# Marble "self cloning" crayfish????



## Rotor (Dec 4, 2011)

Good idea or bad idea in a Mbuna tank?


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## jd lover (Mar 11, 2011)

no crayfish is good with mbuna theyll be food as soon as they molt


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## Sparrk (Oct 11, 2010)

or he will eat your fish when they sleep


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## CITADELGRAD87 (Mar 26, 2003)

Or both.


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## Rotor (Dec 4, 2011)

Okey dokey then. That answers that.
Thanks guys. I Just saw 'em and said, I wonder.....


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## Sparrk (Oct 11, 2010)

:lol: 


CITADELGRAD87 said:


> Or both.


 I used to have feeder fish in my crayfish tank before he escaped and died :roll: even thought I had a lid, and blocked all holes he found one and escaped he outsmarted me!


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## Rotor (Dec 4, 2011)

I used to have a Bass in this tank. His name was Lucky, because he was lucky he didn't wind up as dinner.
Anyway, I used to feed him Crayfish. Just regular ones from the bait shop. Once my wife found one downstairs in the laundry room. 
Biggest bug she had ever seen, and boy did she yelp. opcorn:


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## SEAN420 (Nov 24, 2011)

now that u said that.. i wonder if my lil male crawfish didnt just snipe the cory cat that died  ill never know though.


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## Sparrk (Oct 11, 2010)

it is possible, mine use to eat everything I put in his tank but he would wait at night and then sneak up on them and eat them, I never found any trace of the eaten fish though. And yeah, he escaped once before escaping again and die... I had just woke up and was going to make me a breakfast... I was hearing a strange noise like some sniping... I looked down and there he was trying to pinch my foot... Still sleepy I just took him back to his tank lol! :lol: after I came back from work, I tapped the lid and blocked the holes... but I didnt doo my job well enough apparently!


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## Jina (Dec 5, 2011)

I had these. They escape into filters, can propel themselves up high if they feel necessary (climb up intakes easily!) I was told they were not aggressive towards fish, but they devoured our fish in chunks at night when they tried to hide/sleep. They are fun to watch as they eat, and can be quite interesteing... Although we had a lot of them with clutches, there were no babies I saw. I ended up putting them in with my Fahaka and Mbuna, and my Mbuna ripped their legs off, and the fahaka polished off the rest. I just don't see them being great tank mates with anything - different story if you wanted to breed them for food though.


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## suds1421 (Jan 4, 2011)

I've had good luck with them in with fish that breed prolificly. (Like endlers) The endler production is diminished but you could say that's a good thing... The crayfish production is diminished but you could also say that is a good thing. When they were both together they both increased their population, just not as fast as they would have.

If you don't have fast re-populating fish or have special fish you don't want to lose, keep crayfish outta the tank. (Don't even feed the crayfish babies, if you have lots of caves they are great at hiding and a PITA to get out).


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## Rotor (Dec 4, 2011)

Yea, I had pretty much ruled them out after the first couple posts. I was looking for something to help keep the bottom clean, but I have zero desire to have my fish munched by a crayfish. It surprises me though that they could catch a fish, even at night.


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## aquariam (Feb 11, 2010)

Depending on which mbuna you have, a species of syno would be the most appropriate.


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## Sparrk (Oct 11, 2010)

They only do it at night... It is easier for them to catch sleeping fish.


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