Dead Red Lobster....what could have been the cause?

[A4250G]

I have 2 red lobsters.... one is about 3.5 inches and another about 2 inches (more or less)..... due to incopatibilities... I put them in my "Supermax" a 15 gallon round tank with other "naughty" fish..tinfoil barbs/ tiger barbs..

A few days ago the 2 lobsters tussled and before I could remove the small lobster.....he lost 3 of his left legs to the bigger lobster.... I had to remove him..but could put him in the main tank as my cichlids are there...couldnt put them in the fuge...my dragon fins and loach is there so the only place available was the filter area of the sump.....

The filter area is a pretty big area (relative to the size of the smaller lobster) there is a big space between the basket of bioballs and the foam filter ontop of the crushed corals... for a few days he seemed to thrive there.... Me probably ignorantly thinking he would eat the detrius...but even so i gave him a couple of sinking pellets.... but just this morning he was belly up.......

Id like to avoid that in the future...... could it be his placement that caused his death? hunger? or injuries caused by his tussle with the bigger lobster...?

Any comments are appreciated.....

Thanks guys.....

 

[Fishy_Fun]

i think the shock from the fight and putting him in the filter did him in

 

[Trisha]

His unjuries and the stress of being placed in a filter. Two lobsters/crayfish in the same tank usually end up in a fight over territorial issues.

Sorry that you wasn't prepared to house the little guy properly. I think this was a lesson learned the hard way, but a lesson learned that will prevent you from making the same mistake again.

 

[A4250G]

Thanks for the replies.... I'll know better next time. I guess i wanted the whole "symbiotic" (all creatures together) look for the tank.....

 

[pixl8r]

It's very difficult to say what caused your crayfish to die. FYI, only marine crustaceans are called 'lobsters'. Freshwater invertebrates are called crayfish, crawdads, water roaches, etc... .

Here are a few facts about crayfish that you may help you in the future.

1. Dwarf species tend to be much more peaceful, and will live peacefully with others of their species, and usually, with other types of invertebrates (shrimp, some types of snails, other dwarf species of crayfish).

2. Creating territories is important with more aggressive species. Along with this, having a large tank (a tank with a large footprint, not necessarily a large volume of water) is important when housing multiple crayfish that are more aggressive. When creating territories, use rocks and wood that is too large to be moved. Crayfish are often obsessed with interior decor, or they dig/move the substrate. The object to creating territories is to build walls that the crayfish can't see over easily. Nothing can stop them from climbing over, but they will be less agitated by their tank mate if they don't see them. Also, make sure that you have multiple caves for each crayfish. As they grow, make sure that they can continue to hide, as they need.

3. If you want to breed large aggressive species, you may want to get three tanks. One for the male, a second for the female, and a third for a nursery or growout tank. Sexing is extremely important in this case. If you put an aggressive male into the tank of an aggressive female, so that they can mate, she is more likely to attack and kill the male, as she will see him as an invader, than the male will. If you put the female into the males tank, so they can mate, the male crayfish is more likely to think, "I'm gettin' lucky" than, "Dinner".

What ever the case, it is very important to know the scientific name of your crayfish. By knowning that, you can fully understand their environmental needs, and hopefully avoid future deaths.

Having said that, it is impossible to predict if one crayfish will be peaceful or not. Sometimes dwarf, peaceful, species will attack one another. Canibalizum can be caused by over crowding, starvation, a weak crayfish, molting (opportunistic feeding) or honestly anything.

I've found that crayfish will tend to do better (repoduce, live long lives) when the tank they inhabit is well established, with a healthy population of microbes and other life.