Large crawly inverts that won't be eaten by fish?

[Betta132]

What are some good shrimp/crayfish/etc type critters that can be kept with fish past 2" long?
I kinda like amano shrimp, but they're a bit delicate, physically.
Bamboo shrimp are also pretty neat, but they hide constantly.
Viper shrimp are pretty awesome and definitely nice and large, but they seem to hide a lot and can be a bit tricky to keep fed.
Mexican orange crays/dwarf crays/whatever you call the tiny orange ones are pretty iffy with fish and are a bit too small anyway.
Thai micro crabs are shy and far, far, far too small.
Most other crays will try to eat fish, as far as I'm aware.
Are there any prawns that don't attack fish? Any crayfish?

 

[chazwood918]

I see that this thread is several months out without any assistance but for what it's worth; I'll chime in. Let me preface this message however, by saying that I consider myself to be extremely knowledgeable regarding freshwater aquarium keeping, but shrimp are a specific aspect I would not classify myself and an expert for.

To answer your question, I really need to know what type of fish you're keeping in the tank. Size is secondary but also important. I can however, tell you that I have years of experience with keeping fish, invertebrates, and live plants and generally: advice regarding crayfish in particular, is generally exaggerated.

Based off what you've provided above I'll say this. Freshwater shrimp of virtually all species are too small and too delicate to integrate into a community of anything over 2 inches, except possibly for bamboo shrimp which don't truly provide the "shrimp look" in my opinion, but can grow significantly larger than any other freshwater shrimp that I'm aware of. That's the bad news. The good news; you have plenty of options for integrating crayfish and crabs with a variety of fish.

A lot of pet stores and forums will tell you that crayfish can dominate a tank and eat fish like candy. But that is simply a dramatic exaggeration. If the fish are tiny and slow then sure they can become targets for food. But I have never once had an issue. They've never bothered Pleccos or ropefish (which spend almost all of their time along the substrate floor with the crays), and most other fish are simply too quick or in many cases: school along the top of the tank (sharks, barbs, gourami, etc). They are far more docile than most describe them, but may be unfairly blamed for a death because if you have a fish die, the moment its both is within reach, the crayfish will begin to devour it.

I can go into talking about a myriad of tankmates, feeding, aquarium setup, breeding, etc but I will wait and see if you comment back regarding what you currently have or what you're thinking about adding in the future. Again I repeat, shrimp are going to limit your options significantly, but crayfish and fiddler crabs can live together and add a pretty awesome aspect to your home aquarium if kept properly. And if you are newer to the hobby and assuming that shrimp provide the only color invertebrate species for freshwater. You should know there are purple and yellow crab, white lobsters, electric blue lobsters, etc... There's a lot more out there than most know, if you know where to look.

 

[Betta132]

Aren't fiddler crabs brackish water? And electric blue "lobsters" are crawdads/crayfish/etc.

I have a few different tanks I'd like to try to add some non-fish texture to.

One of them is a betta tank, but I don't think anything is betta-compatible. Either it's too delicate to put up with being nipped at or it'll go after the betta's fins.

Another tank is a 65g whose most damage-capable inhabitants are a longear sunfish and a warmouth sunfish. I've considered a native crayfish of some sort, but I'm a bit concerned that the sunfish would tear it apart when it molted- they're really good at getting food they really want.

The third tank is a 30g that mostly houses very small fish like gold tetras. There's also a ram, a darter, and a female betta, so they do add some limits. There's a viper shrimp in there currently, and it's durable enough to fend off anything tiny that goes after it, but I practically never see it. I think this one is out of the question because the darter would be attacked by any crayfish I put in there, and the ram and betta would probably tear apart any smaller shrimp.

The fourth is a tank with cories, skirt tetras, a leopard ctenopoma, a Mexican molly (big molly, nearly 4"), and possibly a banjo cat. Haven't seen the banjo in a month, but the tank is full of tannins and leaf litter, it might just be invisible. I think this is the best possibility for some sort of invert, maybe something unaggressive.

Basically I want some inverts that won't murder my fish or be murdered by my fish.

 

[Binge]

I would seuggest against electric blue lobsters I bred them for around 2 years. They are one of the few species of cray that will kill out of fun and not just hunger.

I am not saying they cannot be kept with fish but if you prize a particular fish highly keep them seperate. Chaz is correct that most times the aggression is exagerated (unless the crays breed then its armageddon cus there are 1-200 of em). But losses can and will happen when things with claws and things with fins are kept together.

 

[predatorkeeper87]

I'll tell you right now the sunfish/warmouth tank is a no-go for any inverts. my pumpkinseed annihilates crayfish, if he cant eat them he'll sure as hell try to see how long it takes to break them...

your other tanks are shrimp worthy I'd say, I've never had shrimp attempt to eat any smaller fish. My crays I had back in the day would catch fathead minnows like they were standing still so crays are definitely not small fish friendly lol. The ONLY fish I see as an issue (and he will be an issue for all the fish in the tank once he gets 5"+) is the leopard C. My pair I have in my poly tank eat EVERYTHING smaller than them. I mean everything. They are aggressive at times as well. Shrimp will be a huge treat for him haha.

 

[ukgoffer]

I used to keep a blue Malawi crab that was gorgeous and about 4 or 5" across. The only problem I ever had with him was that he was an escape artist. Didn't other my cats, dats or scars.

 

[ukgoffer]

^scats

 

[chazwood918]

To go back to the response about brackish fiddlers and crays, I have always introduces small amounts of aquarium salt to provide better conditions for the fish but certainly not to the level of brackish. Yes, many of these species are advised to be kept in brackish conditions and also to be provided with a 50/50 land/water ratio. However, unlike brackish fish, who generally require an increasing salinity as they grow to survive: these inverts do not. The caveat is that their diets and behaviors need to be monitored closely. They need nutrients for their shells, hiding places so they can safely molt, and like anything in your tank: cannot suffer from intense stress.

Bottom line here; you are asking the EXACT questions I was when I first began to explore inverts in a community tank. I can offer you a ton of advice regarding this topic but in order to determine what is right for the tank is going to depend on several factors. Nonetheless, as a basic answer I still stick by crays and crabs.

Do your research though, or ask for help. The crays are beautiful. I have kept a white, electric red, and electric blue together with 2 fiddlers for over a year now along with select cichlids and plecos with absolutely no problems whatsoever. I will tell you also, that if you really look (far beyond the reach of your LFS), there are relatively new species of freshwater crab and cray indigenous to Indonesia and making their way to the aquarium trade. They are still difficult to get a hold of, and can be a bit pricey but there are some amazing new options. For you: I'd take a look at panther crabs.

But since it's been months; what'd you end up going with, if anything?