Apricot Crayfish Breeding Guide

Breeding the West Papuan Apricot Crayfish (Cherax boesemani): a 13–15 cm Cherax with variable blue, red and orange colors that, like other parastacids, carries eggs and young under the tail with direct development.

Overview

Cherax boesemani, the Apricot crayfish, is a parastacid from West Papua in Indonesia, occurring in the Ajamaru Lakes and Ajamaru River on the Vogelkop (Kepala Burung) Peninsula. Adult body length is 13–15 cm (5–6 in), and carapace color is variable across blues, reds and oranges; commercial selective breeding has produced named strains such as Blue Moon, Supernova, Papuan red, tricolor and Red Brick. The species was described by Lukhaup & Peckny in 2008.

Sexing

As in other Cherax, sex is confirmed by the position of the genital openings: males carry them at the base of the rear pair of walking legs and females further forward. A mature pair is needed for spawning.

Breeding Setup

A spacious, warm tank with firm hardness and many separate caves suits this medium-large Cherax. Individual hides reduce aggression and give a berried female a place to seclude herself while carrying the clutch.

Berried Female & Young

As in other parastacid crayfish, reproduction is direct: the female carries her eggs attached beneath the abdomen on the pleopods, and the hatched juveniles remain with her briefly before becoming independent, with no free-swimming larval stage.

Juvenile Care

Juveniles are omnivorous and grow on prepared and natural foods. They need ample cover to limit cannibalism, and the brood should be thinned into more space as the young grow; final coloration develops with maturity.