Lobster Question

[afireinside]

Once either
1) My fish die
2) I give my fish away
3) I put my fish in a new tank
i'd like to get a colbat blue lobster for my tank. but the question is, what can i put in with it? I know they are scavengers, so i am a little weary, if i'd have to keep it in a tank by it's self, it's fine with me.

 

[Redbled]

Like many species, they are best in a tank by themselves. Crayfish of the same type do pretty well together as long as you have plenty of hiding places during their moults. Community fish will usually do well with crayfish providing they are mostly top swimmers and the faster variety. Of course, you could always lose a fish, and might in time. Oscars don't work, nor other large cichlids, as they will eat crayfish many times.

 

[big mick]

I keep mine in a tank on his own but I have my guppie breeding traps in there, they are fast enough to keep out of his way but they keep him active......he just runs about like Mr Miyagi trying to catch them.

 

[Mr Miagi]

Like many species, they are best in a tank by themselves.  Crayfish of the same type do pretty well together as long as you have plenty of hiding places during their moults.  Community fish will usually do well with crayfish providing they are mostly top swimmers and the faster variety.  Of course, you could always lose a fish, and might in time.  Oscars don't work, nor other large cichlids, as they will eat crayfish many times.

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IM not as adament as you are Redbled, sorry. I dont think lobsters should be kept with anything really. Only in a tank on their own. Its my understandinng that they are pretty solitary animals. They will catch fish and will eat plants.

Take a look at this thread for a fish incident:
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...1&st=&p=&#entry

Another:
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...1&st=&p=&#entry

And they should deffinately be left alone in a tank, without a member of the same species..

......he just runs about like Mr Miyagi trying to catch them. 

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Really, i chase fish??

 

[Mr Miagi]

There are no pics anymore, but this is what happens if there is two and the tank is too small! http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...l=Help,+lobster

A simple Search using one word "lobster" should provide you with an awful lot of info on these amazing creatures! Not trying to scare you off keeping them lol!

Also have a browse thorugh the amphibians forum for more info!

 

[Redbled]

I agree its best if a crayfish is in a tank by themselves safety wise, but I disagree on a couple of points. As to what happens if a tank is to small and two crays are in it, that one would have died anyway losing 7 of his legs. Even though limbs can regrow, if crays go thru that bad of moult, they're generally done anyway. Could it have lived, perhaps, but doubtful if it was dragging itself around. To little hardness or to little aeration were what killed that crayfish and caused a bad moult, not the other crayfish. As to the fish thinking, I redially admit some fish will be eaten by crayfish in time, but most stories of crayfish eating fish occur after fish has A, already died, or B, been so sick as to not swim normally. Many people even have to knock their feeders on the head in order to feed their crayfish. So in summary, yes, a crayfish in a tank by itself is best, though the same can be said for many aggressive creatures, Oscars, etc. Can and do people have great success with crayfish mixed with community fish? I'd say yes to that as well, though be warned that bad results can and do happen, and if you mix crayfish and fish, be prepared in the event that something bad can happen. Plants are another story, and will almost always be eaten as you suggest Mr. Miagi. Just another food source I say

 

[playfulalliecat]

Having kept a crawfish in a community tank, I have only one thing to add...

Yes, most fish can swim out of their grasp but what happens when a fish is resting after lights out and the nocturnal feeder comes out and grabs it with its claw?

 

[pica_nuttalli]

I agree its best if a crayfish is in a tank by themselves safety wise, but I disagree on a couple of points. As to what happens if a tank is to small and two crays are in it, that one would have died anyway losing 7 of his legs. Even though limbs can regrow, if crays go thru that bad of moult, they're generally done anyway. Could it have lived, perhaps, but doubtful if it was dragging itself around. To little hardness or to little aeration were what killed that crayfish and caused a bad moult, not the other crayfish.

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actually if you will read the complete thread, you'll find that thanks to a lot of babying, the blue lobster with no legs not only survived but grew back all of his appendages. and while there is some question as to what caused the legs to fall off in the first place, the owner of the lobsters actually witnessed the healthy one pull off the last remaining claw and attempt to kill the unhealthy lobster. if the owner had not been there to rescue the lobster with no legs, it would have died from its tankmate's attack.

As to the fish thinking, I redially admit some fish will be eaten by crayfish in time, but most stories of crayfish eating fish occur after fish has A, already died, or B, been so sick as to not swim normally. Many people even have to knock their feeders on the head in order to feed their crayfish.

i don't think that you can reasonable generalize all crayfish as "harmless" or "ineffective hunters". based on all the horror stories i have read on here, the blue lobsters are the least safe of all the types and should never be incorporated into a community aquarium. and if i recall correctly, most of the blue lobsters grow to be quite large, 8+" long. even keeping a 8" lobster in a 55g would not provide enough space for community fish of any size to escape being eaten. and what if the lobster reaches 12"?

So in summary, yes, a crayfish in a tank by itself is best, though the same can be said for many aggressive creatures, Oscars, etc. Can and do people have great success with crayfish mixed with community fish? I'd say yes to that as well, though be warned that bad results can and do happen, and if you mix crayfish and fish, be prepared in the event that something bad can happen.

this is the only attitude anybody can have that mixes crayfish and fish. i agree, that as with most aggressive fish, you have to be emotionally prepared for everything to go horrible wrong. however, the vast majority of people who ask "what can i keep with X" are not thinking "what's ok to keep that may or may not get eaten." they want to know of long-term, fool-proof combinations--of which there are none. and i think its important to explain that fact.

 

[Redbled]

My bad, it might have helped if I had read the complete thread. Point on that one still being though, the majority of crayfish that go thru moults that bad do not make it. Might be good to point out that they are really not lobsters, but crayfish. From all I've ever read, lobsters are saltwater, crayfish are fresh. And most of what I have consists of Procambarus Alleni, the electric blue crayfish, who may be quite different from the Cobalt Blue who I'm not very familiar with. The Alleni's are one of the more docile crayfish you can own.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

maybe Procambarus Alleni = docile, but by all reports Cherax Quad = monster

both start out as cute little blue things with claws, but the Cherax get huge and are great predators from everything i've ever heard.

i think that lobster is more indicative of final size than it is salinity. and just based on what i've seen of plain brown crayfish in LFS, i'd never put those with anything i wanted to keep permenantly.

 

[Redbled]

i think that lobster is more indicative of final size than it is salinity. and just based on what i've seen of plain brown crayfish in LFS, i'd never put those with anything i wanted to keep permenantly.

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I believe you are talking perception wise on this, and therefore I can well see the point. I was only talking about the technical aspect as far as crayfish breeders, "experts" state. Most pet stores or people that sell crayfish tend to like to call crayfish lobsters, regardless of size, just because it sounds more impressive and will undoubtedly sell better.

 

[Redbled]

BTW, I had not remembered what the Cobalt Blue Lobster was. Just looked, and it appears it is simply a Procambarus species, most likely Alleni as well.

 

[steelhealr]

Hi...I"ll add my warning......be smart when it comes to considering advice here. SH

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...means+just+that

 

[pica_nuttalli]

i think that lobster is more indicative of final size than it is salinity.  and just based on what i've seen of plain brown crayfish in LFS, i'd never put those with anything i wanted to keep permenantly.

[snapback]856593[/snapback]​

I believe you are talking perception wise on this, and therefore I can well see the point. I was only talking about the technical aspect as far as crayfish breeders, "experts" state. Most pet stores or people that sell crayfish tend to like to call crayfish lobsters, regardless of size, just because it sounds more impressive and will undoubtedly sell better.

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ah yes. heh, my use of lobster/crayfish is entirely arbitrary to tell the truth--unless of course, i'm discussing something saltwater (or that i'm about to pay $20 for at a steakhouse ). my suggestion of using "final size" was based entirely on conjecture, so i bow to your authority.

back to the procambous/cherax issue... the only way i would trust the common name of "X blue lobster" is if i was purchasing from a store specializing in freshwater crustaceans (i.e. online) that indicated the scientific name and place of origin. even then i'd be a bit worried if they did not offer both the tiny docile crayfish and the big piscavorous crayfish--since both are easily bought from wholesalers and are equally easy for non-experts to confuse with each other.

i definitely would not buy a "X blue lobster" from any place that did not know a scientific name. not unless i had a empty 55g waiting on it in the case that i purchased a cherax.

 

[Redbled]

"Bow to my authority." Man, that's a first. Likely the last too I'm so far from an expert, I've just gotten very interested in studying crayfish the past few months. You're very right about making sure which kind you have. I believe the Quads are from Australia if I'm not mistaken, and the Alleni's mostly from Florida. Even though the Alleni's are more docile, I'm sure they get the occasional fish as well. As for the two looking similar, I actually thought the one in the post that was just linked was an Alleni, looks exactly the same from that angle. Most experts, which I am not, can only tell from a top down view on most species.