Snakeskin Tricolor - Cherax Wagenknechtae

Snakeskin Tricolor - Cherax Wagenknechtae

The Snakeskin Tricolor crayfish from Papua / Indonesia looks quite similar to Cherax pulcher, but the exact affiliation to a species has not been determined yet, therefore we list the Snakeskin Tricolor for the time being as Cherax Wagenknechtae "Snakeskin Tricolor".

The Snakeskin Tricolor crayfish is a rather medium sized crayfish with 12 to 15 cm total length (without claws). The color of the beautiful Cherax sp. ranges between deep pinkish purple, dark purple and dark blue. On the carapace the beautiful crayfish has a bright snakeskin pattern, which reminds of a starry sky. The violet purple colored claws have lighter edges. Adult males ' claws display light beige to white claw blisters. In addition, their sexual openings, the gonopores, are located at the base of the fifth pair of walking legs. Females, on the other hand, usually have no claw vesicles and gonopores at the base of the third pair of legs.

CheraxWagenknechtae "Snakeskin Tricolor" is found in nature in habitats with soft to medium hard water that has a very high oxygen content. In the aquarium you can keep the crayfish in soft to hard water. A good supply of oxygen is also crucial in the aquarium! A total hardness (GH) of over 6 and a pH value between 6 and 7.5 have proven to be optimal for the Snakeskin Tricolor Crayfish. The water temperature should not go below 20 °C or above 25 °C.

The CheraxWagenknechtae is a comparatively peaceful and compatible crayfish, which you can keep in pairs without problems. With dwarf shrimps you can keep adult Cherax well, young Cherax can sometimes still chase shrimps. Snails are eaten, their shells are cracked by the crayfish. Only thick-walled snail shells like racing snails cannot be cracked.

Fish are left alone or hunted depending on the character of the c rayfish, here comes to bear that the crayfish is always a character animal. As a rule, the socialization with short-finned, nimble fish swimming on the surface, which do not sleep on the bottom, works out well. With other Cherax crayfishes or with crayfishes from other continents these crayfishes are incompatible. Socialization of the Snakeskin Tricolor Crayfish with crabs, with fan shrimp or large-armed shrimp will also not work.

Beware of contact with North American crayfish. They can potentially transmit crayfish plague, and the pathogens can even be transmitted with the water in which North American crayfish live. Be sure to keep extremely strict separation if you are also keeping North Americans!

A pair of the magnificent CheraxWagenknechtae "Snakeskin Tricolor" fits very well in an aquarium with an edge length of 80 cm or more. Set it up appropriately for crayfish and give your crayfish good structure with roots and rocks, as well as caves open at the back for hiding. Whether Cherax Wagenknechtae "Snakeskin Tricolor" eats or digs up plants is again a matter of character. Especially unattractive for crayfish are hard-leaved plants like Anubias or Congo fern. You can tie these plants to the decoration, so they will not be dug up. Floating plants are also a good choice for the crayfish aquarium. Because all crayfish climb extremely well and are true escape artists, even the Snakeskin Tricolor can get through amazingly small gaps. Please make sure your aquarium is well covered.

The breeding of the Cherax Wagenknechtae Snakeskin Tricolor is unproblematic in a freshwater aquarium. After mating, the female attaches her eggs to her webbed legs under her abdomen with adhesive threads and carries and nurses them there for about eight weeks. The hatched juvenile crayfish remain under their mother's abdomen for a few more days, gradually venturing farther away from her until they are finally on their own. The juvenile crayfish of this Cherax sp. are quite cannibalistic among themselves and therefore need good hiding places in their rearing tank - hollow bricks and, of course, plenty of brown autumn leaves, which serve as both permanent food and hiding places. The tannins from brown fol iage can prevent the eggs from becoming fungal.

Foliage is also one of the preferred foods for both adult and juvenile Cherax in the wild. The Snakeskin Tricolor from Papua also likes to eat other plant foods. Adult CheraxWagenknechtae "Snakeskin Tricolor" are vegetarians - they eat practically no animal food and react to too much animal protein in their diet with moulting problems. Growing juvenile CheraxWagenknechtae  are different - they need a higher percentage of animal protein in their diet. In our NatureHolic Cherax feeds Cheraxfeed Junior and Cheraxfeed Adult we have taken these special feed requirements into account, so that you can feed your Cherax from Papua sensibly at any age. Vegetables, greens, foliage and - for juvenile Cherax - frozen and live foods are also suitable for feeding CheraxWagenknechtae "Tricolor Snakeskin".

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

Expert Tip: We recommend when keeping fish 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.