CAUTION
As time goes by, experience is the best of teachers. I, like many, chose to add an addition to my tank (when I was just a newbie) that had warnings posted here. Like many people on this forum, I was fascinated by the Blue Lobster, also listed as a cherax sp. I posted a photo of him here last year (see below). In fact, you can see my tank still had the 'new tank syndrome' cloudiness. They are extremely interesting to watch, an incredibly bright blue, very hardy and just an attractive addition to the tank. I purchased mine at the startup of my 46G bow from liveaquaria.com at about 2.5-3 inches.
My FW tank has done very well and I have not had any losses in quite some time. My lobster has done as well. He molted a week or so after having purchased him, then again a few months ago. Within the last few weeks he molted TWICE and when I woke up one morning, I couldn't believe how large he got....at least five inches.
I can usually tell when he is hungry because he will come out during the day or hangout in an arch/tunnel in the tank. I'd drop a pellet of food or spirulina algae tab in the tank and it's always amazing to watch him grab it and scurry backwards with it in his claws. Recently, I started to lose a lot of my anacharis in my tank--whole bunches disappearing. Yesterday I caught the lobster standing on top of it and munching it down like it was a carrot stick. Not so bad...the plants have been existing under a 30 watt AquaGlow plant and seem to still grow like crazy. He is otherwise so passive, that my other fish will swim around and under him and even brush against him.
However, the reason I am posting this is to caution anyone here that, if you think you can 'beat the temperament odds', you'd better think twice. Nature created these animals. Instinct is genetically ingrained. This evening, my blue lobster was hanging out and looking as passive as ever. The lights in the tank had gone off and the moonlight LEDs were on, but, the tank was fairly well illuminated from the lights in the room. My blue was hangin' out, so, I did my usual and dropped a pellet in the tank. Usually, there is a free for all and the blue usually skitters about and scares everyone away. Tonite was different. Tonite, as I watched the tablet fall, the lobster scurried to get the tab...as did my blue ram and my red gourami. In a fraction of a second, the ram was grabbed in its claws and drawn in. Much to my shock, I rapidly tried to disengage the lobster but it was too little too late. I was able to retrieve my ram after, but, the look of shock on its face was not to be forgotten. The ram was killed rapidly. My blue will be removed now and 'quarantined' to a species tank.
Since joining TFF, I've learned a great deal here both from 'regular aquarists' and also from the moderators. Navarre, Great Lakes and Inchworm, in particular, have been great teachers/instructors. In fact, I've moved on to having a marine tank which is rumbling along thanks to help from people here. My recommendation to others who see this post is make sure that you research the additions to your tank EARLY ON and, give some creedence to advice given by trustworthy more experienced aquarists here. The final word, 'semi-aggressive' means just that. Unfortutanately, we see only the 'semi' and forget what the last part means. Hope this helps. SH
As time goes by, experience is the best of teachers. I, like many, chose to add an addition to my tank (when I was just a newbie) that had warnings posted here. Like many people on this forum, I was fascinated by the Blue Lobster, also listed as a cherax sp. I posted a photo of him here last year (see below). In fact, you can see my tank still had the 'new tank syndrome' cloudiness. They are extremely interesting to watch, an incredibly bright blue, very hardy and just an attractive addition to the tank. I purchased mine at the startup of my 46G bow from liveaquaria.com at about 2.5-3 inches.
My FW tank has done very well and I have not had any losses in quite some time. My lobster has done as well. He molted a week or so after having purchased him, then again a few months ago. Within the last few weeks he molted TWICE and when I woke up one morning, I couldn't believe how large he got....at least five inches.
I can usually tell when he is hungry because he will come out during the day or hangout in an arch/tunnel in the tank. I'd drop a pellet of food or spirulina algae tab in the tank and it's always amazing to watch him grab it and scurry backwards with it in his claws. Recently, I started to lose a lot of my anacharis in my tank--whole bunches disappearing. Yesterday I caught the lobster standing on top of it and munching it down like it was a carrot stick. Not so bad...the plants have been existing under a 30 watt AquaGlow plant and seem to still grow like crazy. He is otherwise so passive, that my other fish will swim around and under him and even brush against him.
However, the reason I am posting this is to caution anyone here that, if you think you can 'beat the temperament odds', you'd better think twice. Nature created these animals. Instinct is genetically ingrained. This evening, my blue lobster was hanging out and looking as passive as ever. The lights in the tank had gone off and the moonlight LEDs were on, but, the tank was fairly well illuminated from the lights in the room. My blue was hangin' out, so, I did my usual and dropped a pellet in the tank. Usually, there is a free for all and the blue usually skitters about and scares everyone away. Tonite was different. Tonite, as I watched the tablet fall, the lobster scurried to get the tab...as did my blue ram and my red gourami. In a fraction of a second, the ram was grabbed in its claws and drawn in. Much to my shock, I rapidly tried to disengage the lobster but it was too little too late. I was able to retrieve my ram after, but, the look of shock on its face was not to be forgotten. The ram was killed rapidly. My blue will be removed now and 'quarantined' to a species tank.
Since joining TFF, I've learned a great deal here both from 'regular aquarists' and also from the moderators. Navarre, Great Lakes and Inchworm, in particular, have been great teachers/instructors. In fact, I've moved on to having a marine tank which is rumbling along thanks to help from people here. My recommendation to others who see this post is make sure that you research the additions to your tank EARLY ON and, give some creedence to advice given by trustworthy more experienced aquarists here. The final word, 'semi-aggressive' means just that. Unfortutanately, we see only the 'semi' and forget what the last part means. Hope this helps. SH
As for the blue lobster, I've read the females are not as aggressive as the males. I have some crays in a tank with a bunch of larger fish, and no problem yet. I worry they may be in danger during moulting to the larger fish, but haven't come across that yet.
