Yappe

What exactly do they little guys do? Are they just keep for looks and for sometimes eating leftovers? Are is there some other use? I'll be getting a tank with kuhil, tetras, and a gourami. I wanted a blue lobster but someone said they will hurt the fish. Would the crabs or shrimp be ok with kuhil? Sorry for the disorganized questions

King_Snuggles

I’m still new, but I know shrimp will eat allege. I have heard that a blue lobster will eat you tetras, and probably you’re other fish as well. I know that the shrimp are scavengers and will eat other stuff. I would not think a shrimp would hurt a kuhil. I don’t really know anything about crabs.

armadillo

I'd say steer clear of crabs, as a lot of people report them snipping at fish.

Shrimps are a good addition to a kuhli tank. We have them together in ours. Shrimp are cleaners. They're ok'ish algae eaters, but not on your glass. They'll scrape off some of the algae off your broad leaved plants. I wouldn't rely on them as algae controllers, but they do do *some* amounts of algae cleaning. They're good at eating scraps of food off the tank substrate. You might end up in a bind, though, as you'll be worried about whether your shrimp are having enough to eat, therefore you'll purposefully overfeed your fish.

0morrokh

Some shrimp, such as Amanos, eat more algae than others. I think most people just keep shrimp because they're so cool, and some come in nice bright colors. I agree, definately no crab but shrimp would be a nice addition to the tank.

lili70

Nothing. But Cherry shrimps are RED. That's something !
L

bandito974

I bought a couple of crabs once they were fun to watch, occasionally one would climb the air tubing and we'd find hime walking accross the kitchen Tiles!
he did this many times before he finally died!
was a great little escape artist

Wolfgang8810

i have had blue crayfish and they WILL eat your fish. It dosent matter if they are fast moving fish because alll fish sleep and the crayfish and ccrabs are noctournal. so i wouldnt count on not losing any fish. However, on their own they are really cool to watch. Crayfish will also demolish your plants.

sirdarksol

Shrimp eat algae, though they don't keep your tank clean of it. All three are pretty good scavengers, and will help keep your substrate free of excess food. Crayfish are notorious for eating nearly anything, including your fish, so it's a huge risk if you put them in with fish. Some people have done this without problems, but I think more have ended up losing fish.

Jacko

Most shrimps will eat algae, there are two types. Filter feeders, they have little fans instead of claws and filter food out of the water. There are the ones with claws, they pick food from the gravel and plants.

Steer clear of the crays, they can be pretty aggressive towards tankmates and your kuhli loaches would be likely targets as they inhabit the bottom.
Stay away from Crabs too, there aren't many fully aquatic crabs and those that are tend to be difficult to find. Fiddler crabs need some beach access or they will eventually die.

sirdarksol

There is one breed of freshwater crab that I have seen at two separate stores in the area. Too bad I can't remember which one it is...
The ones that need "beach" can be helped out by floating packing peanuts (not the biodegradable kind) on the surface of the water. They'll find them and stand on them for their access.
Or you can lower the water level a bit and add a bit of driftwood that extends out of the water.