Wamena mountain crab - Cherax monticola

The home of the somewhat more aggressive, very variably colored Wamena mountain crayfish Cherax monticola is in Papua/Irian Jaya. There the crayfish live in the current area of the Bailem River in flowing waters and standing waters up to an altitude of 3,300 m above sea level. They are mainly used as edible crayfish and are rarely found in the aquarium trade. Besides the red and brown there is also a blue color form.

The males have strikingly broad, large claws. One can certainly recognize the sexes by the gonopores, the sexual openings: Those of the males are located at the root of the fifth pair of walking legs; in the females they are at the base of the third pair of legs.

The crepuscular and nocturnal crayfish are relatively easy to keep in the aquarium. You can keep one pair of the relatively aggressive Wamena Mountain Crayfish already in well structured aquariums of 80 cm edge length or more, several pairs need larger tanks from 120 cm and many hiding places. Wamena crayfish do not swim, so a large footprint is much more important than a lot of swimming space in the aquarium. Roots and stones increase the usable surface area and provide structure and hiding places. Cherax monticola is not particularly fond of plants if it is fed a balanced diet with plenty of plant food. The Wamena Mountain Crayfish does not dig heavily and therefore can be kept in aquariums planted with more robust plants. Crayfish are escape artists and get through amazingly small holes, so the aquarium must be covered really well!

Cherax monticola grows to a rather medium size with a final body length of about 12-15 cm (measured without claws) and has a life expectancy of a good 5-8 years. It is an interesting aquarium inhabitant and can be socialized with peaceful, small to medium sized, non bottom dwelling fish. However, crayfish are character animals and so you may well get a piscivore despite the species' peacefulness. Especially weak, sick or even very curious fish are caught from time to time. Socialization with dwarf shrimps is possible without any problems.
Avoid contact with water where North American crayfish are kept, and of course direct contact with these crayfish - American crayfish can transmit crayfish plague, from which the Cherax monticola would inevitably die. Also, crabs, fan shrimp, and large-armed shrimp are not compatible aquarium mates for the Wamena mountain crayfish. Snails are cracked and eaten.

In terms of water parameters, Cherax monticola is not very demanding. The pH-value should be between 6,5 and 7,5 and the water should be oxygen-rich and soft to medium hard. A total hardness (GH) up to 20 and a carbonate hardness (KH) up to 10 are optimal. Temperatures should not fall below 22 °C, a water temperature up to 25 °C is fine.

After mating, the female attaches 40 to 80 eggs under her curled up abdomen. After 7 to 9 weeks, fully developed young Wamena mountain crayfish hatch. The young crayfish remain under their mother's abdomen for a few days after hatching, and only then do they emerge on their own. In a separate rearing tank, the number of juveniles that grow large increases. The food should be good and varied and there should be many hiding places in the rearing aquarium so that the little crayfish have as good a chance as possible of survival. Young Wamena Mountain Crayfish grow quite slowly compared to other crayfish species.

In their natural environment, adult Cherax monticola mostly eat plant debris, fallen leaves and other plant food. Juveniles, on the other hand, also consume animal food. In the aquarium, scalded or dried green food such as nettle, spinach or dandelion, vegetables (pumpkin, zucchini, tomato, etc ... please make sure they are untreated!) and a special granulate for herbivorous crayfish are suitable for the adult Papuan crayfish. Too much animal content in their food can lead to molting problems. Young, growing Cherax monticola, on the other hand, need a certain amount of animal food, as in nature, which they like to cover with frozen food or sinking live food. Omnivorous aquarium crayfish food is also well suited for young Wamena Mountain Crayfish.

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.