Marinero

I saw about a 3 inch blue lobster at Petco for $20. They had some fish a little smaller than the lobster in the tan together. They said he'd get about 8 inches. I'd love to put something like that in with about 6 or 7 african cichlids but worried about compatibility Anybody have something like this?

Janmitch22

Marinero

That was very helpful!

Janmitch22

Marinero

No I haven't...I might not end up getting it because I want a pleco and the lobster would surely take him out!

effiefish

marinero i had a blue lobster unfortunately they dont do well with oscars...

Janmitch22

Marinero

Well I'll be getting a 30g tank soon and will be stocking it with african cichlids which I intend to get while they're still young. I already forget the name of the pleco, but I say them at Petsmart and they have a disc shaped head, very quick, and suppose to only get to 4 or 5 inches...I can't remeber the name. I hate to give up on the blue lobster, but I think if I got him I'd end up with having him and him alone eventualy

Janmitch22

Marinero

Yeah they're nice. I'm gonna mix em up...some yellows and blues and misc ones. The problem with buying cichlids sometimes is that they don't specifically name what kind you're getting; Often it just says "Assorted African Cichilds."

Jayson

I invested in a Chinese pleco, its only about an inch and a half and is suppose to grow to about only three to four inches, if the pet guys info is correct. Plus the fish is suppose to get a conspicuous red strip across its back...very neat. And I also go another bottom feeder..."farlowella" (French name, not sure what it is in English), anyways this fish resembles a twig and has a notched nose, similar to a saw...very passive and shy, even though it has a menacing appearance.

-Jason

joe

o man do i want a cichlids tank. for christmas i asked for a 55 gal. all for cichlids. and i no wat u mean by them only saying assorted african cichlids. I want ot no wat kind they r danget.

Butterfly

Yes I agree it helps to know what they are as thats how you know how big they get and how to take care of them
Carol

Maida_gc

Does anyone have a community with one in it? I'm looking to add one of those perhaps with Corys on the bottom as well and several other TBD fish occupying the middle. Im pretty sure Ive seen successful stories with 1 crayfish, but perhaps its a bad idea.

rob2uk

I had one of those. he just upped and died one night without warning.

They're called... wait for it... Twig Catfish!

Be careful if you ever have to net him, their skin is very slightly bristly and it'll catch on the net

skippi

We have a blue "lobster" in our tank with platy, bleeding heart tetras, betta male, and a pleco. The lobster actually a crawfish like to hide in the shells and you rarely see him. The other fish just swim around and are all still with me.

youngest-fish-nerd

Marinero-
i think the pleco your thinking of might be a bonero sucker or something like that,
ive also seen them sold as disc plecos.
just sounded familiar

gmann21193

Crayfish can live peacefully among fish as long as they are fast. I bought 4 minnows to add life to the tank and to keep my cray busy ( believe me...he trys to get them). The minnows are too fast for him. The best he can do is just chase them out of his little den he dug himself. Although he did get one...it was sorta handed to him. One of the minnows got stuck underneath the rock and the crayfish saw this as his chance and brutally attacked it and it was done. It was kinda sad becuase there were 3 orange minnows and 1 grey one and all the orange ones schooled and the grey one was kinda a loner fish and he was the one that got stuck under the rock. Minnow suicide? lol

sirdarksol

For the first couple of days, this was my otos' method of surviving the attention of Miyamoto, my koi. They were just small enough to attract his attention, and anytime they swam across the tank, he'd chase them. Otos are a whole bunch quicker than a koi, however, so they survived. Eventually, they just learned to stick to the wall while Miyamoto was nearby. He doesn't attack them if they're stuck to the side of the tank.

JasmynJade

Can you put a beta in with your freshwater fish?? I have one, and he looks SO lonely. We put a mirror up to
the fish bowl...and he is NOT aggresive...don't know why...he seems to be healthy, tho.
I'm also loving the idea of getting a blue lobster, they are SO neat. Do they need LESS water than regular
aquarium fish...or will they stay right in the bottom of a regular tank? Also, this will only be a 10gal (extra tank)...what else can we put in with him? Can you get an albono frog?

gmann21193

A betta with a crayfish is a horrible idea, also, bettas prefer to be alone, as lonely as one might look. Being with other fish just stresses the betta out. I dont know what you mean by Albino frog... if you mean albino african clawed frog then ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!! ACFs get really big about 5 inches fron nose to butt and they get wide too!. ACFs will attack any fish, will eat anything it can catch... will even attack large fish like Oscars. African Dwarf Frogs on the other hand are tiny and they grow up t.o 2.5 inches. I've heard stories where some people have successfully kept ADFs with bettas but I dont reccommend this at all. A lot of people have found success with Cory cats, small bottom fedders that like to be in groups of 3 or more. If you have a 10 gallon... you can put a betta and 3 cory cats. In a 5 gallon MAYBE the betta would be fine with 2 oto cats. it really depends on the personality of the fish. Even if one doesnt look aggressive, you can never be sure about it until it is actually put with other fish.

JasmynJade

Thanks for the info. I'll leave Charlie, the beta by himself...and forget the ACF!
I'm still interested in the Blue Lobsters.....we are getting a 10 gal tank ready and that's what I would like to start
with.
We have a 30 gal and it's full and doing well with 2 puffers...they are so cute and many other fish.
We also just bought a 29gal......it has been going since last night, no fish!

2 questions:

1. What are the best fish to start with when your tank is cycling...just until it's finished?
2. What other fish/crawly things can I put in with the blue lobster? And does the blue
lobster require a special amount of water....or full tank?

Thank you so much...this is a very cosly hobby to make mistakes.

darkwolf29a

You'll be fine with a full tank.

As far as fish go...I'd stick to anything that would inhabit the top portion of the tank. Stay away from plecos, crabs, catfish, shrimp, etc. as the cray will consider them a snack, at some point. I have a cray, that I thought entirely docile, until I put a pleco in the tank with her. Then, she remembered what meat was, and how to get it.

She's in a tank with her old tankmates, a tetra and 3 tiger barbs, and they all get along.

JasmynJade

Our 2 Black spotted puffers are getting larger. We bought 2 baby puffers and put in there with the community tank, as we put them in, the big male swam over really fast and bumped the little male. The little male PUFFED up and floated to the bottom.
Everything was fine for a week. THEN, yesterday, the big female puffer took a bite
out of the little female puffer's back...and it was history in about an hour.... .
That little female puffer was my favorite in the whole tank, it had such a cute face...looked just like a dolphin face, except the color of course! Both of the young
ones were different kinds than the 2 BSP. They don't feel like normal fish!
We are cycling a new tank right now for the puffers, as soon as it's ready, they are
getting a new home!!!
I don't think I will be getting the blue lobster....too many problems, but they are REALLY neat! We are also cycling a 30 gal tank, gonna get some Cichild's.....
I didn't know how to pronounce that until recently.....I thought it was (cha-child) and the girl at the pet store laughed at me...(SICK-LID)....who came up with that spelling?

darkwolf29a

Yeah, honestly...if I had it to do all over again...I would have gotten cichlids instead of the cray myself. I like Charlie, but she can be a pain in the neck, since there are few tankmates that can live with her. I'm tempted to try a few things, I just worry about the results of that trial.

Charlie's getting big now, and she has developed quite the little attitude. I wish I could find a fish that she couldn't hurt to adjust that for her...she needs it.

JasmynJade

Oh, I LOVE The name "Charlie"....that's my beta's name....and I have named other
things that name....even when my kids were little, they would ask me what would be a good name for this and that, I always said "CHARLIE"....lol.
No cray for me. The puffers are aggresive enough...and now, my favorite one has been murdered by one of his own!
We are going to buy smaller Cichild's for the 30 gal, and work on finding a 75 gallon soon.
We should have it bought and cycled by the time they are ready for it.
OMG....a 75 gallon would be our FIFTH tank....I think we better STOP here!!!!!
This is addicting!!

gmann21193

I think you are developing a strong case of MTS.

JasmynJade

Ok, I'll bite....what's MTS?

gmann21193

Multi-Tank Syndrome

sirdarksol

That one took me quite a while to figure out, and I've got too much pride to ask.