Green Hornet crayfish - Cherax sp.

The Cherax sp. "Green Hornet" is a new Cherax crayfish from Paupa and has not yet been determined to species. The home of the Green Hornet crayfish is on the island of Papua / Indonesia. Here the Green Hornet crayfish lives in rivers and also in stagnant waters. Its indigo blue claws have white markings, the tips of the claws are a little deeper dark blue than the rest of the claw. The legs and claw legs are deep blue. The carapace of the beautiful greenish Cherax is a light blue-green to yellow-green. On the abdomen, Cherax Green Hornet bears greenish-yellow light stripes on a greenish-blue ground on each segment.

Adult males are easily identified by their white scissor blisters. Male Cherax "Green Hornet" also have their sexual openings at the base of the fifth pair of walking legs, while these gonopores are found on the third pair of walking legs in females. Cherax sp. "Green Hornet" grows to about 12-15 cm in length (always measured without claws) and can reach an age of about 5-8 years.

The Green Hornet crayfish is quite peaceful and therefore does not necessarily need to be kept solitary in the aquarium, provided the tank is properly structured. For one pair an aquarium from 80 cm edge length is sufficient, for several pairs the aquarium should have from 120-150 cm edge length. An aquarium suitably set up for crayfish needs a very good structure of wood, stone and caves. It needs at least one more hiding place than crayfish live in it. The setup must be stable and should not be able to be undermined. Cherax sp. Green Hornet digs. Therefore, heavy stones should be placed directly on the aquarium floor (possibly with some styrofoam between the stone and the glass) to prevent them from being undermined and tipping over.

Whether the Green Hornet crayfish will go for plants depends partly on its character and partly on whether its diet includes enough plant food. A crayfish aquarium should always tend to be planted with hardier plants such as Anubias, Cryptocorynes and Hornwort. Floating plants also work well. Important: Because Cherax crayfish like to migrate, the aquarium lid must be sealed so that it closes without gaps.

Cherax Green Hornet is not particularly fastidious regarding the water values. However, the pH value should be between 6.5 and 7.5 and the total hardness should be up to 20 degrees dGH as well as the carbonate hardness up to 10 degrees dKH, so that the animals feel well. Cherax sp. Green Hornet need water temperatures of approx. 20 to 24°C and in any case clean and oxygen-rich water.

If the Cherax Green Hornet feel well in the aquarium, males and females mate with some luck also several times per year . After fertilization, the female attaches about 20-40 eggs under her abdomen to her swimming legs. There she carries them until hatching, and also the already hatched crab babies stay with the mother on the swimming legs for a few more days. Gradually, however, the little ones start exploring on their own. In the rearing tank for juvenile Cherax sp. "Green Hornet" you must always provide plenty of hiding places - layers of brown autumn leaves, small clay tubes, perforated bricks - to prevent cannibalism.

In the wild, adult Cherax sp. "Green Hornet" eat almost exclusively plant food: this includes fallen leaves as well as algae and detritus. They also like to eat plants from the water's edge and plant parts that have fallen into the water. The females cover increased protein requirements with worms and insect larvae. Adolescent cherax from Papua, on the other hand, require more animal food, for example insect larvae and stream fleas. In the aquarium, cherax are not fussy eaters: they like green food such as dandelion, nettle or spinach, they like to eat special sticks, growing cherax can also get frozen food. Make sure you feed your adult Cherax sp. Green Hornet mostly vegetable food to avoid moulting problems!

Because Cherax sp. Green Hornet are rather nocturnal or crepuscular,  they do not show up often, especially in the beginning, but they can be accustomed to fixed feeding times. Cherax sp. "Green Hornet" can also be kept in a community aquarium under certain circumstances. However, the by-fish must not have long fins, so that the crayfish cannot grab them, and they should not live bottom-oriented. Shrimp usually leave adult Cherax sp. Green Hornet crayfish completely alone, but snails are part of the natural diet and are readily eaten. Especially snail shells are popular to meet the calcium requirements of the crayfish.

In any case,avoid any contact with crayfish and dwarf crayfish from America: these species can transmit crayfish plague, which would be fatal for the Cherax sp. "Green Hornet".

Our food recommendation: Freshwater crayfish have a very varied diet in the wild. The Natureholic Crayfish Feed Sticks contain in a biologically balanced form only those ingredients that these crayfish in this or similar form to their natural food spectrum. This naturally supports and promotes moulting, growth and reproduction. Due to their protein content they are ideally suited for omnivorous crayfish of the genera Procambarus, Cambarus, Cambarellus, Astacus and the Cherax crayfish from Australia, which are basically omnivores that like to eat animal as well as vegetable food. The crayfish of the genus Cherax from Papua also like to eat a portion of animal food when they are young, but later they switch mainly to plant food.

Our plant recommendation: Use for planting NatureHolic InVitros. These are free of snails, planaria and other unwanted co-inhabitants. Also free of algae spores, bacteria and fungi.

Expert Tip: We recommend for fish keeping the NatureHolic 3 Phase Liquid. The care set offers the best all-round protection for your animals. It ensures optimal conditions for successful breeding and keeping.