Blue Crayfish w/ other fish

[SHRIMP17]

Hi, i am wanting to get a blue crayfish in the near future, but i was wondering would a Blue Crayfish eat my fish. I have a 210l (40ukgallon) that contains:
2 Mollies
2 Clown loaches
4 neon blue gouramis-stay at surface most of the time
1 Bristlenose Pleco
1 Rainbow shark
And i wanted to hear your views on whether my fish would be safe or not.
Thanks in advance

 

[Tipton34]

Eventually you will have some fish be eaten. Mine has eaten countless mollies. The best thing to do is put rubber bands around the claws

 

[SHRIMP17]

Would i have to do that myself? and is that a bit dangerous? thanks

 

[Ardynas]

We took ours back cause it was eating our fish. They go on safari at night and if it's a small fish like a Neon, you won't see any evidence. He had half a dwarf gourami down by morning when we caught him in the act!

 

[jetajockey]

I definitely wouldn't tie up the claws, either make the tank more compatible for him, or rehome him. You could also just see how it goes, but it sounds like there's a lot of potential for him to eat tankmates.

 

[Koikid88]

We took ours back cause it was eating our fish. They go on safari at night and if it's a small fish like a Neon, you won't see any evidence. He had half a dwarf gourami down by morning when we caught him in the act!

I've been looking into getting one of these guys. After researching, 50% of people recommend only keeping large fish with them, because smaller fish will be eaten.

The other 50% say small fish are fine, as long as they are quick and jumpy like tetras. The crayfish claws can't move fast enough to catch em. Which made me think, my lfs always has the large blue, white, red and orange crayfish in many of the tanks housing smaller fish. All above 1", or let's say 1.5" to be on the safe side. Don't know if they are compatible there because, 1; the tanks are so crowded, it for some reason deters the crayfish from catching anything? 2; they are just raised to scavenge or eat veggies and would rather wait to be fed than catch anything?

Never seen them with mollies or gouramis though. Maybe they peck at him? Curiosity killed the fish

 

[joejeff]

Have kept bcf quite a while.and they do best kept solitary n species tank. They hunt or are hunted usually

 

[Ardynas]

A lot of fish like to sleep on the bottom which makes catching them easy for a cray.

 

[Tipton34]

Tying up the claws will not harm the Crayfish what so ever. You do have to do it yourself. They will probably pinch you but its not that bad

 

[jetajockey]

Tying up the claws will not harm the Crayfish what so ever. You do have to do it yourself. They will probably pinch you but its not that bad

I don't think it'd hurt one, but if you have to tie it's claws up then why have it? It's not like they are going on display in a grocery store seafood section.

It's like taking the teeth out of a piranha.

 

[Koikid88]

Which made me think, my lfs always has the large blue, white, red and orange crayfish in many of the tanks housing smaller fish.

Just quoting myself from my inexperience

 

[Tipton34]

But if you enjoy the beauty of it then its worth it. And technically piranhas need their teeth to eat. They use them to rip pieces of meat off, crayfish mainly scavenge. And the worst case scenario, you could eat the crayfish. But its a little expensive to have a whole plate full

 

[jetajockey]

But if you enjoy the beauty of it then its worth it. And technically piranhas need their teeth to eat. They use them to rip pieces of meat off, crayfish mainly scavenge. And the worst case scenario, you could eat the crayfish. But its a little expensive to have a whole plate full

Lol. Yeah it'd take a few to make a plate, for sure.

I was just making an analogy, I don't want to keep something that I have to cripple in order to make it work in the tank. It's only temporary crippling, but I wouldn't like to have my hands bound indefinitely, and they use their claws as a means of self defense also. How does it work when they molt? Just curious.

Which made me think, my lfs always has the large blue, white, red and orange crayfish in many of the tanks housing smaller fish.

I wouldn't consider LFS stocking methods when dealing with a home tank. They have totally different systems, and setups, plus as a consumer we are only there for a very brief amount of time, so there's no telling how well things get along (or dont).

 

[maxlab76]

I have had a blue crayfish in my cichlid tank for about a year. The fish that I was most worried about was my corycats. So far so ggod. None of my fish have been eaten or died since I introduced the crayfish.

 

[joejeff]

Corys w cichlids?

 

[Exotics]

How long have they been together I've been wanting to get one and put it with my stingray and discus but I'm afraid of a disaster!!

 

[maxlab76]

I have had my corys with my cichlids for three years. I have not had any problems. I have a blood parrot, a yellow lab, and two of the common ones you see in the assorted cichlid tanks. The only aggression that I have noticed is my largest cichlid my chase the other cichlids from time to time. He has never injured any of them and I have had them together for three years.