Crays and bottom dwellers

patoloco

patoloco

De seguro no sabes lo que dice aqu
Oct 20, 2005
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wetpatoloco.tripod.com
Hi there. I was yesterday browsing th tanks in a LFs and saw a lobster like creature. It was bright red and about 6" long from claws to tail. I really liked it, and plan to get one. But my question is if it will bother bottom dweller fish. I'm specially concerned about my rays.

I want to know if these creature swim in the open or stay always in the bottom. Also, want to know any basic care for the crayfish
 
They are very predatory but also predatory fish will attack them and try to eat them.

I have kept some for awhile. Neat critters
 
i think they should be called clawfish. they like your fish because they will eat as many as they can. their main diet is earthworm but will catch and eat fish. even bigger fish can be caught by the tail. intreresting but tough predetors. i had one get out ( i checked the tank he was out in the morning but didnt have time to look) came back after work and found him looking around the basement. put him back in. the stress killed him a couple days later. amazing he could live 8 plus hrs out of water.
 
each one is on a case by case basis. I have a blue lobster (crayfish) in with my fish for about a year now, with no issues. I have added a stingray to the mix and everbody seems fine (although the lobster don't come out as much as they used to)
 
I agree with Hez Yeux. I also have a blue lobster that has never bothered anyone. He lives with ghost shrimp, a mystery snail, and a pleco on the bottom and the middle and top layers are silver dollars, rasboras, and a gourami.

However, plecos can look after themselves. I've seen my common smack my betta with his tail and they also have spines along their backs.

Stingrays have good defenses as well, but again, case by case basis.

I also had a red lobster that was an aggressive little SOB that tore the tank apart and landscaped my filter. Case by case :)

See if the LFS will let you return it if it does not work out.

Roan
 
Just as with fish, you have to take crayfish on a species by species basis. (They can even vary greatly on an individual basis.) Some are less agressive than others. A safe general assumption though is that they will eat or try to eat anything they can get their claws on. I would not keep them in a tank with any bottom dwellers.
 
Thanks a lot. I will set up my 20 galloner again just for him.
 
Hey there. For what it's worth, I found that www.bluecrayfish.com is a great resource on keeping crays. Obviously, they focus on north american blues, but folks there seem to be pretty knowledgable about all sorts of crays. In the most general of terms, I wouldn't keep it with any prize fish--expect to lose fish once in a while if you keep them in the same tank. If you have a more peaceful cray that's well fed, maybe this won't be a problem, but better to be happy and surprised than sad and surprised. :)

I've had to move my cray a couple times, and he always hides for a couple of weeks after being moved -- they like having shelter, such as a cave or something -- but once he got settled in he comes out regularly and is truly neat to watch, particularly at feeding time.

Good luck.
 
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