CPO - Common topics and FAQ

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Temperature
Ideal to keep at controlled lower temperature, eg 25 degrees.
Anything above 28 degrees is bad as it will reduce the lifespan.

Lifespan
Approximately : 24 months if kept in ideal condition and good health permits.

Differentiating the Sex of CPO
http://www.arofanatics.com/forums/sh...=335043&page=6
Note that male has 'slimmer' body while females have broader body.

Diet
Green pea, frozen blood worm, dead fishes/shrimps, pellets, etc

Other Info
This beautiful and relatively peaceful 1.5 inch crayfish comes from Lago de Patzcuaro, a volcanic crater lake in Michoacán, Mexico, in the west-central mountain region. Wild Cambarellus patzcuarensis are mostly tan, brown, and rusty colored.. The bright orange mutation in the aquarium hobby rarely persist in nature due to predators, but is hardy in captivity. Some have a pair of longitudinal dark stripes and others are mottled, lacking stripes. They can be kept in soft to moderately hard water, pH 6.0 to 8.0, temperature 60 to 82 F. In soft water, keep aragonite gravel in the filter or on the bottom to provide calcium and pH buffering.

Unlike most crayfish, C. patzcuarensis doesn't destroy plants, and digs very little. They eat live or frozen worms, insects, brine shrimp, flakes, pellets, cooked shrimp, green peas – most any kind of fish food. They live peacefully with small fish and usually do not attack even newborn guppies, although they may eat fish eggs or non-swimming larvae, and will eat dead fish. They need hiding places when molting, as the new shell is soft and even small fish (or other crayfish) can kill them during this time. Volcanic rock with lots of small holes, or short segments of waterlogged bamboo are useful as molting refuges. Don’t keep crayfish with loaches or similar fish that probe nooks and crannies – the crayfish will be killed during their molt.

Adult males can be recognized by the first pair of pleopods, which are rigid with terminal hooks at the forward end (between the last pair of walking legs). In females the first pleopods are flexible and similar to the other four pairs of pleopods. They begin breeding at four months old. Crayfish mate belly-to-belly, after a claw-waving courtship ritual. Dark green eggs are laid in clutches of about 50, attached to the mother’s pleopods under the abdomen. They hatch in about 2 weeks, and the 3/16 inch baby crayfish drop off and scatter about a week later. The mother continues to eat while brooding, and won’t eat her kids as long as she has sufficient food. The babies eat newly hatched brine shrimp, flakes, pellets, etc. Soaked leaves from deciduous trees will provide hiding and climbing places, plus bugs, bacteria, and fungi that the babies can eat between feedings. If starved or overcrowded they will attack each other and tear off legs, but these will grow back as long as the crayfish can still get around and feed. The babies can grow up in the tank with the adults, or you can separate the mother before the eggs hatch and raise the babies in their own tank.

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For those who want to search further. You can do a search for keywords including, Lobster/Crayfish, Clarkii, CPO, Mexican drawf crayfish orange - Cambarellus patzcuarensis, etc.

PLEASE CONTRIBUTE MORE FACTS AND INFO!

[ahloy]

a good cpo dairy..

http://www.arofanatics.com/forums/sh...&highlight=cpo

sharing some of my experience, not sure if they are accurate and useful though.

CPO should be very active. my CPO was very inactive for days and it finally passed on . so if CPOs are seen inactive, maybe it's time to do something.

though some say that CPOs will not uproot plants, i did caught my CPO yanking at my plants. so for those who are having planted tanks, maybe it's best to reconsider first.

and though CPOs are relatively slow in their movements, i have seen them attacking shrimps and fishes as well. so do reconsider if planning to have a comm tank.

above are what i have observed during my CPO keeping days. if there are any wrong info that i have provided, please let me know, so that i can make necessary amendments, so that i will not mislead anyone

CPO are still crayfish, hence it will attach shrimp/fish they it has the opportunity, just whether they are able to, or aggressive in character. Likewise, they tend to get attack by fishes during molting. Therefore, similar to shrimps, it is best kept without fishes in tank.


Food would be anything similar to shrimps/crayfish.


As for breeding, one male will be sufficient to mate with 3-4 females easily. Cold temperature around 21-24 degree celsius (constant) is optimal for breeding with around pH 6.8 - 7.5.
Ensure no drastic water change or change in tank during pregnancy as it might cause the females to molt or drop eggs.
Ensure that sufficient hiding place is provided and sufficient food for the pregnant female as they tend to hide during that period.
If conditions are well maintain, no dropping of eggs should be observed

After the eggs are due to give birth, I'll advise isolating them to a separate tank as I've notice the adults tend to reduce their numbers (my population of baby CPO once drop from ~60 hatch to 20 survival in a 2 feet tank with 4 adult CPO). Also, as they get older, it is advised that they are giving enough tank space as "fights" might occur.


Things NOT to do
- Giving CPO insufficient water level thinking they can come up to surface and breathe.
- overcrowding them thinking that sufficient hiding place can easily solve the problem.
- keeping CPO long term at non-cooled temperature for long term as the fish shop keeper says so
- not maintaining the water clean thinking that CPOs are crayfish and are hence hardy as some people has said to keep them "unclean" water for a few weeks and they survive... Though I bet they usually die/disappear mysteriously after a few months.



That's all I can recall to note.. Feel free to rebuke any of my parameters as all these are by observation and experience.

[silane]

Originally Posted by ahloy

a good cpo dairy..

http://www.arofanatics.com/forums/sh...&highlight=cpo

This is highly recommended, lostboi is one of the few who come breed CPO and bring the offsprings to adult size. Many can keep CPO, some kill CPO, but he can breed them.

[LostBoI]

Originally Posted by silane

This is highly recommended, lostboi is one of the few who come breed CPO and bring the offsprings to adult size. Many can keep CPO, some kill CPO, but he can breed them.

erm..my tank is casualty tank la dont suan me

GREAT to read this thx

Awesome!!!

I'm on my 3rd day cycling my tank and just nice I saw this thread. Can't wait for the next 3-4weeks...

Question,

I noticed there are CPOs that are blue or brown... Are those same breed? Hybrid?