# Electric Blue Crayfish



## Philip.Chan.92 (Apr 25, 2010)

Before flaming me, please let me explain my current situation.  I currently have 2 convict cichlids, a school of odessa barbs and tiger barbs and one normal pleco in my 25 gal long. I have moved my corys to another tank. Some say it's overstocked but these fish school extremely tightly and the convict cichlids move around as a tight pair, so they don't really take up much space, 1inch per gallon does not apply to schooling fish as strictly. Also to compensate, I have a densely planted tank and two filters that can support a total of 50 gals. I was wondering if I could get an electric blue crayfish, some people say they don't eat fish and some say they do. I have heard stories where they caught some really slow small fish but all my fish are fast swimmers that dart around all day. Only problem is if the crayfish can find them at night and if they would eat them. Suggestions? Just trying to learn, please don't flame 

So Bottom Line:
Can Electric Blue Crayfish be kept with odessa barbs, tiger barbs and convict cichlids?


----------



## taillight (May 19, 2009)

I'm suprised aquair AM hasen't lectured you already LOL
i have had a few crays, very neat to watch them. yes if they are big enough to catch the fish they will eat them. i had a big cray fish that lived in a cave and when he caugh a clown loach in his claws, he ate him while the clown was still alive. the second clown that was in the cave was scared to death and spent the next 3 weeks living at the top of the tank on the air pump and would not come down. just buy a smaller cray. the fish you described do not live on the bottom so you should not worry until the cray grows big


----------



## Philip.Chan.92 (Apr 25, 2010)

Even at it's full size I don't think the cray will be fast enough to catch them. My only concern is if it can find my fish at night and kill them lol. I hear that they can range greatly in size so if mine gets too big ill find it a suitable home.


----------



## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

I know a member on this site just had a batch of lovely orange dwarf crays. They are supposed to be fish friendly and plant friendly. I had some in with my barbs. 

Its always hit or miss with crayfish honestly. I know some people who have had them in their tanks with fish that stay in the upper column of water and they do well. However barbs don't do this, they are always moving most of the time but they go all over the tank so you might find the cray will hitch a ride on someones tail. 

Crayfish will also climb up plants and put their pinchers out to fish for fish. They wait until someone swims by close enough.


----------



## KhuliLoachFan (Mar 8, 2008)

I would not worry about it, unless losing your fish is a problem for you. 

Crayfish that can catch your fish, will. If they can not, it will be a combination of your tank design, and having your species swim at the upper level, and luck.

I would not find such a tank as enjoyable as one where the crayfish could for example, snack on my surplus convict fry, but generally, where I don't have much in there that I care about getting eaten.

W


----------



## Philip.Chan.92 (Apr 25, 2010)

Got one today. Pics and results will follow soon.


----------



## golfers1 (May 17, 2006)

Crayfish in a community tank, never a good idea.
I setup a 55G in a few classrooms in the GTA and put crayfish in the tank, after about 3 months all the fish had dissappeared. One student telling the teacher he watched one of the crayfish eating a fish, then another day while the teacher was explaining what happens in the tank, they all witnessed the crayfish propping itself up onto one of the rocks and extending it's claws while waiting for a fish to swim by and sure enough, everyone saw it catch one and begin to eat it. I was suprised to hear it myself but it does happen more often than not.


----------



## Philip.Chan.92 (Apr 25, 2010)

He's about the same size as my other fish, pincers too small to do anything except scare other fish away. If he gets too big I'll find him a suitable home.


----------



## Holidays (Apr 18, 2010)

crayfish is probably a threat to small community fish like tiger barb and odesa, if you really like crayfish looking creature, check out wood shrimp, they have fan instead of claw, they're good cleaner and quite hardy.


----------



## pat3612 (Jan 29, 2008)

*Not a Good Idea*

If hes little you will be ok for a few months once he grows look out , he will eat whatever he can catch,lights out goodbye fish, or whatever is on the bottom of the tank.


----------



## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

Having raised both electric blue crayfish (75 of them) and dwarf orange crayfish, I can safely say...YES the Blues will eat your fish, fast or not...at night they hunt for food, because during the day they like to hide in the dark spots of your tank...

They are very smart and will use anything they can to grab onto to get to the top of the tank. I found one of my babies sitting in the moss at the surface waiting on the guppies to swim by  

My Betta and Guppies all had missing pieces of their tails after a few days. Electric blues grow to 5 inch long and eat both fish and all of your plants  

The small dwarf orange crays don't eat fish or plants and that's why I keep them now...will not keep any other crays because of the loss of both fish and plants in my tanks.  

I have currently 20 new baby crays and about 10 ones that will be ready to go to new homes very shortly.


----------

