Other than the babies they have given me I only had a single original pair of the Hoa Creek crayfish, but last night my male died. I was fortunate enough to have taken some pics of him a few hours before he died and here is his final pic:
I am very fortunate that the couple gave me babies back in September. I still have 17 of those so it's not the end of the line. It is still sad though. Here are a couple of his babies:
As slowly as they grow I figure it will be a very long time before there are any more baby Hoas for me to show.
Thanks, I think he was beautiful as well. The female is the same gorgeous purple, but her claws aren't as big and don't have the white blister on the sides. I will be very happy when the babies grow up needless to say.
What exactly happens during a bad molt that does the critter in? I'm pretty new to crayfish, and have only been keeping shrimp for less than a year, so I don't quite understand what/how problem/s with molting can be fatal. I don't suppose there's any way to see it coming, or prevent it from happening?
What exactly happens during a bad molt that does the critter in? I'm pretty new to crayfish, and have only been keeping shrimp for less than a year, so I don't quite understand what/how problem/s with molting can be fatal. I don't suppose there's any way to see it coming, or prevent it from happening?
I've never known of a way to see a bad moult coming. This crayfish was acting strangely that day because he was sitting out in the open during the day time which he rarely ever did.
Bad moults can mean different things. This one's new shell seemed to be stuck to the old one on his head, back and legs. Only the tail section came off cleanly. The new shell on his back was being lifted away with the old one and exposed his gills, but that part of the old shell never came all of the way off.
I have also had bad moults where everything except the claws would come out of the old shell, but that was mostly with my alleni.
For the most part (in my house anyway) bad moults happen to older crayfish. I think perhaps they just don't have the energy to get out of their old shell anymore when they get older, because it takes so much energy to moult.
Thanks Vera for sharing your insight and experiences, very interesting
For the most part (in my house anyway) bad moults happen to older crayfish. I think perhaps they just don't have the energy to get out of their old shell anymore when they get older, because it takes so much energy to moult.
Do you know the lifespan of your male Hoa and did he reach that age?
Not a lot is known about the Hoa Creek crayfish to my knowledge. When I first got mine in July 2005 they were larger than the babies I now have that were born in September 2006. That makes me assume my adults were/are about 2 years old. I do keep my tanks very warm for optimum breeding conditions though and have been told it would cause a shorter lifespan for crayfish.
When I first got my Hoa Creeks they were supposed to be Lorentzi, but I was told shortly thereafter that they were Hoa Creek and a new species of crayfish. They still haven't been given a scientific name yet, so I assume there is still not a lot known about them or how long they can live.
I don't know of a lot of people who have had or now have them. I do know that some of the Hoa Creeks ended up in Germany and some in Canada, but I haven't heard about any still being in Germany since I can't read their forums. It would be great to learn about a population of them there.
All of the ones (24 total) that I know of in the US are descended from a pair near Toronto, Canada.
Vera wrote:I don't know of a lot of people who have had or now have them. I do know that some of the Hoa Creeks ended up in Germany and some in Canada, but I haven't heard about any still being in Germany since I can't read their forums. It would be great to learn about a population of them there.
People have them and breed them in Germany. These guys used to be called "Cherax sp. Irian Jaya" and have actually been available for a little while. I saw one of these guys, a fully grown adult, in a German pet store once and they get to be HUGE....definitely not a cray for the small tank.
Thanks Mustafa, it's great to learn new stuff especially about the Hoas (for me.) It would be grand if we could get a few more of them over from Germany to expand the bloodline.
How big is huge to you. They are indeed huge compared to my shufeldti, but small compared to my cherax quads. My male was probably about 4 inches in body length and about 7 inches when including his claws. The female is slightly smaller.
It would be grand if we could get a few more of them over from Germany to expand the bloodline. 
I hope the babies give you future Hoas you desire. The male had great color 
My that is a rare crayfish! Please take good care of them and let's hope they multiply 
