Freshwater lobster?

[Mashpotatoes74402]

My LFS had some Feeder crayfish can I keep one of these guys with my oscar as a CUC??? I already acclimated and put him in. They seem to keep space from each other?!?!? Just wondering what kinda problems I'll run into. I also got a dozen tiny guppies. I know people advise against using them as feeders but shrimp are to easy for te Oscar to catch and the guppies add a lil movement to my tank. Any suggestions????

 

[Autumnsky]

First of all make sure there are lots of hiding places for the crayfish to hide, especially after molting, and may need a little cuddle bone for calcium. Personally I think it is a bad idea.

I know some Oscars kill everything they have in their tank, my friend has kept several, even killed a 8 in Pleco who had good rock protection and hiding places. Just bullies and bullies till they can get them.

I don't know what CUC is?

 

[Mashpotatoes74402]

Clean up crew I've got a ton of plants and it's a medium size tank 75 gallons. With lots of fake mangrove roots as well. I think it'll be ok. Just asking for previous exp

 

[Autumnsky]

Your pic of the Oscar looks like he's still a young one, less issues now, with him being smaller, than full grown. My friend had a blue lobster which I gave her for her tank, and she had to move him due to her adult Oscar being unwilling to allow the blue lobster to live in his tank. Previous exp.

 

[Mashpotatoes74402]

Ok. So I've got a few months. My Oscar is only about 2 maybe 2 1/2 inches. So the crayfish was only a buck. I'm not to worried. He'll serve as a good CUC until he becomes lunch.
Suitcase ( my Oscar ) already knocks the snails off the sides haha. They're all big enough even at 16 inches they wouldn't fit in his mouth. He just harasses them. You think a very dense plant population would increase his chances of survival ????

 

[Autumnsky]

If he gets cranky already with snails I don't have much hope for the ole crayfish's days in relation to longevity.

Amusement until he gets a little bigger, and maybe you can move him.

As you can already tell with his harassment of the snails, they are relentless until they get back their territory or whatever their deal is. Hiding places didn't save my Pleco, which I gave to my friend since she had the 55 gal and so much space ( and I didn't know they could get so big.) Then we carefully watched them and made lots of "safe" places and Oscar seemed annoyed and bothered the Pleco a little then seemed to leave him alone. BUT he only lasted a week longer before Oscar got him. We'd have moved him back over to her other 55 if we'd thought he would have been killed.

She has had quite a number of the Oscars and several would kill off their Oscar tank mates too, even when they were junior sized. They may not be truly "mean", just doing their thing, but I call them mean. lol

 

[Mashpotatoes74402]

I feed him my cleanup crew regularly. I generally put 20- 30 ghost shrimp In every month.
They keep my sand nice and picked clean until they get picked off.
I feel like it keeps the oscar In survival/nature mode. I just want my guy to be healthy physically and mentally. As wierd as that sounds. I'm trying to copy a natural environment for him. Where he might come across a few shrimp/crayfish.

 

[Autumnsky]

Hey, I understand and although I don't fancy them personally, I respect one wanting to keep the creature in as best care possible. I would like the crawdad more than the Oscar! lol Just wanted to share the info. Good fish keeping to you!

 

[JeremySVilla]

Valuable thoughts and advices. I read your topic with great interest.

 

[Mashpotatoes74402]

Hey te freshwater lobs aren't escape artists are they? The only thing that runs from the top is my filtration but still....

 

[Autumnsky]

Did he disappear, or are you just checking?

They are good climbers, I had 3 pond crawfish for a year in a 30 gal along with pond fish minnows and a baby catfish and I never had an escape.

 

[SimpleSushi]

Yep they are escape artists, and can survive out of water for like an hour. I would always have a top for my tank so no one gets out.