I have a 20gal

[Mrchub]

and i want to get a crayfish of some sort would i be able to?
there are two tri-color sharks in the tank
and i plan on geting a 55gal soon

[sykofrenic]

i had a crayfish in one of my tanks for a while and it tore up ALL of my plants and attacked my fish (pbass). so be aware that they can be little *******. and they eat meat too

[Mrchub]

but there so cute =[

[black_sun]

i had a crayfish in one of my tanks for a while and it tore up ALL of my plants and attacked my fish (pbass). so be aware that they can be little *******. and they eat meat too

Not attacking or disagreeing, but this is why it's important to study various species before acquiring them. Not all crayfish tear up plants, not all crayfish attack fish, not all crayfish eat meat, etc. A lot of issues with crayfish come from the fact that species that should be kept alone in tanks are forced into community settings or vice versa. Or that proper tanks aren't set up for species that require very specific environments and conditions, which can result in abnormal behaviors or death.

To the OP: A 20gal is suited for a variety of crayfish, be mindful that some of the favored Aussie species that are commonly sold will outgrow a 20gal easily. Most NA species, on the other hand, will do fine in them. However, a lot of NA species are very fish aggressive and would not be suited for your tank (2 of the most commonly sold ones, P. clarkii and P. alleni, for example are very fish aggressive and prefer meat matter over vegetable. They'd probably beat on your fish and could potentially kill them). I believe Tri-Colors are omnivorous, yes? If the crayfish had offspring they may become food for them, but I'm not sure, since I don't keep Tri-Colors.

If you want a crayfish I'd suggest getting Cherax quads (these will require large tanks as adults), O. virilis, O. limosus, Marmorkrebs, Cherax sp. Hoa Creek, etc. These are more passive species... not that casualties can't occur, but they'd be less likely to.

But if you don't know what species you're getting, general rule for safety... crayfish = species tanks, not community.

[Mrchub]

i bleave the tri-colors are i plan on geting a 55 soon
and ty i will take alook at my LFS 2 see witch ones they got

[chloe]

i had 2 blue claw lobsters and they were brilliant. they lived with fronts and blood parrots. they stayed in their hidey holes until food came then they were everywhere. brilliant!

[rodder506]

I actually caught 3 crawfish in on of my friends creeks. They love to eat shirmp pellets but also like to ride on my oscar by pinching him.

[Mrchub]

kool i really want blue cray's really bad
and koolie im in NY so no fishing for me=[

[Mrchub]

sory i ment a 10gal just noticed
and would a cray be ok ina 10gal with 2 tri-colors

[black_sun]

but also like to ride on my oscar by pinching him.

lol, one of my babies used to do that with the Hoplo I had in his tank. I'd look over and see the Hoplo zooming around with a cray holding on for dear life to it's tail :D

[black_sun]

kool i really want blue cray's really bad
and koolie im in NY so no fishing for me=[

Definitely check the species on "blue crays". Two of the commonly sold "blue" crayfish come with issues:

Cherax quads- Okay for some community tanks, but reach very large sizes and require much larger tanks than the average crayfish.

Procambarus alleni- Okay for almost all sized tanks, but highly aggressive and very carnivorous. Most will actively hunt tankmates (not all, but a lot will).

They both look wicked though, that's for sure! ^_^

(Where in NY are you? There's a few interesting species up there, just depends on the area.)


sory i ment a 10gal just noticed
and would a cray be ok ina 10gal with 2 tri-colors

Rule out most Aussie species, they'll get too large for a 10gal. Some Indos and almost all NA species should be okay in a 10gal. Just one crayfish, though. Unless you're getting dwarf species, it'll be too overcrowded with more than 1. And careful with the Tri Colors, it'll be less room for them to escape/avoid/etc the crayfish if you end up with an aggressive species (or just a hungry crayfish).

[Mrchub]

lol
if i got a cray he/she would have a fun time rideing my tri-color they move around very fast

[Mrchub]

ah
well unless they fast they proly wotn catch the tri's
and i plan 2 upgrade ina month or so 50 gal >: ]!
i want 2 get a baby cray and watch it grow
and im bookyln sadly=[

[Mrchub]

<.<

[gt1009]

My favorite thing that ever happened when my crays were alive was when I put a dozen rosy reds in the tank after starving them for a while. The crays would grab a rosy red and chop it up with their claws. If you want to do this, just watch for when they start to go after other fish in the tank, and then throw some rosy reds in, but don't match the temperature exactly so they are a little shocked when you put them in the tank.

[black_sun]

ah
well unless they fast they proly wotn catch the tri's
and i plan 2 upgrade ina month or so 50 gal >: ]!
i want 2 get a baby cray and watch it grow
and im bookyln sadly=[

Pfft, get babies of whatever you want then. A 50gal is good for a couple of crays (2 max of large Aussie species like quads and destructors though).

And damn, maybe there's urban crayfish in Brooklyn somewhere lol

[Freezekougra]

Lol I'm in Brooklyn too. If only I could go dive in the Hudson river and find an arowana :)

[Mrchub]

lets go >=O!