Supermarket Lobster or Yabby?

[ScubaStv]

I like the variety that crayfish bring to a tank, but keep larger cichlids that will eat your normal average size crayfish. Bringing me to my question of: Can a lobster like those found live in the supermarket be acclimated to a FW tank? If not where/how can you get your hands on a larger Australian Yabby?

 

[Jeox]

Even IF a lobster could be fw it would eat your fish. So would a yabby probibly.

 

[WyldFya]

Crayfish/lobsters when small enough get eaten by fish, but when big enough do the opposite. Not a good idea.

 

[ScubaStv]

I've currently already have 8 blue crays in various tanks write now and they only have ever bothered/attacked a couple of my very smallest fish (tetras approx 1.5"), but when ever I try to put even a full grown 5-6" crayfish in with my Oscars and Managuense they get eaten in no time at all, so I'm curious about trying larger species to see if I can get them to work. I would really like to get a large Yabby or Lobster (if possible) to live in my 300 gallon with my Dovii. That's probably a dream but I would like to try it! Do you still think a yabby would be a threat to large 8-10" Oscars/Managuese or Dovii?

 

[mibbyblues]

I've currently already have 8 blue crays in various tanks write now and they only have ever bothered/attacked a couple of my very smallest fish (tetras approx 1.5"), but when ever I try to put even a full grown 5-6" crayfish in with my Oscars and Managuense they get eaten in no time at all, so I'm curious about trying larger species to see if I can get them to work. I would really like to get a large Yabby or Lobster (if possible) to live in my 300 gallon with my Dovii. That's probably a dream but I would like to try it! Do you still think a yabby would be a threat to large 8-10" Oscars/Managuese or Dovii?

No, I believe that your crayfish would be in danger of your Oscar.

I raise and breed and sell Walkamin Strain Australian Redclaw and we keep them in 700 gallon tanks along with guppys and mollies(to eat skeeter larve) and I rarely lose a fish to the crays unless it is already sick or dying.
However, when a crayfish molts its body has the consistancy of jello and would be pick apart in mere seconds by your oscar...... Your crayfish would be totally defenseless.....

 

[meepster]

lobsters found in the supermarket are pure marine and cannot be converted to fresh

 

[Oddball]

lobsters found in the supermarket are pure marine and cannot be converted to fresh

and to that the fact that they live in temps below 60F. Tropical temps would kill Homarus americanus (American lobster).

 

[melinat]

I'm not sure what your supermarket's like, but I'd bet every piece of fish related matter I own that something bought from the local grocery store would give you every didease in the book, especially after a marine lobster dies in fresh water and it's body decomposes, leading the foriegn bacteria to multiply and begin infecting....
Yabby for sure

 

[Umbra]

Cichlids and crayfish just don't mix. I remember when I used to buy feeder crayfish (3-4") for my old mbu puffer, and would try keeping them in my mbuna tank... most of the mbuna were 4-5", and I was actually worried about my mbuna getting picked off by the crays. Lo and behold, the mbuna simply picked the eyes off teh crays and would grab them by any appendage they could get their mouths around and drag them around the tank. Neotropical cichlids are even worse, they just tear the crays apart if they don't fit in their mouths.

 

[IndoBlue]

I would try to buy a blue yabby from your local pet store and keep him in a seperate tank for about a year or 2 to let him bulk up to a mature size. If not i dont beleive that is a good mix between crays and chichilds.