5 replies to this topic

[truecrimson]

Dip netted up a couple of crayfish.  I am not sure I got the correct photos for identification, but I am new at this.  I wouldn't mind having a few in my tank once it is up and running, if they are compatible with whatever sunfish I end up with, so I'd like to make sure they are not threatened or endangered,  I'm sure they aren't, but I'd like to confirm it before I bring any home.

 

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[Matt DeLaVega]

Cant help you on ID's but on keeping them I can suggest an abundance of hides. When they molt, they are helpless for hours. Even small fish can pick them apart during the first several hours. They are like jello and cannot move at all until their exoskeleton hardens a bit. Then vice versa, if you have small "sleeping" fish, Crayfish can be opportunistic predators when they are in fighting shape. And when they molt is when they grow. So that 2 inch crayfish that wasn't a threat to any fish can nearly double in size in one molt. I have had less trouble with crays killing fish than the other way around, but with enough structure you should be fine.

[truecrimson]

I used to have more issues with crays eating fish.  Back in high school, in the late 1980's my best friend and I kept tropical fish.  I'm originally from San Antonio, TX, and the big supermarket chain, HEB, would periodically get live crayfish in the seafood section.  No idea what species, but they were red and big.  They loved to grab tropical fish that swam too close. 

[truecrimson]

As a side question, is it better to post all identification needs from a single trip in a single thread in the ID help section like I did with the Quittapahilla thread, or to post the plants and invertebrates in their own threads in their own sections like I did here?

[Matt DeLaVega]

The ID section is primarily aimed at fish. I don't think there were ever any real rules on what belongs where aside from fish ID. So keep doing what you are doing.

[dmarkley]

Crayfish in an aquarium are evil.  They will excavate your gravel.  They will shred your plants.  They will eat your fish.

 

Just my two cents!