Blue Lobster?

[timmystood]

I think I know the answer to this one but I was wondering if a blue lobster would be OK with Malawi Cichlids and a Golden Nugget Plec (oh, and also some peppered cories).

Any help is very much appreciated.
Regards
TIMMYSTOOD

 

[raptorrex]

I think I know the answer to this one but I was wondering if a blue lobster would be OK with Malawi Cichlids and a Golden Nugget Plec (oh, and also some peppered cories).

Any help is very much appreciated.
Regards
TIMMYSTOOD

It can be done, but it is quite a risk. If you go ahead, you will need a fairly mature Cray, young Crays have problems with fish. they need a ph of 7/8.5, like well oxygenated water, mine is in with plecs, corys,CAE and angels, the only problem is my crab lost a leg, got cornered by the Cray, not even a nipped fin! but i know many stories of people who have had disasters, trying it!

there is another member just about to start a Cray community tank, keep a eye out for posts from "fatguppy" and i post regular threads!

 

[Tommy Gunnz]

I agree with boboboy and my sister's fish tank is a good example. She has five Johanni in a tank with a pleco (think it is a sailfin though) and a crayfish. The cray did get ahold of the pleco once, but the pleco can handle it apparently and nothing too serious happened. I have also heard of others who keep crayfish and without problems, but my brother had a little crab catch a smaller molly one time and that was the end of that fish, so I assume as long as you keep an eye on the tank until you are sure your particular crayfish is going to be a good boy, you should be ok. I would just be leery about the cory's since they are not 'armored' like the pleco is.

 

[timmystood]

OK, thanks for the advice. I have a tank in which I can put the Cory Cats (I have been meaning the do this for a while but they look so happy in the big tank with the Malawi's!).

So, really it's a 50/50 risk? Or more 75% ok 25% not ok?!!

 

[toddnbecka]

Make sure the crayfish has suitable cover, or it will be eaten when it molts.

 

[raptorrex]

OK, thanks for the advice. I have a tank in which I can put the Cory Cats (I have been meaning the do this for a while but they look so happy in the big tank with the Malawi's!).

So, really it's a 50/50 risk? Or more 75% ok 25% not ok?!!

to me it 50/50%, when you first put them together, there will always be a chance, sick fish can be vulnerable, fish can get cornered. oddly i find my Corys are at no risk in my set-up, they tend to stay in the open (so no getting cornered then), and are way too quick, for the Cray to snatch. Conversely, ive seen the results of a Cray, at only 2'1/2 inches, destroying a 8" Plec!!!

Make sure the crayfish has suitable cover, or it will be eaten when it molts.

And this is the only problem i can see, they do indeed need lots of hiding spaces, they need to be of a decent size, it can damage a Cray if the area it moults in is too small. I have no experience of Malawi!! but am lead to beleave that they can be aggressive, i have Angels, and they have there moments. if the Cray feels or is threatened, during or after its moult. it may decide to go on "Ethnic cleansing" gig, when its shell hardens. this also ties in with my comment to put a fairly mature Cray i the tank, juveniles moult about once every three weeks, the more mature, moult every year or so. and one more problem! you can't tell how old a Cray is, size is no indication, and they have no other indications, except the moult timing.

I agree with boboboy and my sister's fish tank is a good example. She has five Johanni in a tank with a pleco (think it is a sailfin though) and a crayfish. The cray did get ahold of the pleco once, but the pleco can handle it apparently and nothing too serious happened. I have also heard of others who keep crayfish and without problems, but my brother had a little crab catch a smaller molly one time and that was the end of that fish, so I assume as long as you keep an eye on the tank until you are sure your particular crayfish is going to be a good boy, you should be ok. I would just be leery about the cory's since they are not 'armored' like the pleco is.

there are a few of us that keep Cray in community's, perhaps more than people would think. sadly there are a lot of people, who's only experience of Crayfish, is what they have been told! but they still feel their views carry more weight than, the views of those of us who do. thanks for your comment!!

 

[raptorrex]

some shots of Violet and her friends

and some of just her, all taken on the post date

 

[timmystood]

Wow! She's stunning!

I think I might take the risk. Because it is a Malawi tank there are plenty of hiding spaces within the rockwork.

One other question - it's a sand substrate.. is this ok with the blue lobster?

Cheers for all your help

 

[TheeMon]

yes she really is stunning.. i want a blue crab now... seriously can i get some more details on them?

 

[polak_no_1]

Hey there,

I have a blue lobster, or yabbie as we call them in Australia, and I keep it with cichlids, green terrors and other agressive/semi agressive fish without problems.

As mentioned previously, they need hiding spots for when they malt, however just as important for the fish to have hiding spots. These guys sleep most the day and come out mostly at night.

When I first got it, it used to pick on my convicts which sleep on the bottom of the tank, until I put lots of drift wood and little pots in my tank so they can hide from him.

Dont worry about the lobster, he/she will be fine, worry about ur fish becoming dinner for it! Especially the slower ones - they are devious, they will sit there motionless for as long as it takes, a fish will get the courage and then .... those claws just come out of nowhere!!!

Polak

 

[raptorrex]

Wow! She's stunning!

I think I might take the risk. Because it is a Malawi tank there are plenty of hiding spaces within the rockwork.

One other question - it's a sand substrate.. is this ok with the blue lobster?

Cheers for all your help

sand is fine for Crays!!

yes she really is stunning.. i want a blue crab now... seriously can i get some more details on them?

Well the only blue crab i know of is a ocean dweller, not only that but unlike the Cray, it is a predictor, hunting its food! this said "blue" crustatia are mostly genetic defects, so are common to many different species. but for me the word "predictor" would seem to make it the wrong addition to any tank!

Hey there,

I have a blue lobster, or yabbie as we call them in Australia, and I keep it with cichlids, green terrors and other agressive/semi agressive fish without problems.

As mentioned previously, they need hiding spots for when they malt, however just as important for the fish to have hiding spots. These guys sleep most the day and come out mostly at night.

When I first got it, it used to pick on my convicts which sleep on the bottom of the tank, until I put lots of drift wood and little pots in my tank so they can hide from him.

Dont worry about the lobster, he/she will be fine, worry about ur fish becoming dinner for it! Especially the slower ones - they are devious, they will sit there motionless for as long as it takes, a fish will get the courage and then .... those claws just come out of nowhere!!!

Polak

very true

 

[timmystood]

Ooo thanks for the information guys!
I'm really stuck on what decision to make

 

[moonraker]

We had a crayfish in a 20g. for about two and a half years. A great pet, - very interesting. we tried to keep her with fish, but she always got them in the end, and eventually, we gave up.

Top / fast swimmers lasted longest. Slow/bottom feeders, - forget it! I think Cichlids are just too brave and curious for their own good with a cray.

Against my better judgement, we bought a mature male for her for company. Within a couple of days he had attacked her, and she had lost a claw + 2 legs (which grew back). She got her own back, and eat his head before we could take the him back to the LSF.

By the way, if you are watching "I'm a Celebrity", it was the same type of crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) that the idiot from East Enders was kicking out of a bowl of sand last week.

Its a disgrace to "beat up" even "ugly" animals that way! Wake up R.S.P.C.A!

Kevin

 

[adambrum]

Back to the subject you can keep a blue lobster and the plec BUT it can go wrong my syno came swimming out of his cave with an afra attached to its tail and the syno is twice its size but synos are tough so no damage done if had been a plec it would have taken a large chunk out.

or to put it simply.
1 has claws
1 has teeth
1 is slow


The blue crab that was referred to is a Potamonautus Orbitospinus this is a crab from lake malawi but only advised for very large tanks.

So there you have it you can but theres a risk to fish,plec and crayfish.

 

[raptorrex]

By the way, if you are watching "I'm a Celebrity", it was the same type of crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) that the idiot from East Enders was kicking out of a bowl of sand last week.

Its a disgrace to "beat up" even "ugly" animals that way! Wake up R.S.P.C.A!

Kevin

sorry guy the Yabbie, on I'm a celebrity, is a Cherax destructor not Cherax quadricarinatus


though i should say i dont watch the program, so it is possible that they also featured a Cherax quadricarinatus, and i missed it.