Can i put a hammers cobalt blue lobster in my tank?

[hotpod]

hey i have 14 assorted african cichlids from electric yellows to rainbows...and one catfish..the pictus one....i think. can i put a hammers cobalt blue lobster in there with them? will they hurt the lobster? will the lobster hurt them? i just saw their requirements on liveaquaria.com and i fell in love. lol but im just worried about fights...you know...snack time. any thoughts? anybody who has tried it? anybody who has one? let me know if they are really an awesome blue! thanks!!!!!

P.S. all my fish are 1 to 2.5 inches long right now...and my catfish is barely 1.5 inches....hehehe i have babies. lol anyway is it possible?

[Lupin]

Sorry. No can do. Either the fish attack it or the crayfish attacks them.

[Squawkbert]

Lobster>fish, until lobster molts - then it's
remaining fish>lobster

[Prescu]

I've been keeping a hammer's cobalt blue crayfish (Pinchy) with my Mbuna Cichlids and a few other semi-aggressive fish (Rainbow shark, Banded Leporinus, Striped Headstander, Syno, Loach, etc.) and even an Amazonian Macro Shrimp for over a year and there have been absolutely no fights between any of them (the fish might chase each other a little during feeding but that's it, no nipped fins at all, if they get in Pinchy's way he'll just push them aside and continue roaming the bottom of my tank). They tend to leave each other alone, and Pinchy and my Tiger Botia Loach are the best of friends even sharing a piece of driftwood together.

As long as you give the crayfish a place to hide when it molts (mine digs a hole under some lava rock and hides there for a few days) then there should be no problem. Then again i might just have more "peaceful" individuals (I put a few trapdoor snails in there about 6 months ago as little snacks when I went on vacation and couldn't feed for a few days and they're still alive and doing well) :eek: ... or it could be that they have enough room to leave each other alone... or it could be that since they all basically grew up together they think they're all part of the same family. :p:

Either way I know of other people keeping a crayfish in their cichlid tanks without a problem. I think that if you have enough room and the fish are young enough to begin with (which yours are) then you shouldn't really have a problem. But please be careful no matter what you introduce to your tank, each individual has its own temperament so if you're unsure of how they might react or don't want to risk it then please don't do it. I have the luxury of a couple of empty tanks in which I can move any of my inhabitants if any real aggression is displayed, otherwise I wouldn't have done this myself.

[MattShark]

Sure u can. How big is the Tank? I keep blue lobsters in all my cichlid tanks, just make sure u have a big enuff tank and also have plenty of rocks and caves for the lobster to make a home. Dont worry about the fish and lobster fighting, the fish wont let themselves get caught, lol. Have fun.....

[MattShark]

Lupin, Your dead wrong dude...

[Pittbull]

Old post Mattshark look at the date above over a year ago

[Coler]

I kept a cray with rift lake fish. Had to move him for his own good as he was getting whaled on. Not really enough space in the tank for him to be comfortable. It was no prob when he moulted though he just hid in the rocks.

My concern in the tank under discussion would be probably the 1.5 inch catfish. That could be ate.

[MattShark]

Yea i missed that. I didnt look at the post date, guess ill pay more attention next time.

[Pittbull]

No worries buddy i just didn't want you to wait for a response from the OP.. take care..

[Lupin]

Lupin, Your dead wrong dude...
So what was wrong here? Generally, it doesn't work.

[djmarshak]

Lupin is right - if you'd have success with this I'd say you were LUCKY. Telling him to do this is just setting him up for heartbreak