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Can I mix crayfish or mini lobsters with my fish?

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#1 ·
I started this hobby a few months ago with a 36 gallon bow front freshwater/tropical tank. I originally wanted to have a hug tank with really large fish and some small lobsters or crayfish. As a beginner (other than a 20 gallon tank when I was ten) I did loads of research. I ended up getting tropical community fish to cycle the tank as the petsmart people instructed me to. Anyway, I have a dwarf gourami, mollys, a clown barb, spotted leaf fish and a catfish and am interested in adding a little blue lobster or orange crayfish but I keep getting mixed advise. One aquarium store advised me that as long as the fish were fast or bigger than the lobster they would be fine and as long as the lobster had places to hide and plenty of food options like sinking pellets they'd be great pets and are fun to watch. Then I did some of my own research and saw a lot of youtube videos contradicting what the pet store told me (where the lobsters eat the fish)...Is there a such thing as lobsters or cray fish that stay small (2-4 inches)? And is it safe to mix a mini lobster with my current group of fish? I don't want to risk their lives I am very attached to them. Does anybody have experience with freshwater mini lobsters or crayfish? Thanks :)
 
#2 ·
Mexican Dwarf Crayfish might be suitable but tough to source.
All crayfish/lobsters are opportunistic feeder's of both plant and animal matter, and are very good at escavating the bottom which makes keeping plant's rooted difficult should you have plant's,or are planning on them.
They are most active at night, and could slip up on resting fish near the substrate and kill em.(have seen this)
Also very good at escaping the tank via air line tubing,heater cords,and need secure tops on tank holding these crustaceans.
 
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