About

American Bred Dwarf Crayfish

A focused U.S. breeding project

DwarfCray.com exists to offer aquarium keepers a smaller, clearer alternative to imported or wild caught dwarf crayfish. We focus on American bred Cambarellus lines that are raised in indoor aquariums before they are ever listed for sale.

Our current work centers on Blue Brazos dwarf crayfish and other Brazos color forms, CPO dwarf crayfish, and Cambarellus diminutus as stock allows.

  • Cambarellus are small freshwater crayfish in the family Cambaridae.
  • Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans and bottom dwelling aquarium animals.
  • They breathe through gills, molt as they grow, and need stable water with mineral content for healthy shells.
  • The detailed taxonomy reference below is preserved for keepers who want the deeper biological background.
Blue Brazos dwarf crayfish

Popular Cambarellus for Aquariums

Subgenus Cambarellus

Cambarellus patzcuarensis Orange

CPO, Mexican dwarf orange crayfish

Cambarellus patzcuarensis

Mexican dwarf crayfish, wild type

Subgenus Pandicambarus

Cambarellus diminutus

Least dwarf crayfish

Cambarellus puer

Swamp dwarf crayfish

Cambarellus shufeldtii

Cajun dwarf crayfish

Cambarellus texanus

Brazos dwarf crayfish

Taxonomic Classification

Click any rank to see more detail.

The animal kingdom is divided into five major clades: Porifera, Ctenophora, Placozoa, Cnidaria and Bilateria. Most living animal species belong to the clade Bilateria.
A large clade of animals characterised by bilateral symmetry during embryonic development.
A major, diverse lineage of bilaterally symmetrical animals, including arthropods, mollusks, and annelids, defined by their embryonic development where the mouth forms first from or near the blastopore. The name translates from Greek to "first mouth."
A major, diverse superphylum of protostome animals, including arthropods (insects, spiders, crustaceans) and nematodes, defined by their ability to grow by molting (ecdysis) a tough, nonliving cuticle or exoskeleton.
Invertebrate animals that includes insects, spiders, crustaceans, and their relatives. They have a segmented body, an external skeleton, and jointed limbs.
From Latin word "crustacea" meaning: "those with shells" or "crusted ones." The scientific study of crustaceans is known as carcinology, and a scientist who works in carcinology is a carcinologist.
The largest class of crustaceans, comprising about 30,000 species that inhabit marine, freshwater, and terrestrial environments, characterized by four body regions with jointed appendages.
Eumalacostracans have 19 segments (5 cephalic, 8 thoracic and 6 abdominal).
A class of the crustacean subphylum, comprising the decapods, krill, and Angustidontida. They are characterised by having the carapace fused to all thoracic segments, and by the possession of stalked eyes.
From Ancient Greek meaning "ten feet." A large order of crustaceans within the class Malacostraca, and includes crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, and prawns. Most decapods are scavengers.
A suborder of decapod crustaceans, erected by Martin Burkenroad in 1963. Contains all the members of the Reptantia (including crabs, lobsters, crayfish, and others), as well as the Stenopodidea (boxer shrimp) and Caridea (true shrimp).
Distinguished from most other decapods by the presence of chelae (claws) on each of the first three pairs of pereiopods (walking legs), the first of which is much larger than the remaining two pairs.
A superfamily of freshwater crayfish that live in the Northern Hemisphere. Consists of three families: Astacidae (Europe and western North America), Cambaridae (eastern North America), and Cambaroididae (eastern Asia).
The largest of the four families of freshwater crayfish, with over 400 species. Most native to the United States east of the Great Divide and Mexico, with fewer ranging north to Canada and south to Guatemala and Honduras.
A subfamily of small, freshwater crustaceans commonly known as dwarf crayfishes. They belong to the family Cambaridae and consist of a single genus Cambarellus.
Small freshwater crayfish in the family Cambaridae. The 19 species are found in Mexico and the Gulf States of the United States.
Mexican Group
Gulf Group

The problem with imported crayfish

Many dwarf crayfish sold in the U.S. are imported or wild caught. They may spend days in transit and may never have lived in a stable aquarium before. That can make the move into a home tank much harder than it needs to be.

What we do differently

We breed multiple Cambarellus species in U.S. indoor tanks: Blue Brazos and other Brazos color forms (C. texanus), CPO (C. patzcuarensis), and Cambarellus diminutus. The animals we list are raised in aquarium conditions, eat prepared foods, and are not wild caught.

We also know what we're sending. We know the colony, the color line, and how the animals look before shipping. We don't ship anything we wouldn't put in our own tanks.

Domestic dwarf crayfish breeding tank
Domestic dwarf crayfish detail
Berried female dwarf crayfish

How it works

1

Indoor U.S. tanks

Controlled environment, consistent water, and no wild collection stress.

2

Multiple species

We breed Blue Brazos, dark Brazos, light Brazos, CPO, and Cambarellus diminutus as stock allows.

3

Shipped to order

We pack for live shipping with insulated boxes and breather bags. Live arrival is guaranteed under the posted shipping policy.

What we won't do

If we have a health problem in a tank, we pull the listings. If we're low on stock, the page says so. We don't ship in weather that puts animals at risk.

We're small. We don't always have everything available. That's on purpose. We'd rather have a short list of healthy animals than a long list of questionable ones.

Questions about a specific animal? Ask. We'll tell you what we know.

Shop → Care guide →

Why domestic stock matters

An American bred source for Cambarellus dwarf crayfish

dwarfcray.com was built to give aquarium keepers a domestic alternative to imported or wild caught dwarf crayfish. The focus is simple: healthy animals, clear species information, realistic care guidance, and responsible live shipping only when conditions make sense.

Our current focus is Blue Brazos dwarf crayfish and other Brazos color forms, Cambarellus diminutus, and CPO crayfish. Availability changes because we only list animals when the colonies are strong enough to support shipping.

That domestic breeding focus is the core difference. We are not trying to sell every crayfish species at all times. We are trying to offer a smaller number of aquarium raised dwarf crayfish with better care information and better accountability.