What tank mates can I have with my crayfish?

I recently got a tangerine lobster. Currently, he is alone in a ten-gallon. He's got two caves and stuff to climb. The filter I have on the tank is much bigger than is needed, designed for 30+ gallons, so it's well filtered. I was wondering what tank mates I could have with him, if any. The temperature is set at 76 but I may lower it if he would be more comfortable at a lower temperature.

 

While a 10 gallon tank should be sufficient for a single crayfish, you might find it crowded with the addition of fish. Crayfish consider small fish to be snacks. A 10 gallon tank is not really large enough for fish big enough and fast enough to avoid being eaten.

 

While a 10 gallon tank should be sufficient for a single crayfish, you might find it crowded with the addition of fish. Crayfish consider small fish to be snacks. A 10 gallon tank is not really large enough for fish big enough and fast enough to avoid being eaten.

That's what I figured, but thought I'd ask anyway. So no to small minnows? If a few get eaten now and then, I'm not against him having a good meal as long as most survive. My main concern would be the bio load.

 

The crayfish will probably love feeder minnows.

 

The crayfish will probably love feeder minnows.

Do they have a large bio load? I wouldn't mind him getting a live meal now and then if most survive and the bio load wouldn't be too much.

 

it has been 40 years since I have kept a crayfish, so I do not remember. If you do not overfeed it, you should be OK. If it gorges itself on feeder fish, all bets are off.

 

it has been 40 years since I have kept a crayfish, so I do not remember. If you do not overfeed it, you should be OK. If it gorges itself on feeder fish, all bets are off.

So safest thing would be to not have tank mates, then. If that's what's best, I won't have fish with him. I don't want my cycle crashing or an ammonia spike harming him. Maybe I'll try some small shrimp.

 

I would say, learn what you need to learn for the well being of the crayfish, theres nutrient concerns for molting, which if it's a young one, it's going to be fast approaching, you don't want him stuck mid molt,

I would say learn what it needs, make sure it's well taken care of, then worry about adding small fish for him to eat and interact with. Soo many people get a cray, don't supplement the tank if needed, and on the first molt get into trouble with it, or the 3rd molt when nutrients run low.

Also The cray is going to be extremely vulnerable during molting, before adding fish, you'd want to get through a couple molts, see if it likes and using the caves for protection during molt, or staying out in the open where it's really vulnerable, I'd honestly give it a few months and a few molts, see what the routine is, and if it's all going well and he's doing what he's supposed to do and take cover to molt before adding anything to the tank that could take advantage of him without a shell and do damage to him.

Not saying he can't have tank mates at some point, Just saying you'd want him all settled in and feel comfortable about him and his care before adding anything else to the equation that could possibly harm him, it will be enough just getting comfortable with making sure his needs are met at first so he can live and molt and grow big and old and in a healthy manner.

 

I would say, learn what you need to learn for the well being of the crayfish, theres nutrient concerns for molting, which if it's a young one, it's going to be fast approaching, you don't want him stuck mid molt,

I would say learn what it needs, make sure it's well taken care of, then worry about adding small fish for him to eat and interact with. Soo many people get a cray, don't supplement the tank if needed, and on the first molt get into trouble with it, or the 3rd molt when nutrients run low.

Also The cray is going to be extremely vulnerable during molting, before adding fish, you'd want to get through a couple molts, see if it likes and using the caves for protection during molt, or staying out in the open where it's really vulnerable, I'd honestly give it a few months and a few molts, see what the routine is, and if it's all going well and he's doing what he's supposed to do and take cover to molt before adding anything to the tank that could take advantage of him without a shell and do damage to him.

Not saying he can't have tank mates at some point, Just saying you'd want him all settled in and feel comfortable about him and his care before adding anything else to the equation that could possibly harm him, it will be enough just getting comfortable with making sure his needs are met at first so he can live and molt and grow big and old and in a healthy manner.

Thanks, I'll do that. He is definitely young, probably 3 inches including claws. Nutrient wise, I was going to do the same thing I do for my shrimp. One small piece of a shrimp pellet daily. I'll feed a mineral one weekly. I also add small chunks of cuttlebone to the tank occasionally for calcium.

I would say, learn what you need to learn for the well being of the crayfish, theres nutrient concerns for molting, which if it's a young one, it's going to be fast approaching, you don't want him stuck mid molt,

I would say learn what it needs, make sure it's well taken care of, then worry about adding small fish for him to eat and interact with. Soo many people get a cray, don't supplement the tank if needed, and on the first molt get into trouble with it, or the 3rd molt when nutrients run low.

Also The cray is going to be extremely vulnerable during molting, before adding fish, you'd want to get through a couple molts, see if it likes and using the caves for protection during molt, or staying out in the open where it's really vulnerable, I'd honestly give it a few months and a few molts, see what the routine is, and if it's all going well and he's doing what he's supposed to do and take cover to molt before adding anything to the tank that could take advantage of him without a shell and do damage to him.

Not saying he can't have tank mates at some point, Just saying you'd want him all settled in and feel comfortable about him and his care before adding anything else to the equation that could possibly harm him, it will be enough just getting comfortable with making sure his needs are met at first so he can live and molt and grow big and old and in a healthy manner.

Also, any tips on molting? I've read a lot of people have issues with them getting stuck in molt. My water is really soft, ph is 6.2. I do add cuttlebone for calcium though.

 

they are kind of calcium heavy, it would a calcium monitoring test would help to make sure it's available in the tank and to the crayfish, as well as with the diet for it, I mean clearly it's bigger than a shrimp and gains a thicker shell.

Also have to see if it consumes the molted old shell, it can gain a lot of calcium by doing that after molts, if it doesn't though it might need more supplementation for the next molt. Just there's seeing how it is, and what its doing, and finding the right amount of care needed so that the crayfish is happy and healthy, is all. A GH test tests calcium and magnesium, but it won't tell you if it's calcium or magnesium. it could be magnesium heavy and calcium light.

it's similar to shrimp, if you'd kept a larger colony of them, the crawfish when young might molt every week to 10 days, and at full size once every 30 days, and longer as it gets older and older. I'm not sure how often shrimp molt, once a month? but one crayfish will take a lot more calcium that.

As I understand it, when the crayfish get ready to molt they move the calcium out of their shell into like stones in the stomach, they shed the shell, the stones drop and the calcium from the previous shell and it builds the new one and it's topped off by calcium from the diet, the environment and what is left behind in the old shell. So, there's the body reserve (old shell stones in the stomach, and diet) , and there's the environment reserve (from the water, old shell being consumed)

There can be a deficiency that causes a molt to get stuck and too soft to get out of it, and there can also be too much of a good thing and make it difficult to cast off the old shell because it's too hard, and then the new shell fuses with the old one as it comes in, in either case. I'd just say make sure you have the crayfish all figured out before adding fish, I hated losing crayfish when they molted. it's why I stopped keeping them but I been thinking of trying again, Thinking about going to hunt down some Procambarus alleni I used to see them fishing while using a dip net for minnows a long time ago, I just have to remember where I was again to go collect a couple. I refuse to pay $10-$15+ for something that's down the street in the canal for free with a little effort. LOL

 

they are kind of calcium heavy, it would a calcium monitoring test would help to make sure it's available in the tank and to the crayfish, as well as with the diet for it, I mean clearly it's bigger than a shrimp and gains a thicker shell.

Also have to see if it consumes the molted old shell, it can gain a lot of calcium by doing that after molts, if it doesn't though it might need more supplementation for the next molt. Just there's seeing how it is, and what its doing, and finding the right amount of care needed so that the crayfish is happy and healthy, is all. A GH test tests calcium and magnesium, but it won't tell you if it's calcium or magnesium. it could be magnesium heavy and calcium light.

it's similar to shrimp, if you'd kept a larger colony of them, the crawfish when young might molt every week to 10 days, and at full size once every 30 days, and longer as it gets older and older. I'm not sure how often shrimp molt, once a month? but one crayfish will take a lot more calcium that.

As I understand it, when the crayfish get ready to molt they move the calcium out of their shell into like stones in the stomach, they shed the shell, the stones drop and the calcium from the previous shell and it builds the new one and it's topped off by calcium from the diet, the environment and what is left behind in the old shell. So, there's the body reserve (old shell stones in the stomach, and diet) , and there's the environment reserve (from the water, old shell being consumed)

There can be a deficiency that causes a molt to get stuck and too soft to get out of it, and there can also be too much of a good thing and make it difficult to cast off the old shell because it's too hard, and then the new shell fuses with the old one as it comes in, in either case. I'd just say make sure you have the crayfish all figured out before adding fish, I hated losing crayfish when they molted. it's why I stopped keeping them but I been thinking of trying again, Thinking about going to hunt down some Procambarus alleni I used to see them fishing while using a dip net for minnows a long time ago, I just have to remember where I was again to go collect a couple. I refuse to pay $10-$15+ for something that's down the street in the canal for free with a little effort. LOL

I actually do have a relatively large shrimp colony, including a vampire shrimp, which is similar in size to a crayfish. I guess if he's doing well, do the same for the crayfish.