r/Crayfish • u/BlazingFist • 9d ago
Does anyone keep their crayfish with shrimp?
I am looking at getting another crayfish after my last one passed away. I'm also looking at adding cherry shrimp into the tank (20g long). I'm aware of the possibility of my crayfish potentially eating the shrimp. Has anyone who's done this had difficulties when their cray needs to molt though? Would the shrimp bother them or put them in danger during molt? I have a cave in the setup they can retreat to, along with some other hides and driftwood nooks, and it will be heavily planted too (hopefully mr cray doesn't tear it up too much haha).
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u/SnooCakes9004 9d ago
I have a dwarf crayfish with some shrimp.... if he is eating them, he isnt eating many
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u/RicefarmerGil 9d ago
Crawfish will kill and eat anything they can catch. They normally have to be separate
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u/PlantsNBugs23 8d ago
Sometimes; I've had crays with other fish and he never bothered them especially if he's fed already.
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u/CalmDirection8 9d ago
Florida crayfish, 12 Amano and, 15 cherry all living in harmony. Pro tip: feed them well and they don't eat each other. Starve them and say goodbye. I'd rather feed them well and change the water weekly than have carnage. Bonus tip: Amano shrimp are my favorite, they've grown really big and are super fun to watch with their eggs and constant cleaning, I'm sure they based the Nemo shrimp on them
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u/PlantsNBugs23 8d ago
I've always used lucky bamboo and pothos when I had crays, they would nibble on the roots or climb the stems but I never had a cray actively try to eat the plants.
Tank mates will depend on the temperament, generally I would feed the cray a larger meal just so they wouldn't feel the need to eat the shrimp when they're added and they know that they won't have to hunt for food.
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u/BioConversantFan 8d ago
Neat post.
I'm actually in the middle of reaserching the potential downsides to coupling tanks.
The key parameters, beyond so many other, is the calcium to magnesium ratio being 3:1.
In other related crustaceans it seems that this holds up. The minerals have a complex relationship and affect the ability of the organisms to correctly uptake other minerals.
In so far as I have determined, I do not see a disadvantage with co-hosting shrimp and crayfish in the same water.
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u/Hot-Ingenuity7782 8d ago
I keep neocardinia shrimp in with my blue crayfish! I haven't seen her eat any shrimp, and she has successful molts. However, the plants and the ramshorn snails aren't as lucky! 😂
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u/BorealKitty 7d ago
Oh go for it, I have two tanks with crayfish, shrimp and fish. Just know that it will be closer to an ecosystem tank and thus showcase the smaller, more peaceful creatures less.
One of my tanks is a crayfish, and a school of mixed Mollies and shrimp. There used to be a female betta in there but after not being home for four days she went missing and my crayfish wasnt hungry for dinner. But along as you keep them fed, they do not hunt much.
My other tank is a crayfish, an assortment of Tetras I have been given and a pair of Goramis, four plecos and a mini spotted catfish. That crayfish however is the only one I ever seen catch a fish. I threw a male betta in there while cleaning his tank, and this moron tried to fight the crayfish and was oneshotted. I broke it up but my betta did get a hair cut from this
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u/BadFishCM 9d ago edited 9d ago
I have quite a few shrimp and a blue crayfish.
I would consider my cray very aggressive, I’ve tried a few fish tank mates for him and he ate all of them. However, he completely ignores my shrimp. They will ride him and get in his face and he never seems to care.
He has a cave he can retreat to and he’s always molted in there and I’ve never noticed a problem with the shrimp besides stealing a few nibbles of his molt.
Good luck with the plants, my crayfish ate absolutely all them and I had to switch to fake plants. He’s eating those too.