Spiny-cheek crayfish
One of the oldest crayfish introductions in Europe and a carrier of the crayfish plague that has removed native European crayfish from whole catchments. It is named on the EU Union list, and it is documented here because the reason to know about it is not husbandry.
Quick profile
- Scientific name
- Faxonius limosus
- Adult size
- 8–12 cm (3.1–4.7 in)
- Lifespan
- 3–4 years
- Temperature
- 10–25 °C (50–77 °F)
- pH
- 7–8.5
- Hardness
- 6–25 °dGH
- Minimum tank
- 80 L (21 US gal)
- Minimum length
- 70 cm
- Swimming zone
- Bottom
- Social
- Solitary and territorial
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Overall confidence
- moderate confidence
What keeping this species involves
Undemanding in every physical respect and prohibited across the EU, which makes the husbandry the least important thing about it.
Slow rivers, canals and lakes, tolerant of turbidity and low oxygen.
Identity and names
- Common name
- Spiny-cheek crayfish
- Scientific name
- Faxonius limosus
- Family
- Cambaridae
- Order
- Decapoda
- Class
- Malacostraca
- Also sold as
- Faxonius limosus, Orconectes limosus, striped crayfish
- Former or synonymous names
- Orconectes limosus
Adult size and growth
8–12 cm (3.1–4.7 in)
Typical lifespan in an aquarium: 3–4 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.
Water and tank requirements
A territorial crayfish needing floor area and separate shelters; a moulting animal must be out of reach of the others.
Why these ranges: A temperate species with a wide tolerance, kept in cool hard water. The band reflects a genuinely broad tolerance rather than an optimum, which is part of why it establishes so readily.
| Requirement | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 10–25 °C (50–77 °F) | Stability matters more than hitting an exact figure. |
| pH | 7–8.5 | A stable pH outside the ideal band is usually better than an unstable one inside it. |
| General hardness | 6–25 °dGH | Check your supplier's published figure before choosing species. |
| Minimum volume | 80 L (21 US gal) | A floor, not a recommendation. |
| Minimum footprint | 70 cm long | A territorial crayfish needing floor area and separate shelters; a moulting animal must be out of reach of the others. |
| Water flow | low | Match the outflow to this rather than to the filter's rating. |
| Lid required | Yes | Reduces evaporation and prevents accidents. |
| Structure | Caves, substrate it can dig, and a secure cover. |
Behaviour
- Tolerates turbid, poorly oxygenated water that excludes native European crayfish.
- Carries Aphanomyces astaci without dying of it, which is what makes it so damaging.
Telling males from females
Males have larger claws and paired appendages behind the walking legs.
Feeding
- Diet type
- Omnivore
- Staples
- Sinking pellets, Blanched vegetables, Frozen foods, Leaf litter
Breeding
- Strategy
- Female carries eggs and juveniles beneath the tail
- Difficulty
- incidental
- 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.
| Towards | Risk | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Small fish | high | Anything that fits in the mouth is at risk once this species reaches adult size. |
| Adult dwarf shrimp | near-certain | Cover reduces losses but rarely prevents them where the risk is high. |
| Shrimplets | near-certain | Determines whether a shrimp colony can grow rather than merely persist. |
| Snails | near-certain | Applies to snails you wanted as well as snails you did not. |
| Long or trailing fins | none | Fin damage is an entry point for secondary infection. |
| Plants | consumes | Tough 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.
- A carrier of the crayfish plague, which is lethal to European native crayfish and travels in water as well as in animals. Never release it, and never put tank water, substrate or plants into a drain or a watercourse.
- Introduced to Europe in the 1890s and now present across much of the continent; it is one of the clearest cases of an aquarium and aquaculture animal reshaping a fauna.
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
- Native to the Atlantic drainage of the north-eastern United States; introduced across much of Europe since the 1890s
- Habitat
- Slow rivers, canals and lakes, tolerant of turbidity and low oxygen.
What the checklists say
10 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.
| Status | Places | What this means |
|---|---|---|
| Introduced | 4 | A checklist states the species arrived here with human help. That is not a statement that it is established, harmful or illegal. |
| Recorded as invasive | 1 | A checklist states the species is invasive here. AquariumHQ reproduces that assessment; it does not make one. |
| Recorded as present, establishment means not stated | 5 | The 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.
Legal status and responsible practice
Restriction note
Named individually on the EU list of invasive alien species of Union concern under Regulation (EU) No 1143/2014 — one of the five crayfish the annex names, an annex AquariumHQ read directly. A Union listing carries prohibitions on keeping, breeding, transporting, selling and releasing across the EU. The Crayfish (Prohibition of Keeping) Order 1996 separately licenses the keeping of any cambarid in England and Wales. Check the position with the relevant national authority before doing anything with this animal; across most of Europe the answer is that it may not be kept at all.
Never release aquarium life into the wild
Aquarium animals, plants, and aquarium water must never be released into ponds, rivers, canals, drains or the sea — not even in a country where the species is sold freely. Released fish and invertebrates establish populations that displace native species, and released plants and water carry pathogens, parasites and fragments capable of spreading without any animal at all. If you can no longer keep an animal, rehome it through an aquarium society, a retailer that accepts returns, or another keeper.
- Rehome through a local aquarium society, a specialist retailer or another keeper.
- Unwanted plants go in household waste or a hot compost heap, never in a watercourse or a garden pond.
- Never empty a bucket of tank water into a drain that discharges to open water.
- If an animal is beyond rehoming, ask an aquatic veterinarian about humane euthanasia rather than releasing it.
Legal status is recorded from the sources named and was correct on the verification date shown. Rules change, and sub-national rules often differ from national ones. Check the current position with the relevant authority before acquiring, selling or moving any animal or plant.
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.
| Claim | Value | Evidence type | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| scientific name | Faxonius limosus | Observed / measured | high confidence | Catalogue of Life; GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
| native range | Native to the Atlantic drainage of the north-eastern United States; introduced across much of Europe since the 1890s | Observed / measured | moderate confidence | GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
| adult size | 8–12 cm | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| lifespan | 3–4 years | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| temperature | 10–25 °C | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| ph | 7–8.5 pH | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| general hardness | 6–25 °dGH | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| minimum tank volume | ≥ 80 L | AquariumHQ editorial position | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| minimum tank length | ≥ 70 cm | AquariumHQ editorial position | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ 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. 10 distribution statements held from GBIF checklists — introduced in 4, recorded invasive in 1 countries. 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.
Group size and social behaviour
Territorial and cannibalistic around moults.