Declawed crayfish compatability

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Penguin88

AC Members
Nov 29, 2011
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Hey, I was at the lfs yesterday and decided to pick up a crayfish to feed my green spotted puffers, the crayfish were all pretty big and the employee suggested I pop the claws off to avoid hurting the puffers. I let him pop off the crayfish's claws, I felt bad about it but it was going to be puffer food anyway.

Anyway, I get home and put the crayfish in the puffer tank and the puffers were only mildly interested and didn't go for it, I think the crayfish was too big (he is bigger than them). After a while of the crayfish chilling in the puffer tank I felt sorry for him, figured he wasn't feeling too good in the brackish water, so I put him in my 6 gallon freshwater planted. So now he's in there with a couple of barbs, some assassin snails, and an african dwarf frog. I am wondering if he will be compatible in there without his claws? I feel bad having his claws off if he didn't wind up puffer food but can he/will he hurt any of his new tankmates? I'm especially worried about the snails and frog.
 
The claws will likely grow back. Know what kind of crayfish it is? Many will eat anything they can catch, even a fish.
 
Be careful, the claw will grow back.
 
Dunno the id but he's pretty big, probably aboug 4". Sounds like I'll be taking him back to the pet store :(
 
The claws grow back and in an aquarium with appropriate tank mates are just for show anyway. If you like the cray, declaw him again and again. Depending on what type of crayfish it is it might eat your plants. If not no worries. There are a lot of people afraid of crayfish in their tanks. I have them in almost all of mine and I have 23 tanks. I have never lost a healthy fish to a crayfish, they will eat every snail they can find. Contrary to popular belief, crayfish are pitiful hunters. They are too slow and too bulky to catch fish. They will eat anything left on the floor of the tank and that makes them a plus.
 
Personally I'd be worried about the african dwarf frog. Pretty sure the crayfish would hurt/kill/eat it if the crayfish gets the chance.
 
I'm worried about the frog too, but I have a pretty bad snail problem in the tank so I may leave him in and see if he takes care of that, unless he starts eating my plants. I caught him munching on a bulb today but it may have been a dead bulb. I'll try to snap a pic of him today for id.
 
...most crays are good hunters and will eat anything they can catch, be it plants or fish. fish sleep and crays are active at night.

..in my opinion take him back, popping his claws off over and over again seems a bit cruel.
 
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