Can't they all just get along?

[Boxfish Askew]

Hello,

I'm new to this whole business so go easy on my ignorance if you can. As I understand it, cray fish are bottom dwellers. I can see where they could wreck havoc on plecos and such, although I'm still hopeful that with a decent sized pleco and plenty of hiding spots for both, that they could learn to live with each other.

Pending that stretch of optimism, is it possible to keep upper level fish with the cray? Or even medium? Is this naivity to the extreme? I was hoping to stock a 55 gallon with a good amount of hopefully mild mannered African Cichlids...is this sure death to the cray? (I wanted some little crabs in there too but even a rookie such as myself can see where this is going...) Thanks guys.

 

[H]-[H]

I've tried putting a cray with flowerhorn(6"+) & both seemed fine.. They even play along well.. that's until the cray chew off my filter wire & I transferred it to the other side of my tank with arowana & clown fish.. I'm just worried the cray will tear them apart since both the aro & ck are still small.. It's also annoying that the cray would chew on anything including driftwood..

 

[synodontisjack]

depends on the spescies of cray some get far larger and are far more aggresive than others, i am currently keeping cherax peknyi in a large fish community with no problems, however i know if i put my adult male c. quadricarinatus in (males tend to be more aggesive than females) fish would slowly start to disapear.

 

[TwistedPenguin]

I wouldn't get too attached to the fish. With enough hiding places for the cray after he molts he should be fine.