Crayfish

[Gix]

Howdy folks,

I have a 20 gallon US tank that is currently empty. I don't want to heat the tank, so I was thinking that crayfish might be a good option. How many can I keep in my tank? What should I feed it/them? Are there any fish that can be kept with them without being eaten? Any information would be appreciated.

 

[Teelie]

1 in a 20 gallon and they'll eat nearly anything. Only larger and more aggressive fish should be kept with them. There are a lot of threads in here on them with more info.

 

[The-Wolf]

why not go for cameroon armoured shrimp (atyopsis gabonensis)
they reach up to 6" and can take a temp range of
22c to 27c


in your 20 gallon you could easily have three

 

[Gix]

I'll look into those armored snails; they look promising. If I can't find one, I'll probably end up putting a crayfish in the tank. I know I can't keep fish with it unless I want them to be eaten, but what about snails? Would a big apple snail or two be okay with a crayfish, or would it eat them too?

 

[Gix]

Wait....apple snails aren't coldwater, are they? I was just reading about them, and I think they need heated water. So I won't try keeping them with the crayfish or shrimp anyway.

 

[steelhealr]

Hi...I have a hammer's blue cobalt 'lobster' which is a type of crayfish. To my knowledge the lowest temp for them is about 68 degrees. Water shouldn't be too acidic since it can soften their shell. Mine is about 3 1/2 inches long. He eats pellets and it's amazing to watch him gather it up and eat. They are listed as semi-aggressive, but, I have not seen any aggression towards other fish in my tank to date. On the other hand, I don't have a lot of slow moving bottom dwellers. Many experienced people here will recommend that they be kept in a species specific tank. I only have one, but, they are supposed to be very territorial and 20 gallons I think may be too small for more than one. Here is a link I posted. SH

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...72964&hl=cheese

 

[Gix]

Yeah...I've looked into those blue lobsters, and I really wanted one for a while. Unfortunately, they appear to be around $35. They have them at my LFS every once and a while for that price, and liveaquaria.com is no different. Regular crayfish are a much more affordable $0.85.

 

[Blue Lobster]

My Blue Lobster has been fine with it's tankmates. I think he figured out he can't catch em, but he tries. So far the Angel Fish are fine, the cory cats and pleco are too. Like they said no slow movers.

Just provide some plants and decor for your other fish to perch on and keep an eye on the lobster.

 

[GuppyDude]

crayfish shouldn't have much of a problem as most tropical species are kind of nocternal and if they are frovided a nive tight crevis to hide in they will be pretty safe against anything, as long as ur fihs's natural pray isn't crayfish

 

[moray]

There are a lot of different types of crayfish, some are more aggressive than others. You need to decide what sort of cray you want. Personally I would never put any fish that I minded being eaten in with one; they are opportunists and would not turn down a fish supper if it was offered. They are very interesting and well worth getting, but remember some get quite large, so choose well.