Red swamp crayfish
Procambarus clarkii
A hardy but aggressive American crayfish that digs burrows, wrecks plants and eats snails and fish; invasive in many countries and banned in the EU.
Key facts
- Body length
- 3.9 in without fins
- Minimum tank
- 25 gallons
- Group
- Alone is fine
- Temperament
- Aggressive
- Care level
- 2 / 5
- Lifespan
- Not well documented
- Diet
- Sinking pellets, vegetables, frozen foods
- Origin
- South-central US and northeastern Mexico
- Hardier than73%
- Bigger than59%
- Calmer than14%
Water: their range vs yours
Red swamp crayfish tank mates
- Clown loachGets along in shared water.Good mates
- Common plecoGets along in shared water.Good mates
- Convict cichlidGets along in shared water.Good mates
- DemasoniGets along in shared water.Good mates
- Fairy cichlidGets along in shared water.Good mates
- Firemouth cichlidGets along in shared water.Good mates
- Golden mbunaGets along in shared water.Good mates
- Iridescent sharkGets along in shared water.Good mates
- Jewel cichlidGets along in shared water.Good mates
- Leopard sailfin plecoGets along in shared water.Good mates
- Rainbow sharkGets along in shared water.Good mates
- Red-tailed black sharkGets along in shared water.Good mates
- BettaRed swamp crayfish eats slow fish: Betta.Risky
- AngelfishRed swamp crayfish eats slow fish: Angelfish.Risky
- Tiger barbRed swamp crayfish can eat young or small Tiger barb; adults are big enough to be safe.Risky
- Black widow tetraRed swamp crayfish (aggressive) will bully the peaceful Black widow tetra.Risky
- Blood parrot cichlidRed swamp crayfish eats slow fish: Blood parrot cichlid.Risky
- Blue dolphin cichlidTwo territorial bottom-dwellers: need ≥ 5700 cm² of floor, tank has 5612 cm².Risky
- Neon tetraRed swamp crayfish can eat Neon tetra: prey body depth 0.7 cm ≤ mouth 2.5 cm.Avoid
- Harlequin rasboraRed swamp crayfish can eat Harlequin rasbora: prey body depth 1.1 cm ≤ mouth 2.5 cm.Avoid
- Fancy guppyRed swamp crayfish can eat Fancy guppy: prey body depth 0.8 cm ≤ mouth 2.5 cm.Avoid
- Panda corydorasRed swamp crayfish can eat Panda corydoras: prey body depth 2.4 cm ≤ mouth 2.5 cm.Avoid
- OtocinclusRed swamp crayfish can eat Otocinclus: prey body depth 0.7 cm ≤ mouth 2.5 cm.Avoid
- Cherry shrimpRed swamp crayfish can eat Cherry shrimp: prey body depth 0.8 cm ≤ mouth 2.5 cm.Avoid
How we check
The numbers the tank model uses for red swamp crayfish: water as ideal and tolerated ranges, bioload from adult mass, space, flow and how they act on other species.
- Standard length
- 10 cm (body)
- Adult mass
- 6.00 g
- Bioload at 25 °C
- 5.04 BU
- Min. water
- 80 L net
- Group
- 1+ (best 1)
- Swims in
- bottom, substrate
- Flow
- still
- Body / fins
- invertebrate, normal fins
- Diet type
- omnivore meat
- Fin nipper
- none
- Sensitive to
- copper
Sources: Animal Diversity Web: Procambarus clarkii · Wikipedia: List of invasive alien species of Union concern
Care notes
Red swamp crayfish come from the south-central US and northeastern Mexico, with adults around 2–4.5 inches. They dig burrows, especially when moulting, and hunt insect larvae, tadpoles and snails.
Keep one alone in a 20-gallon tank with a lid and hides. It destroys plants, and it has spread invasively to Hawaii, Japan and the Nile, so it is banned in the EU.
Questions
What size tank does a red swamp crayfish need?
At least 25 gallons (80 litres of water after decor). Adults reach about 3.9 inches without fins.
How many red swamp crayfish should be kept together?
One is fine. They do not need company of their own kind.
What water do red swamp crayfish need?
68–79 °F, pH 7–8.5 and 0–0 dGH. Red swamp crayfish come from South-central US and northeastern Mexico.
How long do red swamp crayfish live?
Not well documented with good care.
What fish can live with red swamp crayfish?
Good tank mates include Clown loach, Common pleco, Convict cichlid, Demasoni and Fairy cichlid. Each is checked both ways for size, fin nipping, temperament, territory and shared water.