue Crayfish).
Origin: Papua New Guinea
Average adult size: 5 - 6 inches (12.7 - 15.2 cm)
Average purchase size: 3 - 4 inches (7.6 - 10 cm) or larger
Recommended Aquatic Arts tankmates: Fast-moving fish (such as Celestial Pearl Danios, Rasboras, Guppies, etc.). While dwarf shrimp can be kept successfully with these crayfish, caution should be exercised, as the crayfish have been known to catch and eat slow, sick, or particularly small shrimp. Cichlids can be aggressive toward crayfish and should not be kept in the same tank. Bottom-dwelling tankmates should definitely be avoided.

All Aquatic Arts brand plants and animals come with a 100% live arrival guarantee, plus free email support!

For the safety of our animals, we only ship live fish, crabs, and select other inverts exclusively via UPS 1 Day Air. If your order contains this item, you will only see UPS 1 Day Air as a shipping option during checkout. If other items are in your cart that can ship with 2 day or standard shipping options the only shipping method you can still select is UPS 1 Day Air.

UPS 1 Day is a description of the duration of time a shipment will spend in transit once it has been shipped. This does not guarantee the package will be shipped the same or next day from which the order was placed.

Shipping Schedule for this service

UPS 1 Day: Monday through Thursday

Current Handling Time:

1-9 business days

Here at Aquatic Arts, we consider the welfare of the live animals we are shipping to be of the foremost importance. This process is much more involved than simply creating a shipping label and affixing it to a box. Depending on the order, it takes from 4 to 7 people to complete this process properly. We check the weather conditions here where they fly out of the Indianapolis UPS facility and the destination for each shipment. We start early each morning and go through a multi-step process to have the day's shipments prepared in time for the UPS pickup. The volume of orders in our system also affects the processing time. Therefore our stated handling time is 1-9 business days.

Shipping Rate

Pricing is by size of package needed to fill entire order and distance it must travel. It will be calculated at checkout.

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