Family: Cambaridae
Distribution: Procambarus acanthophorus is distributed in streams and canals four kilometres east of Tuxtepec, Oaxaca, Mexico.
PH: 6.5 – 8.0
Temperature: 15 – 28°C (59 – 82°F)
Hardness: 5 – 30 (gH); 3 – 20 (kH)
Description: Procambarus acanthophorus can reach up to 10 cm in length. It has hair on its pincers; males have longer pincers and gonopods, while females have significantly broader tails.
Diet: This species will eat foliage, plant debris, pellets and flake food.
Breeding: Like Procambarus clarkii, this species has an internal process of fertilisation. The male’s sperm will enter the female at the bottom of her legs, where the eggs are fertilised and then released. The eggs will remain there for six months before becoming larvae. It will take three months for the young to become sexually mature.
Comments: Procambarus acanthophorus can be housed in a 60 cm x 30 cm tank. The bigger the tank, the more you can house together. Unlike Procambarus clarkii, this species can deal with bad water quality – not that it is advised. You might consider providing this species with a substrate to burrow in, along with several hiding places.
Article/Books:
Recommended Compatible Species: There is not a great deal of information available on this species, but given its similarities to Procambarus clarkii it should probably also be housed in a one-species tank.
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