Need some expert advise

[usmcmarc]

I have a "mystery" I hope someone can help me with. I have a 30 Gallon Tank w/ a Penguin 200 filter. A couple of live plants that are doing well. Stocked with the following:

1 - 5-6" Bala Shark
1 - 3-4" Iridescent Shark (*Deceased*)
1 - 6" Pleco
2 - Gouramis (1 Flame, 1 Dwarf *Deceased*)
1 - 2" Green Cory Cat
1 - 5-6" Blue Zebra Lobster

My water quality is nearly perfect. No Ammonia, PH 7.0, No Nitrites, Less than 20ppm Nitrates. I feed them a mixture of floating and sinking pellets and some dried shrimp. They are fed once a day.

Now the problem. A week ago I woke up to find the Iridescent Shark "Skinned" and being eaten by the lobster. I called the store where I bought all my fish, and the guy said it was "impossible" for the lobster to have caught that fish and killed it. He said it must have died and the lobster found and ate it.
Well, 5 days later I awoke to find the lobster eating the dwarf gourami. He ate half of it from the tail to the middle. And now I notice a large gouge on the side of my Bala Shark.
Has my lobster turned into the "Tank Terror"? Am I not feeding them enough? I just wanted to keep from polluting he tank with too much food.
Please advise if you know whats going on here.

I am including a link to a video of my tank so you can get an idea of what it looks like. Sorry, it's a bit blurry.


http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=2025067679

 

[TwoHobbies]

Lobsters are species only critters. If you want to keep him, he needs a tank of his own.

I believe he is the killer and will continue untill you tank is fish free!

 

[DepotFish]

Impossible? Hahahahaha. Sorry, you've got a carnivore who enjoys a good meal. If you had them with fast fish that are constantly on the move like tetras or barbs, they might not catch them. But you've got fish that move slow and have times of resting where they are even slower. Crawfish and "lobsters" belong in their own tank alone, maybe with some feeders. These pigs of the aquarium need lots of food, not just a pinch. They are messy and do need water changes much more often than a community tank.

*I do hope you realize how big your bala shark will get and how much they love to be in a school in at least a 6 foot tank.*

 

[usmcmarc]

Do you think feeding more often would help the situation? Maybe get those feeding disks that sit on the bottom? I just dont have another tank, and cant afford another setup.

 

[theotheragentm]

Even with faster fish, crayfish, lobsters, and even large shrimp will eventually get ahold of everything small enough to wrestle with its claws.

 

[shayfish]

I don't expect feeding more often to help much. That guy will eventually eat anything else in the tank. If you can't put it in its own tank I would suggest taking it back to the store. Right now I would speculate that your cories in particular are in peril...

 

[usmcmarc]

OK..Let's say I start another tank...A 30 Gallon Long. What else could I put in with the lobster? Or do I have to keep him in there all alone? I know he will chop up any plants I put in, I learned that the hard way after he destroyed about $15 worth of vegetation.

 

[DepotFish]

Do you expect he'll get bigger? I'm not familiar with the particular species. Maybe a rubbermaid tote would do since you don't have the funds for a bigger tank. Or just get rid of the bala and keep the lobster since the bala needs a much much bigger tank. No, there is nothing he can be housed with safely.

 

[usmcmarc]

OK..Thanks everyone...I will set him up in his own tank.

 

[Jarred Darque]

I beleive you can keep multiple ones, I know some people keep them in overflows, supposely good at cleaning up. The only fish that would be safe are top water fish, and I mean things like african butteflies which do not go mor etha n2 inches below the water surface

 

[BrianNY]

Lobsters and crayfish are predatory and cannibals. They are also nocturnal. When the lights are out they will kill and eat any sleeping fish they can catch and handle. Anyone wanting to keep one should have only one and nothing else.