# Crayfish in with an all Male Malawi tank



## snakedoc (Jan 3, 2008)

Has anyone ever tried crayfish, or any invertebrate for that matter with their Malawi tanks before? I have a nice big adult marbled crayfish and he is basically all by himself right now. I am thinking of setting up an all male tank in the near future and wondered if there would be issues in either direction. I haven't ever set up an all male malawi tank before and I didn't want to invest in all the fish just to find them being picked off by the crab.

Any experience or advice welcome.
Thx
Rich


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## regal120gal (Feb 9, 2011)

The only thing I can think of is that those little buggers ,crayfish are dasterdly and can get out of anything going up your filter tubing and or any way you feed your fish ,if not locked down. Also they can hide behind couches and also may end up in the bathroom due to looking for moisture.
just my exp .not sure with ciclids.

120gal marineland 360 and powerhead
alonicara ob's ,sunshine,ice blue ,regal
hap yellow acai, blue johani,elect yel
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65 juvie and some fry 
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10gal peackock fry


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## poseidons minions (Dec 1, 2009)

I wouldnt add a crayfish it will hunt your cichlids at night


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

The crustacean eats the fish until he molts. Then the fish eat the crustacean. Try a search, you will see lots of stories.


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## gmoney88 (Oct 25, 2005)

DJRansome said:


> The crustacean eats the fish until he molts. Then the fish eat the crustacean. Try a search, you will see lots of stories.


Unless you have a 5"+ Channel Catfish in your tank, then the crawfish doesnt stand a chance molting or not :lol:


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## lucid_eye (Apr 12, 2009)

:lol: or a curious venestus for that matter.


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## gmoney88 (Oct 25, 2005)

lucid_eye said:


> :lol: or a curious venestus for that matter.


TouchÃƒÂ©, as an avid Largemouth Bass fisherman I've always loved Venustus because it somewhat resembles a Bass in color (well, the females anyways) and appetite opcorn:


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## snakedoc (Jan 3, 2008)

Ha, ha. These are some great replies. Well, Mr Crabby (aptly named by my kids) will have to live a lonely life then. I cant dare get rid of him We have had him for a few years now and he is quite fun to watch. We will just keep him far from the cichlid tank.

Thanks
Rich
A pic for reference, I can't help myself


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## natejbadger (Apr 14, 2012)

I have a 90 gallon cichlid tank with Haps, Mbunas and lots of lace rock for caves and hiding spots. I bought a neon red lobster 2 weeks ago (2 inches) and it was a blast to watch! Really loved it. But I came home yesterday and found only the claws and hard parts of its shell left, with the cichlids feasting on the soft remains of his tail.

Not sure what happened ... ie. he died and they ate him, or he molted and they got him, or they just decided to eat him. However, I decided not to get another one when the guy at the lfs said he was surprised it lasted 2 weeks. Ironically, his partner had said he figured it would be ok when I bought it, but did warn that there was chance the fish might start bumping him around.

I haven't seen much evidence that they bother the cichlids (too fast, even at night), but I've now seen a number of comments on the web suggesting that cichlids will often eat the crayfish.

Strangely, I have a friend with 3 in a 150 gallon cichlid tank. They have molted, had babies, etc. but the fish store guy said it may be because their cichlids are larger and less curious? Mine are young (2 inches max). Not sure ... BUT I would recommend not getting one, despite the fun and color they add.


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## infamous (Mar 28, 2012)

I bought a couple fiddler crabs and put them in my tank....and my fish ganged up and ripped them apart.


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## Ragincajun (Nov 29, 2011)

Wife had to have a blue lobster, so we got one against my better judgement. It's probably 3" now. 
It hides in the holey rock during the day and when it molts. It only has one claw this time around so I figure someone tried to snack on him.

It doesn't seem to mess with most of the 2.5+" fish right now, but it does seem to take care of the fry that the other fish don't get. I had 20 or so lab that I wasn't sure on their quality so I put them back in the main tank at about 1.25", they are slowly disappearing. I've seen the lobster with them a few times. Still have 10 or so, so he's not real quick about it. Been letting the females spit in the tank and am seeing a few more fry so he should have a stable food source for a while.

Once i start on my final stock list I will be rehoming him to the 75 once I get it set back up. The undesired fish in the main tank will also go to the 75 until I can return them somewhere.


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