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CrayfishfreshwaterModerateHigh invasive risk

Common yabby

An Australian crayfish that survives drought by sealing itself into a burrow for months, which is also why its specific name is destructor — it undermines dam walls and irrigation banks. It reaches 20 cm and is farmed for food as well as sold for aquariums.

Quick profile

Scientific name
Cherax destructor
Adult size
20–30 cm (7.9–11.8 in)
Lifespan
4–7 years
Temperature
12–28 °C (54–82 °F)
pH
7–8.5
Hardness
8–25 °dGH
Minimum tank
200 L (53 US gal)
Minimum length
100 cm
Swimming zone
Bottom
Social
Solitary and territorial
Diet
Omnivore
Overall confidence
moderate confidence

What keeping this species involves

Physically easy and spatially demanding. It tolerates water most animals here would not, and needs a tank few keepers have.

Turbid inland rivers, farm dams and floodplain wetlands that dry seasonally.

Identity and names

Common name
Common yabby
Scientific name
Cherax destructor
Family
Parastacidae
Order
Decapoda
Class
Malacostraca
Also sold as
Cherax destructor, yabbie, blue yabby

Adult size and growth

20–30 cm (7.9–11.8 in) — Sold at 4–6 cm. Commonly 20 cm in a tank with enough food.

Typical lifespan in an aquarium: 4–7 years. Almost every animal sold in a shop is a juvenile, so the tank has to suit the size in the first line rather than the size in the bag.

Shape, which is what the compatibility engine reads instead of length alone: depressed — flattened top to bottom with a moderate. Assigned from what is typical of Parastacidae, not examined for this species.

Water and tank requirements

A 20 cm burrowing decapod needs floor area it can dig and rearrange, plus a shelter no other animal can reach.

Temperature (°C)

Common yabby
12–28

Scale: 0 to 36 °C.

pH (pH)

Common yabby
7–8.5

Scale: 4 to 9.5 pH.

Hardness (°dGH)

Common yabby
8–25

Scale: 0 to 30 °dGH.

The bands AquariumHQ publishes for the common yabby, each drawn against the full range this catalogue uses for that parameter. A narrow band on a wide scale is a specialist; a wide one is a genuinely tolerant animal. Source: AquariumHQ husbandry position for this record — an editorial range, not a measurement

Why these ranges: An unusually wide band because the animal genuinely occupies one — inland Australian water swings seasonally and this species is built for it. Hardness is the part that matters for moulting.

Where these figures come from

Habitat class

Temperate still water

Ponds, lakes, canals and slow rivers outside the tropics, with a genuine winter.

The temperature range is the point. These animals experience a seasonal cycle, and keeping them at a constant tropical temperature shortens their lives without ever looking like the cause.

Conductivity
150–800 µS/cm
Flow
still
Dissolved oxygen
variable
Seasonality
strong

These are figures for the KIND of water body, not measurements of this species. They are AquariumHQ’s summary of the general limnology and are given wide because the water is.

TemperatureReasoned on this record
This record states its own reason for this band. See the water section.
pHReasoned on this record
This record states its own reason for this band. See the water section.
General hardnessSet by a requirement of the animal
Hardness here is set by moulting rather than by habitat. A crayfish rebuilds its entire exoskeleton several times a year and draws the calcium for it from the water and from its own gastroliths; in soft water the moult is where the animal dies. The band is a provision for that, and it is deliberately firmer than some of these species' recorded habitat.
RequirementValueNotes
Temperature12–28 °C (54–82 °F)Stability matters more than hitting an exact figure.
pH7–8.5A stable pH outside the ideal band is usually better than an unstable one inside it.
General hardness8–25 °dGHCheck your supplier's published figure before choosing species.
Minimum volume200 L (53 US gal)A floor, not a recommendation.
Minimum footprint100 cm longA 20 cm burrowing decapod needs floor area it can dig and rearrange, plus a shelter no other animal can reach.
Water flowlowMatch the outflow to this rather than to the filter's rating.
Lid requiredYesReduces evaporation and prevents accidents.
StructureDeep substrate, large caves and a secure cover. It excavates and will undermine anything not sitting on the base glass.

Group size and social behaviour

Territorial and cannibalistic around moults. One per tank unless the floor is very large and heavily divided.

Structure
Solitary and territorial

Behaviour

  • Burrows extensively and can seal itself in through a dry season.
  • Rearranges or undermines hardscape and planting continuously.

Telling males from females

Males have larger claws; females are broader through the abdomen.

Feeding

Diet type
Omnivore
Staples
Sinking pellets, Blanched vegetables, Frozen prawn and mussel, Leaf litter
Supplements
Calcium-rich foods for moulting

Breeding

Strategy
Female carries eggs and juveniles beneath the tail
Difficulty
straightforward
Parental care
carries eggs

Tankmates and compatibility

Assessments are derived from stored traits by the compatibility engine, with the reasoning shown. A verdict is a statement about probability, not a guarantee — individual temperament can override it.

Risk this species poses to common tankmates
TowardsRiskWhat it means
Small fishhighAnything that fits in the mouth is at risk once this species reaches adult size.
Adult dwarf shrimpnear-certainCover reduces losses but rarely prevents them where the risk is high.
Shrimpletsnear-certainDetermines whether a shrimp colony can grow rather than merely persist.
Snailsnear-certainApplies to snails you wanted as well as snails you did not.
Long or trailing finsnoneFin damage is an entry point for secondary infection.
PlantsconsumesTough species such as Anubias and Java fern survive most grazers.

Any pair in the catalogue can be assessed with the compatibility checker.

Welfare considerations

Points where the way this species is commonly sold or kept differs from what it actually needs.

  • Reaches around 20 cm and is sold at 5. Rehoming an adult is close to impossible.
  • Not a community animal at any size — fish sleeping on the bottom are taken overnight.
  • Translocated widely within Australia and introduced beyond it, where it displaces local crayfish.

Problems to watch for

Most problems in a tank containing this species are general rather than species-specific. Start with the troubleshooting index and work from the observation rather than from a guess at the cause.

What AquariumHQ does not yet hold

Species-level disease susceptibility is modelled in the graph and is not yet populated. Health pages will not be published until each condition has veterinary sourcing, because health content written without evidence is the most harmful thing this product could publish. The gap is recorded in the coverage report.

Where it comes from

Native range
Murray–Darling basin and inland eastern Australia; translocated widely within Australia and introduced elsewhere
Habitat
Turbid inland rivers, farm dams and floodplain wetlands that dry seasonally.

What the checklists say

24 distribution statements retrieved from GBIF checklists. Establishment means is reproduced from the source where it states one, and left unstated where it does not — a record of presence is not a record of origin.

StatusPlacesWhat this means
Introduced18A checklist states the species arrived here with human help. That is not a statement that it is established, harmful or illegal.
Recorded as present, establishment means not stated6The source records the species as present and does not say whether it is native or introduced. AquariumHQ does not fill that in.

No checklist AquariumHQ holds positively calls this species native anywhere, so the native range above rests on AquariumHQ’s own reading of the literature rather than on a cited checklist.

Evidence

Every stored value with the kind of support behind it and where to check it. Evidence type and confidence are separate axes: an editorial position held confidently and a measurement held tentatively are different things.

ClaimValueEvidence typeConfidenceSource
scientific nameCherax destructorObserved / measuredhigh confidenceCatalogue of Life; GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility
native rangeMurray–Darling basin and inland eastern Australia; translocated widely within Australia and introduced elsewhereObserved / measuredmoderate confidenceGBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility
adult size20–30 cmAquarium-literature consensusmoderate confidenceAquariumHQ husbandry synthesis
lifespan4–7 yearsAquarium-literature consensusmoderate confidenceAquariumHQ husbandry synthesis
temperature12–28 °CAquarium-literature consensusmoderate confidenceAquariumHQ husbandry synthesis
ph7–8.5 pHAquarium-literature consensusmoderate confidenceAquariumHQ husbandry synthesis
general hardness8–25 °dGHAquarium-literature consensusmoderate confidenceAquariumHQ husbandry synthesis
minimum tank volume≥ 200 LAquariumHQ editorial positionmoderate confidenceAquariumHQ husbandry synthesis
minimum tank length≥ 100 cmAquariumHQ editorial positionmoderate confidenceAquariumHQ husbandry synthesis

Last reviewed 2026-08-10. Values labelled as an aquarium-literature consensus are AquariumHQ editorial positions rather than measurements — see how evidence is handled.

Why we say this

What each figure on this page rests on, and how far that is from being independently established.

Every figure on this page has a provenance. Open any claim to see what AquariumHQ holds for it, which sources say what, and what a claim of that kind actually needs. Different claims need different evidence: an accepted scientific name is settled by one authority, while a legal restriction needs a current primary instrument. A single source is often the right answer rather than a thin one.

scientific nameAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableBased on a verified authoritative source.

AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.

What this kind of claim needs: accepted scientific name and classification — 1 authoritative source in an appropriate context. Checked against gbif on 2026-08-13. One authoritative backbone is what this class requires.

What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.

native rangeAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableBased on a verified authoritative source.

AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.

What this kind of claim needs: where the species occurs — 1 authoritative source in an appropriate context. 24 distribution statements held from GBIF checklists — introduced in 18 country. Establishment means is reproduced from the source, never inferred from occurrence.

What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.

adult sizeAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.

AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.

What this kind of claim needs: size a well-kept specimen reaches — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.

What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.

lifespanAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.

AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.

What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.

What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.

temperatureAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.

AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.

What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.

What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.

phAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.

AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.

What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.

What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.

general hardnessAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.

AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.

What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.

What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.

minimum tank volumeAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.

No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.

What this kind of claim needs: minimum tank size — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No authority publishes this. AquariumHQ derives it, and the derivation is recorded with its inputs and assumptions.

What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.

minimum tank lengthAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.

No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.

What this kind of claim needs: minimum tank size — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No authority publishes this. AquariumHQ derives it, and the derivation is recorded with its inputs and assumptions.

What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.

Guides relevant to this species

Chosen from this record's own traits rather than listed on every page.