Description
The small Mexican crayfish Cambarellus montezumae is somewhat more robustly built than, for example, Cambarellus patzcuarensis "Orange". However, it is somewhat more peaceful, and conspecifics often avoid each other.
Water parameters are not particularly important for keeping and breeding, but they should remain within the usual ranges and should not fluctuate greatly.
If enough hiding places are available and all the crayfish can retreat, a few crayfish will usually also be out exploring. They will often threaten you when you step in front of the tank. To do this, the crayfish raise their claws and quickly take another step toward the glass. They like to climb, so the tank should be covered at the top. They will also find small holes and gaps to see where they might lead.
They all turn up at feeding time and fight over the large chunks. If they are lucky and catch a shrimp, they will eat it too. However, this happens only extremely rarely. They prefer to run away from large shrimp, including fully grown Amano shrimp.
The animals retreat to a hiding place to molt. During molting, they are easy prey for other crayfish, so too many crayfish should not be kept in one tank.