Australian Blue Lobster Questions

[Seed]

I'm deciding on what to put into a 45 gallon tank when it is done with its nitrogen cycle, and saw some Australian Blue Lobsters (Cherax teniumanus) at my favorite fish store. Having never run a tank with invertebrates, I am curious as to exactly how easy or difficult this species is to house. A google search provided surprisingly little information, other than a Petco .pdf, which I tend to distrust and is also vague in many regards. If anyone is familiar with invertebrate crustaceans in general and/or this species specifically, I have some questions:

1. Do these release a lot of ammonia?

2. Are they omnivorous? If so, will they actively hunt other denizens of the aquarium, or are they scavengers mainly?

3. Are they in danger from aggressive fish at all, if housed with them? I noticed that while they are of course heavily armored, their eyes looked exposed. Mainly asking this because if it grows to the total 15 inch size I will have to transfer it into my cichlid tank.

4. Are they fully aquatic, or like red clawed crabs, do they need a place to exit the water from time to time?

5. I've read that they like slightly to very basic water, how about salinity? Salt for these guys or no?


Thats about it, although if anyone has other information that I didn't specifically ask for, I'd be appreciative as well.

 

[Matt_northants]

These arent about the same species but they are about freshwater blue lobster.

http/www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/...?article_id=484

http/www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/...?article_id=432

Hope it helps some

 

[Seed]

These arent about the same species but they are about freshwater blue lobster.

[URL="http/www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/...?article_id=484"]http/www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/...?article_id=484[/URL]

[URL="http/www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/...?article_id=432"]http/www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/...?article_id=432[/URL]

Hope it helps some

Actually, the species is mentioned. THANKS!

 

[Seed]

Incidentally, here is a good example of why I distrust the care sheets given out by Petco and the other big box type pet places. From their publication:

Feeding: Feed as much fish food as needed for other fish in the tank and allow some to remain on the bottom.

From one of the websites you gave:

Diet: Like most other aquatic crustaceans, these crayfish are opportunistic omnivores and will eat anything they get their claws on, from plants, catfish tablets, pieces of vegetable and often fish. They are not safe to be kept in the aquarium alongside fish and will definitely try to eat most fish. Those they can't eat, they will often nip, so mixing them is a definite no-no.

See the contradiction there? The Petco sheet gives the impression that they are just fine to have with other fish, since their recommended method of feeding assumes fish in the tank. I'd definitely trust the second recommendation, in the store the thing came up to the glass displaying its claws and trying to pinch, but I wasn't sure if it was an aggressive or defensive display.



Also, if anyone was interested, I found a post on your invertebrate forum (didn't know it existed or I would have asked there):

http/www.fishforums.net/content/Inverteb...2/Blue-Lobster/

 

[Matt_northants]

LOL IMO if in doubt never trust large non-specialist pet shop chains.

 

[Seed]

LOL IMO if in doubt never trust large non-specialist pet shop chains.

I learned this the hard way, unfortunately. When I set up my very first tank, I went to I think Petsmart... may have been Petco, the difference is cosmetic anyhow. The people there knew nothing. They told me as long as my tank had run continuously for 24 hours to "evaporate the chlorine out of the water" I could put fish into it no problem. They also told me it was fine to put aggro African cichlids in a tank with docile mollies. They actually told me that aggressive meant that the fish would just chase fish out of their territory, not that the cichlids would likely gang up on the poor mollies and turn them into a meal. While the ensuing carnage was fascinating to watch in a morbid sort of way, my wife was less than impressed. The cichlids got their due, however, as I was completely 100% ignorant to the nitrogen cycle so they died within two weeks of ammonia poisoning.

After that I learned NEVER to trust the big box pet store people. Just look at their literature, it's wrong lol. How good can you expect the employees to be if their training literature is incorrect? My favorite place gives out marginally better advice, but still screws it up from time to time. Now I do a lot of research before I put ANYTHING new into the tank, even plants, as I have gotten a snail infestation that way before that completely ruined a tank.