Shrimp Or Crayfish For A Community Tank

[KajukiKing]

The tank is a 48 gallon. It is heavily planted with a 7.4 ph. I want an invertabrae . The stocking is going to be
Top:
Gourami - pearl or rainbow
african butterfly fish

Middle:
Bosmani rainbows
angel fish
apistos
fire mouth cichlid

bottom:
synadontis or pleco
red tail black shark

I know dwarf shrimp won't work here but how about macro shrimp of a larger variety. Or maybe a vampire shrimp.

 

[three-fingers]

Vampire or bamboo shrimp would work as long as there is loads of hiding places in the tank for when they shed, same applies to any invertabrate. Otherwise they will eventually be attacked after shedding their skin.

For vampire and bamboo shrimp you also need to make sure the tank is mature as in 6+ months so that theres enough organic debris floating around in the water for them to eat. If not, you will need to make sure you feed them powdered food of some sort every second day or so, and this could be difficult in a tank with big fish (as the shrimp will likely hide and only come out at night).

I'd try out some chameleon shrimp or any of the medium-sized Macrobrachium spp. shrimp, though they can be hard to come by sometimes (try asking your lfs).

Other than that, you could try to buy loads of adult amano shrimp and they would probably survive, though you would probably only see one or two of them at a time. You'd need to make sure they were adults.

Crayfish may eat your fish, unless you know what your doing. If you really would like a crayfish, read post by member here boboboy such as this and this one. Possibly give him a PM if you are still unsure .

 

[shroob]

I don't think any shrimp would work in that tank. The synodontis or Firemouth would eat them when they get big enough, if they can't fit them in in one bite they will most likely attack it after moulting. I also think the FM would be too boisterous for the apisto's.

If you go for larger shrimp/crayfish then you run the risk of them attacking or eating your fish. It works sometimes, but this is the exception rather than the rule.

 

[raptorrex]

I would have thought that Wood and vampire, will do ok here. but you would need to plant the tank, for the vampire. as for a crayfish? the OP was considering a "Marble cray". my only advice for them, is to BOIL it!

but if the tank and stock were 12 months or more mature, and you have a 12 month old Redclaw cray, that has been kept on its own. a little supervision, may, let you do it. but as stated above, there is no guarantee. its worth remembering that only the REDCLAW is, actually, tropical. every other cray is temperate or coldwater.

 

[stonedcamel]

my crayfish is going back to the fish shop tmz... he was freebie with a plant but has eaten 4 of my fish and therefore he is going to have to go, shame really

 

[raptorrex]

my crayfish is going back to the fish shop tmz... he was freebie with a plant but has eaten 4 of my fish and therefore he is going to have to go, shame really

where you at stonedcamel?

 

[stonedcamel]

near darlington in the northeast, why?

 

[raptorrex]

near darlington in the northeast, why?

just keeping my eye on where Redclaw are avaliable, atm. and if you had been closer, i was going to offer to take it, as opposed to you returning it to the LFS.

 

[stonedcamel]

he was returned this morning but apparently isnt the average crayfish and they couldnt id him so i have no idea what he was but they had loads of red claws in the shop, very good size

 

[raptorrex]

he was returned this morning but apparently isnt the average crayfish and they couldnt id him so i have no idea what he was but they had loads of red claws in the shop, very good size

ahh, that's a problem! only Redclaw are legal in the uk!

 

[stonedcamel]

shhh then

 

[bae1994]

ive seen in pets at home things called blue lobsters and apparently grow to 13cm

 

[raptorrex]

shhh then

well, NO, we have these laws for a reason! My guess would be you were sold a "Marble" cray! this is an asexual, plague carrying, human developed hybrid. not something we need getting into the environment outside. not something that deserves a place in any tank, in truth. even if it were a Northamerican cray, it will still carry plague. thing is, there is only one Crayfish that is truly tropical, the Redclaw. all the others can live in temprate to cold water. this makes them, extreamly, dangerus to the enviroment if they get free.

ive seen in pets at home things called blue lobsters and apparently grow to 13cm

yeh, Bluelobster is, one, common name for the Australian Redclaw cray, Cherax quadricarinatus. and yes 13cm is not big for a Redclaw. well fed and looked after Redclaws, reach that size at about 18 months of age. remember that size is only "nose to Tail", you can add another 3 inches for the claws!!!

 

[stonedcamel]

here is a picture of what he was....

 

[three-fingers]

That's not a crayfish, that's a Macrobrachium sp. shrimp, probably the chameleon shrimp I mentioned before.