keeping a blue cray with bluegill/tetras

[le patron]

i have 3 tetras and one baby bluegill in a 10g. could i possibly keep a pair of blue crayfish with them? also, do they just eat dead fish and stuff?

 

[likestofish]

they might hunt down the bluegill.

 

[le patron]

bump

 

[le patron]

also, can any type of cray live in heated water? like 70 degrees?

 

[thefishguy7]

i have 3 tetras and one baby bluegill in a 10g. could i possibly keep a pair of blue crayfish with them? also, do they just eat dead fish and stuff?

10 gallons will not be big enough for a bluegill, I have caught bluegill larger than a dinner plate weighing over 3 pounds. 55 gallons should be a minimum.
The bluegill will eat the tetras when it grows larger too. You have some time to upgrade though...
Blue crayfish are EXTREMELY aggressive. My female killed my male during a molt, even with dozens of hiding places. They should be placed together for a few hours to spawn, then moved back into separate tanks. Unfortunatly, the female died several weeks later, the eggs never hatched, I never got to remove them, and I think the eggs were almost like parasites, eating off of her.
Crayfish are scavengers, but I find some blue crays are overly picky. Feed carnivore disks, algae discs, shrimp pellets, veggies, fish fillets, just about anything. DO NOT feed them shrimp though.
Crays are oppurtunistic predators, when something swims by, they'll attck in attempt to get a meal, no matter how large the fish is. You may also find the bluegill trying to eat the cray. For this reason, they should be kept by themselves in a 20 gallon+ tank. Most procambarus species reach 5"+claw. Procambarus clarkii, the red swamp crayfish gets over 8"+claw. (I have seen them with claws over 6")

also, can any type of cray live in heated water? like 70 degrees?

Most crays could care less about water temperature or ph. Bluegill prefer cooler water though, in the mid 60's. I've kept crayfish between 50 and 85 degrees. No issues. Copper is the crayfish-killer.

Hope all of this helps you.

 

[le patron]

well the bluegill is under an inch long right now, so that's why im keeping him in the ten. if you want to see pics go to the cold, temperate forum and look at baby bluegill. on the bottom of the second page is a pic of my baby bluegill. the bluegill doesnt seem to mind the warm water, as he spends most of his time under the heater.
well, i caught an inch long baby cray yesterday, am quarantining it, and cant wait to introduce it to my 10g

thanks for the help!

 

[thefishguy7]

well the bluegill is under an inch long right now, so that's why im keeping him in the ten. if you want to see pics go to the cold, temperate forum and look at baby bluegill. on the bottom of the second page is a pic of my baby bluegill. the bluegill doesnt seem to mind the warm water, as he spends most of his time under the heater.
well, i caught an inch long baby cray yesterday, am quarantining it, and cant wait to introduce it to my 10g

thanks for the help!

Bluegill looks nice!

 

[le patron]

thank you!

 

[sykofrenic]

i have kept bluegill in a 30 gal, and i used to feed them guppies. the biggest one i had was only about 2in long. that fish will eat your tetras as soon as it gets the chance. always remember with the sunfish: if something fits in its mouth it will be eaten, and even if it doesnt fit in its mouth it will make it if it wants to. my advice is to remove the tetras ASAP if you want to keep them