Lobster The Plant Monster : Will This Be The End For All Tank Plants?

When I got my Tangerine Lobster I was under the impression that they will dig up plant, eat mostly meat, and giving them a frozen pea every now and then. I feed him shrimp but of course like most aquatic animals he's always on the hunt for food. So... He started off by climbing up the air tube and eating all my Frogbit. Heck, he'd grab onto the frog bit and eat it while floating around the tank. He was eating so much of it that he's eating it faster than it can grow. I like my Frogbit and would rather it doesn't go extinct from the tank so I removed the air tube.
Well, like an rebellious lobster he decided he'd throw a fit and hunt the fish. Now he is great at hunting ghost shrimp but the fish... Their onto his little game. He gets positioned and tries to pounce on them but the fish are too fast. One of my fish likes to spend most his time swimming in a pattern. The lobster got to the highest point of the tank, got to the edge of the decor, outreached his claws, and by this point I knew he was gonna pounce on the fish as it swam by. (Turns out Yellow Electric's are able to outsmart the lobster) The fish swam lower this time around and charged at the lobster from underneath and booped him off the stump then continued to do his laps.
I think my lobster was embarrassed cuz he went and faced a rock for awhile like he was in time out. However it didn't end there. He decided that hunting the fish for work so now he's been munching on my Anubis plants and I woke up this morning to find him back up on the Frogbit floating around and eating all the vine. Which means one thing... he has finally figured out that he can climbed up the filter intake tube.
I have learned something about Tangerine lobsters... They are the Goats of the fresh water. I was having a hard time coming up with a name for him but now I finally have it... Roomba!
I did have plans to fully plant this tank in the future as I only have a few plants now though I think it's gonna be impossible with Roomba on the loose.

 

I loved this and it's absolutely true. They never stop no matter what you feed them. I have a blue cray. I had to remove fake plants because I was finding green plastic particulate when I siphoned the gravel. I have had to replace the tank for stripped out silicone. He has escaped twice in the last 5 years. Don't worry for the rasboras in the pic, they all lived around him for a few months before I moved them to their own tank without any casualties.

 

I loved this and it's absolutely true. They never stop no matter what you feed them. I have a blue cray. I had to remove fake plants because I was finding green plastic particulate when I siphoned the gravel. I have had to replace the tank for stripped out silicone. He has escaped twice in the last 5 years. Don't worry for the rasboras in the pic, they all lived around him for a few months before I moved them to their own tank without any casualties.

He is beautiful! They are destructive little buggers but still love em.

 

I’ve had Crays before and you can kiss all your live plants good-bye

 

Lol... yea, I've read this about them. At first I read about them on care guide type sites that this was all "possible" (possibility depending on what genus that they belonged to/size of crayfish). Theeeen I read forums, people's experiences lol... and I read a lot of comments like y'all's! Decided that I'll steer clear of them! (Like my plants too much! Haha!)

Platyarelife, what species/type of orange crayfish is he? One of the tiny ones? Or of the "larger" middle-sized genus/species.... ugh, sorry, I can't remember the scientific names of what I'm referring to. (Like the beautiful blue one Carbeo showed above)

The bigger the species gets, the more "destructive" they are to community & plant lives

FYI we call 'em crawdads down here in the south!

Lol... it's also very painful to land on your butt in a creek right beside the wild ones we have here (they aren't too happy with the intrusion) ... talk about a pain in the butt!

 

Or of the "larger" middle-sized genus/species.... ugh, sorry, I can't remember the scientific names of what I'm referring to. (Like the beautiful blue one Carbeo showed above)

Reddit found mine perfectly. cherax quadricarinatus. And they said it looks female apparently.

 

Same here! My Tangerine Cray Megatron will nibble on the plants but she doesn't destroy too much, she'll eat java moss like a salad but she's not touched my elodea and bacopa aside from the accidental uprooting of fresh cuttings (i've decided to leave the elodea wherever she pushes it, which is now entangled onto the bacopa, ah well, next water change I'll fix it!)

As for the fish, she's killed one so far and it was the fish's fault for never letting up when nibbling on Megatron's antenna(?) the other feeders I dropped in for her learned not to do that and swim under her claws even.

 

Platyarelife, what species/type of orange crayfish is he? One of the tiny ones? Or of the "larger" middle-sized genus/species.... ugh, sorry, I can't remember the scientific names of what I'm referring to. (Like the beautiful blue one Carbeo showed above)

All I know is that he's a Tangerine. As far as size goes he could get up to 5 inches however 4-4 1/2 is more likely. I think he's about there too. I haven't had him very long and he's grown a lot. Maybe the frogbit is like steroids for lobsters.

Same here! My Tangerine Cray Megatron will nibble on the plants but she doesn't destroy too much, she'll eat java moss like a salad but she's not touched my elodea and bacopa aside from the accidental uprooting of fresh cuttings (i've decided to leave the elodea wherever she pushes it, which is now entangled onto the bacopa, ah well, next water change I'll fix it!)

As for the fish, she's killed one so far and it was the fish's fault for never letting up when nibbling on Megatron's antenna(?) the other feeders I dropped in for her learned not to do that and swim under her claws even.

So far Roomba leaves the fish alone for the most part unless he gets bored. He's more interested in the plants and devours the dry brine shrimp. I tried something out recently that was actually a decent experiment and I think I'll do it once-twice a month. I bought about 6 ghost shrimp and let em loose and Roomba hunted them down. It was fascinating to watch. The fish of course got one or two of them but roomba was all over it. Even though he still wanted plants after that I think it killed some of the want to attack the fish.
Also Roomba doesn't have his inner claw. I don't know if LFS I got him from removed it or the people they got him from but without that he'd have a hard time doing any real damage to a fish. So far he's not caught or hurt any of the fish.

 

I haven't ever had a crayfish...I will now know to stay away LOL. I love my plants too much.

 

All I know is that he's a Tangerine. As far as size goes he could get up to 5 inches however 4-4 1/2 is more likely. I think he's about there too. I haven't had him very long and he's grown a lot. Maybe the frogbit is like steroids for lobsters.


So far Roomba leaves the fish alone for the most part unless he gets bored. He's more interested in the plants and devours the dry brine shrimp. I tried something out recently that was actually a decent experiment and I think I'll do it once-twice a month. I bought about 6 ghost shrimp and let em loose and Roomba hunted them down. It was fascinating to watch. The fish of course got one or two of them but roomba was all over it. Even though he still wanted plants after that I think it killed some of the want to attack the fish.
Also Roomba doesn't have his inner claw. I don't know if LFS I got him from removed it or the people they got him from but without that he'd have a hard time doing any real damage to a fish. So far he's not caught or hurt any of the fish.

Ooh, as far as I know, if he gets to that size (you'll have to do this sooner than that max size), he will definitely need his own tank. How big is he now? I doubt they removed his claw on purpose, it was probably in a fight with another X-ray. (Edit: baahahaha! Autocorrect! "Cray" was what I meant!) How long have you had him? As far as I remember, they can usually grow claws back.. but that may not always apply... I can't remember.

Also, btw, getting to the highest point in the tank so they can catch fish is exactly natural behavior!

 

Mine lost her claws because they were infected with Shell Rot when I first got her. she regrew them after three molts within two months, she was still 3 and a half inches long then so she was pretty young. I'm sure yours will regrow them eventually, you can even see progress! I thought Megatron had worms growing out of the stumps until I realized she moved them like claws, it was incredible to see such tiny baby claws become much bigger after a molt!

 

Ooh, as far as I know, if he gets to that size (you'll have to do this sooner than that max size), he will definitely need his own tank. How big is he now? I doubt they removed his claw on purpose, it was probably in a fight with another X-ray. (Edit: baahahaha! Autocorrect! "Cray" was what I meant!) How long have you had him? As far as I remember, they can usually grow claws back.. but that may not always apply... I can't remember.

He's about max size now. It's possible he won't get any bigger than he is. He's gotten fatter but not longer. I've had him a few weeks now. Yes they will regrow all their limbs however their inner claw won't grow back. When I first got him he was missing 3 legs and they all grew back in about 6 days. One of his antennas is regrowing as well.

Don't get a Tangerine Lobster if you value your plants.

 

He's adorable!! (Even though those ghost shrimp may not agree! Haha!! Bet that's entertaining ) looks like he's done a number on that anubias (?) he's sitting on!!

Lol... thanks for the advise! I had read that fact when researching them (would've had to order a Cray if I wanted one (stupid autocorrect did it again!)) and I looked at all the species available to aquarists... that's why I have a spacey moment where I can't remember their scientific names. You do know that there is a dwarf crayfish Mexican variety.. they also come in orange. Too small to do any damage, kinda like a nano fish (I'll go look up what I see in my head lol.. can't remember the name. Been awhile, gotta refresh the memory).

Ok, I couldn't remember if there was one part that wouldn't grow back... but, I will say.. if he has his two big claws, he can certainly kill your fish! All he has to do is learn to catch them. 4 1/2 is quite large, I'd keep an eye on the other inhabitants if it were me. If ya need an extra tank and don't have the $$, (and live close by? NC?), I'd be happy to give you one of my extra tanks - 10 or 20H? Because he will figure out how to catch your fish eventually. All he has is time inside a glass box with his future food swimming around. (Sorry... read way too many stories that started like yours, and ended like this).

And, trust me, I'm sure it's VERY entertaining to watch him catch those ghost shrimp!! Lol! I'd truly like to watch that! I like watching my Betta catch his live mosquito larvae... and any moth/bug that lands on the surface of the water! If you don't mind feeding him your fish, no judgement lol.. just wanted to warn you. I spend most my hours reading/researching, and crayfish occupied a good chunk of time at one point lol! That's why I decided against them... but they are absolutely fascinating for sure! Lol - that's why I clicked on your thread! I will most likely keep one at some point! They're fascinating!

 

It's the Procambarellus or Cherax genus that is what your crayfish is most likely in. They're best kept by themselves, sorry to tell you... they can pluck healthy, decent sized fish out of mid water once they figure it out.

Yea... CPO - Mexican dwarf crayfish - one species is Cambarellus patzcuarensis. These dwarf species get to around a length of 2 inches (i.e. Cute, but usually can't do any significant damage unless it's slow shrimp, long flowing fins, fry/juvies, or small, sick fish).

Other dwarf species include Cambarellus shufeldtii (Cajun dwarf crayfish), Cambarellus montezumae, Cambarellus ninae, etc. (they top out around the same size)

Found yours... decent basic care info (use it to get my feet wet sometimes when I'm casually looking at an invert)... doesn't give scientific name though. But it does cover what I'm saying.
Not trying to lecture! Just want you to know it can very easily get worse.

 

He's adorable!! (Even though those ghost shrimp may not agree! Haha!! Bet that's entertaining ) looks like he's done a number on that anubias (?) he's sitting on!!

Lol... thanks for the advise! I had read that fact when researching them (would've had to order a Cray if I wanted one (stupid autocorrect did it again!)) and I looked at all the species available to aquarists... that's why I have a spacey moment where I can't remember their scientific names. You do know that there is a dwarf crayfish Mexican variety.. they also come in orange. Too small to do any damage, kinda like a nano fish (I'll go look up what I see in my head lol.. can't remember the name. Been awhile, gotta refresh the memory).

Ok, I couldn't remember if there was one part that wouldn't grow back... but, I will say.. if he has his two big claws, he can certainly kill your fish! All he has to do is learn to catch them. 4 1/2 is quite large, I'd keep an eye on the other inhabitants if it were me. If ya need an extra tank and don't have the $$, (and live close by? NC?), I'd be happy to give you one of my extra tanks - 10 or 20H? Because he will figure out how to catch your fish eventually. All he has is time inside a glass box with his future food swimming around. (Sorry... read way too many stories that started like yours, and ended like this).

And, trust me, I'm sure it's VERY entertaining to watch him catch those ghost shrimp!! Lol! I'd truly like to watch that! I like watching my Betta catch his live mosquito larvae... and any moth/bug that lands on the surface of the water! If you don't mind feeding him your fish, no judgement lol.. just wanted to warn you. I spend most my hours reading/researching, and crayfish occupied a good chunk of time at one point lol! That's why I decided against them... but they are absolutely fascinating for sure! Lol - that's why I clicked on your thread! I will most likely keep one at some point! They're fascinating!

I know that they can catch fish however that's one of the reasons I put him with fish that won't let him be a push over. The Electric Yellows are more chill than other Cichlids however they are still semi-aggressive. They often put him in his place and have no problem pushing him around when he gets to be too much.They haven't bit him, even though they could, but they will shove him outta the way when he gets to be too much. The point of the live ghost shrimp is for him to exercise his hunting abilities so he doesn't feel he needs to attempt to jump the fish often. I do agree that his claws can cause some damage but he's not likely to kill one without his inner claw. The inner claw of the Lobster Cray and even Real lobsters is to kill and for killing their prey. They are sharp and have a good pressure behind them however if you remove the inner claw they loose their more deadly weapon. They are more of a threat to fish with long fin and feelers. Now, if he did catch a fish he could do some bad fin damage and remove some scales and put the fish in a lot of discomfort.
HI'm and the fish have their moments but they do play nice most the time and often the fish swim around him and he doesn't care much. The lobster will also warn fish to stay away if the fish is in it's territory or doesn't want the fish around. They will put their claws up in a defensive and "scary" manor that says "Buzz off" too the fish.(Not to be mistaken for aggression)
I just took him out and measured him and he's a 3 1/8 inches. He's also in a big enough tank so if he grows to be 4" he'll be fine. I know you are concerned but please don't be I wouldn't do anything to put my fishies in harms ways and I did research aggression and fish and compatibility before I got him.
Too bad i'm not around NC! Though I am outta room for tank at the moment lol!

It's the Procambarellus or Cherax genus that is what your crayfish is most likely in. They're best kept by themselves, sorry to tell you... they can pluck healthy, decent sized fish out of mid water once they figure it out.

Yea... CPO - Mexican dwarf crayfish - one species is Cambarellus patzcuarensis. These dwarf species get to around a length of 2 inches (i.e. Cute, but usually can't do any significant damage unless it's slow shrimp, long flowing fins, fry/juvies, or small, sick fish).

Other dwarf species include Cambarellus shufeldtii (Cajun dwarf crayfish), Cambarellus montezumae, Cambarellus ninae, etc. (they top out around the same size)

Not trying to lecture! Just want you to know it can very easily get worse.

I know you're not, Just letting you know I did research before I got him. I am fully aware of what they can do. I would be a terrible owner if I didn't understand their behavior and know what they are capable of. I can appreciate your concerns but don't fear he and the fish are in good hands.

 

I totally love your babies, and I love active threads about crays, wish there were more. heres my baby girl Megatron.

 

I always wanted a crayfish, but then I read stories like this. I still love them though, but I love my fish and plants more. Maybe one day I will be able to buy a tank just for a blue lobster planted with hardy fast growing plants that will be meant for it to eat. Kind of like making a outdoor bunny pen and planting clover in it. For now I will just have to settle with shrimp.

 

Lol... I'm sure the electric yellows do give him a run for his money! Didn't realize you were talking about Cichlids, sorry! Maybe I didn't read that part closely enough. I'm sure their interaction is truly interesting to watch. If I ever get a crayfish, I would seriously consider trying the same combination actually. (If it's not the dwarf variety lol) I do love Cichlids though, so it's not like it's anything out of the ordinary for me to want more

I appreciate how much you know, and I'm not worried at all!! I can tell you've done research, & I'm so sorry for assuming otherwise! Btw, I'd love to watch his hunting skills at ghost shrimp.. That, I'm sure, is very entertaining! I should go look at YouTube for something like that! Lol

 

Lol... I'm sure the electric yellows do give him a run for his money! Didn't realize you were talking about Cichlids, sorry! Maybe I didn't read that part closely enough. I'm sure their interaction is truly interesting to watch. If I ever get a crayfish, I would seriously consider trying the same combination actually. (If it's not the dwarf variety lol) I do love Cichlids though, so it's not like it's anything out of the ordinary for me to want more

I appreciate how much you know, and I'm not worried at all!! I can tell you've done research, & I'm so sorry for assuming otherwise! Btw, I'd love to watch his hunting skills at ghost shrimp.. That, I'm sure, is very entertaining! I should go look at YouTube for something like that! Lol

Yeah I found one shrimp still alive trying to hide in the frogbit! Cuz they are so small and their color it's hard to find em!