Inverts for large cichlids

[Cyclop3000]

Oh yeah forgot to tell u that the crab WILL eat plants, so if you have a planted tank you can say bye bye to your beloved plants, he will shred them to pieces. Here are a few pics of my crab I found...first is a pic eating my plant, second two are him climbing up a piece of wood that went to the surface...escape artist I tell ya This guy is as big as my hand spread out. When they grow they shed their shell and replace it with a new one, very amazing to watch.

 

[Filthy Sanchez]

all cichlids are different. some will tear up crayfish and others will leave them alone. it's all trial and error when dealing with larger cichlids.

I agree I had a crayfish with big cichlids and other big predators, and it did just fine. The second time I tried it my pacus tore it apart.

 

[scottv]

Damn how do you guys do it??

Last time I threw a Crayfish in with just CONVICTS!! The cons tackled and it's arms fell apart...then they ate it up.


Other time, my Flowerhorn destroyed one right away.

These were 6" Crayfish.

 

[The_Gooch]

I've had no luck with a crayfish and my Jag. Crayfish get no peace and eventually they get picked apart. I have, however, had luck with a large apple snail. Although, every once in a while the Jag will play with the snail and bounce it around the tank.

 

[prawnman88]

i have a male and female macrobracium rosenbergi prawns there only arround 5 inchs and they are the bosses of my big tank everyone's like uh uh not going down there black mollies / gourami's and the guppys say kool kool your hood man

 

[Newt]

I had one of those huge apple snails in my 75, it was the size of a baseball. My fish picked at it until it died. Now I have a mix of smaller snails (the golf ball size apples, MTS, and some red ramshorn) and the fish ignore all of them. I also have some rather large (2 inch or so) ghost shrimp that were feeders but are now part of the janitorial staff.

My Cherax crayfish (now at 8 inches with claws) has also been doing great in my tank. It doesn't seem to bother the fish at all (lives in the same cave as my eel) and the fish ignore it. Of course, it's hit or miss with crayfish, some will tear your fish apart while the fish sleep at night. I got really lucky with mine, but I still keep a close eye on it. I think feeding it a lot helps. It is eats "snail cookies" and Tetra tablets three times a week along with what it picks off the gravel.

All of that being said, the only cichlids in the tank are convicts. I don't know how larger cichlids would be with my above mix.

 

[prawnman88]

i have turned the lights out then i watch with a led flashlight i have and proteus my dom male goes up on the plants and says all i really want to do is help the fish when they sleep heh also i found with like my prawns aka evil long arm vietnam shrimp lots of airation and food once a day and they seem to be not so pissy

 

[c84]

That crab looks awesome. What kind of crab is it?

 

[prawnman88]

your 2nd pic looks liek he's liek damm it he has a camera and he saw me guess ill wait till he goes to bed lol man seems liek crabs always get picked on from everyone in the ocens no wonder there pissy i whould be to if everyone was trying to eat me

 

[chefdazza]

i have had good luck with crayfish and lobsters in with large cichlids apple snails too, i tries crabs once but they died, i saw an australian lobster at my lfs today and it was huge i wanted to buy him, but i knew he would escape, lobsters are escape artists