Crayfish

[Sadie_BGK]

Okay so I amm considering getting crayfish to put in my 20 gallon tank and I was wondering on any advice people may have on that? Is it a good idea or a very bad one?

 

[OldMan47]

If you like crayfish, set up a tank where you can keep them. They are not good community inhabitants. They tend to eat their tankmates.

 

[SBL]

Have no large Oscars with them either. Oscars love Crayfish as much as me(and thats alot).

 

[chrisrm]

crayfish + fish =

like oldman47 says set up a seperate tank for it/ them!

 

[raptorrex]

Okay so I amm considering getting crayfish to put in my 20 gallon tank and I was wondering on any advice people may have on that? Is it a good idea or a very bad one?

until you have experience of Crayfish. you should avoid keeping them with fish. but, contrary to comments here. they do not hunt and eat fish. this does not mean they will not kill fish. but fish deaths, in that situation, are down to the keeper. as anyone who has kept Cray, for any time, will tell you


first we need to find the type of Cray you have. only one cray is, truly, tropical. all the rest are temperate. so a picture would be good. if you can draw, a sketch of the top of the head, if accurate, will do.

there are some rough rules of thumb, though:

1, Australian red claw (Quad) tropical only, min tank size 20ukg. 40-50 if keeping with fish. though not tropical the same is true for, most, Australian Crays

2, North American Cray, temperate, min tank size 10usg. again 40-50usg with fish.

3, Mexican Dwarf Cray (fire shrimp), tropical or broad range. 10usg. said to be totally safe with fish, in 20usg+.

 

[Sadie_BGK]

I'm not sure what kind and I have a 20g with no fish in it for one or two when I get them. I'll tell you as soon as I find out.

 

[heartworm]

I've kept my Blue crayfish in a tank with tiger barbs, a red tailed shark, an bristlenose plec and a plec for the last 6 months and had no problems with him, The black shark regularly sits right next to him and no bother. Only problem I had was when no-one fed him while I was away for a week, fed the fish but not the cray and I lost a green tiger, but he's never done it again.

 

[raptorrex]

I'm not sure what kind and I have a 20g with no fish in it for one or two when I get them. I'll tell you as soon as I find out.

apart from temperature, all cray share the same requirements. though North American species, have a smaller tank requirement (10usg) 

I've kept my Blue crayfish in a tank with tiger barbs, a red tailed shark, an  bristlenose plec and a plec for the last 6 months and had no problems with him, The black shark regularly sits right next to him and no bother. Only problem I had was when no-one fed him while I was away for a week, fed the fish but not the cray and I lost a green tiger, but he's never done it again.

indeed. fish deaths (via Cray) are, usually, the result of errors in stocking or husbandry. sometimes both.