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DGabbs

DGabbs

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Jun 5, 2012
Messages
59
Hi,

I've never had a crawfish before, but hear they can go through a tank of fish over night if you have the wrong/small tank mates.

I just completed a fish-less cycle, and considering adding a little school of tiger barbs to the tank. likely around 6 of them, maybe 7. I have lots of current in the water, and i have a ac70 in a 20g. So no bioload issues what so ever, but i have owned tiger barbs before i know they need their space. I understand the 20 gallons is right on the edge, and if i feel they need more space in the future i have no problem upgrading to a 40 gallon and adding a bunch more barbs.

My question is, could i put one of those blue crawfish in my tank with the barbs. I know they are a tough fish, but i hear that crawfish are night predators and once a fish is in their claws its game over.

I would preferably like advice from someone with first hand experience with it, but any advice is welcome.

Thanks
 
Well I dont have first hand experience (sorry!) but I think they would be safe together.
 
DGabbs said:
Hi,

I've never had a crawfish before, but hear they can go through a tank of fish over night if you have the wrong/small tank mates.

I just completed a fish-less cycle, and considering adding a little school of tiger barbs to the tank. likely around 6 of them, maybe 7. I have lots of current in the water, and i have a ac70 in a 20g. So no bioload issues what so ever, but i have owned tiger barbs before i know they need their space. I understand the 20 gallons is right on the edge, and if i feel they need more space in the future i have no problem upgrading to a 40 gallon and adding a bunch more barbs.

My question is, could i put one of those blue crawfish in my tank with the barbs. I know they are a tough fish, but i hear that crawfish are night predators and once a fish is in their claws its game over.

I would preferably like advice from someone with first hand experience with it, but any advice is welcome.

Thanks
Click to expand...
As far as may knowledge of them goes, all fish will be at risk. They will eat/try to eat any sleeping/dead/dying fish they can grab. You can, just make sure you know this.

I say go for it, see how it goes.
 
I've had an electric blue crayfish, and they are a very big problem. They'll get to your fish when they're sleeping, even if you have top swimmers, when you do water changes and they go to the bottom, he'll get them then.

I had some cherry barbs, swordtails, and one or two red-colored small tetras, and they all got demolished. I fed him crab pellets three times a day (too much for him, should have been way past full) and he still killed more.

I got larger, faster fish (some pictus catfish) and he got to them, too. Broke one's back, pinched the other's tail. Horrible, horrible experiences. And no matter what tank mate, the darned thing did the same thing, so I isolated him.

If you have one that is timid, that's good, but mine was ruthless. With crustaceans you can get either. If you're lucky, they're fine, if you're not, they'll destroy a well-established tank.

I'd try buying him, and if he starts killing off your tank, ship him back STRAIGHT back to where he came from. I'm still stuck with mine, trying to give him away, and he's in a tank too small for him because I have nothing else to put him in; my return date expired.
 
My history with barbs is not good, although my own fault. Pet shop said they would be fine with my angles, and I did not do my own research... Lost both my angles, after that they proceeded to harass the snails! Took um back, although I do like the way they look,

For me, I would not shed a tear if they where lost, but I agree that the it would be a big risk.
 
OK thanks everyone! I really like the look of the blue craws, but for what its worth i would rather just through some cherry shrimp or ghost shrimp in the tank once in a while for scavenger crew.

I have had barbs in the past and i like them as a single species tank fish. Unless you have a huge tank, they don't make really great community fish, but i really like how they play in the current and play games with things in the tank. I used to through in snails once in while when i had my barbs years ago and they would play a fascinating game with them. (not really "with" them :D)

Thanks for all the help!
 
No good, I had a crawfish get my blue chiclid which was 3 times as big and highly aggressive
When I got to my fish it was so destroyed I couldn't tell what it was at first
 
Jeremy4208 said:
No good, I had a crawfish get my blue chiclid which was 3 times as big and highly aggressive
When I got to my fish it was so destroyed I couldn't tell what it was at first
Click to expand...

Wow, and I had always thought crawfish were a shy, stick to them selves type creature. Good to know!
 
If you have enough bigger fish in a tank with crayfish the cray will act recluselike and shy during the day but after lites out its game on for these guys so beware. :)
 
Forgot to mention this. I have crays in most of my tanks and found that they are great clean up crews. Once a cray reaches a certain size they are traded out for ones abit smaller and less of a threat.
 
Ya, I'm just going to put ghost shrimp in. They're decent scavengers and if i loose a few to the barbs so be it.
 
I'm guessing so, but are those little freshwater crabs the same story as crayfish?
 
Hi, I had a crawfish just once, and I don't think I can have another. it isn't because he was aggressive with fish, because the one I had was very calm around fish, but my darling Oscar had to eat him. I was surprised that he didn't get hurt!
 
Looks cool, but i think my tiger barbs may take a go at it. I may not even put any inverts in, just the tiger barbs and a couple ghost shrimp once in a while to clean up the sand.
 
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