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CPO crays--male & female

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cpo crays
6K views 23 replies 4 participants last post by  RackinRocky 
#1 ·
Well, I recently got what turned out to be a female CPO crayfish. I have fallen in love. So much so that I now want to get a male. My female is in my betta sorority tank, which is a 20 gallon, along with one female guppy, 2 otos and cherry shrimp.

I'd like to keep them together (the male and female cray) but am afraid they might fight, and one might get hurt or even killed. Does this happen often with a male and female? Or should I put the male into my 10 gallon endler tank? (Only have 5 endlers, a guppy and a few cherry shrimp in there. If I decide to breed them at some point, do I put the male in with the female, or the other way around? I just don't want to take any chances, so if there are risks of fighting, I would just as soon keep them in separate tanks. Thanks!
 
#3 ·
Well, it sure makes me happy to hear that! I think I'll keep them both in the 20 gallon then. Thank you!
 
#5 ·
Well, I've caught my female bettas eating the RCS's too, so that is no big deal. My current CPO does grab at the RCS's, but the shrimp are too fast for them. So I don't see why a betta, who is slower, seems to have more luck catching them. Doesn't matter to much to me though. I like the shrimp, but I like the CPOs better, so whatever happens, happens, lol. Let nature take it's course...
 
#6 ·
My male will be here Wednesday. I can't wait! I sure hope they can both be in the 20 gallon with no problems. I'll post pics when I get him.
 
#7 ·
Hey!

Hi i also keep crayfish. I have those guys in the pic, 2 of the. They fight when one wanders into another's territory, these fights last several seconds and the 'loser' backs off immediately resulting in no injuries or death (one of them lost a small bit of feelers once which recovered after a moult). They fight over food sometimes
 

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#8 ·
Hi Tightmuffin! I have the male now, and they have had a couple of squabbles, but nothing that lasted over 3 seconds, lol. I can't tell them apart! They have shown no mating behavior as of yet. I love these little guys! Love your pic--looks just like mine.
 
#10 ·
From what I've read, a pair of dwarf cray fish are fine in a 10 gallon tank, and a couple of pairs in a 20 gallon tank. But I would be worried about having more than that, as I'd be afraid that with crowding, there would be more fighting. They do stake out territories, especially when breeding behaviors are going on. Keep in mind I've only had my two for a short time, so lack experience, but I've read up and researched them for many hours before I decided to get my first one.

So no, the one inch per gallon rule wouldn't apply to cray fish. That's an outdated rule anyway, as some fish have more of a bio-load than others (they poop more). From what I understand, cray fish have a high bio-load too. I've decided I'm going to have three (a male and two females) in my 20 gallon, and a pair in my 10 gallon.

As for fish, everyone seems to have a different opinion, but so far, my crays get along fine with my bettas. They are in my sorority tank. There is also a guppy in there, and red cherry shrimp. There have been no problems at all. At first the bettas were very interested, but that wore off quickly. The crays will extend their claws if the bettas get too close, and are seemingly threatening them, but the bettas just swim away, and I've had no incidents.

I have read, by the way, that even the dwarves can become cannibalistic, so you have to be prepared in case that happens. When they molt, they are very vulnerable to being eaten because their skin is so soft. I sure hope it doesn't happen, but at least I'm aware of the possibility. If that starts happening, I won't replace them. I may end up with just one eventually, and that's still fine with me!
 
#11 ·
I had my crayfish moult just now, one thing to note is that uka should not take out the moulted shell as the crayfish would eat it to gain some minerals from his old shell suc as calcium. Do u think paradise fish can go with crayfish? Iam afraid the cray may pinch its long tail...
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#12 ·
I keep reading that fish, as well as crayfish, all have their own personalities. That said though, Paradise fish are known to often be aggressive and territorial. So I would be more worried about the crayfish than I would the Paradise fish. The crayfish could reach up and try to grab it's tail, but honestly, I've seen mine grab at my female bettas' tails many times, and they never get ahold of it. Not to say it couldn't happen though. Most types of Paradise fish grow to 3-4 inches, and I'd be afraid it might be able to get the crayfish in it's mouth and chew it up. So I definitely would not put them together. But like I said before, I'm also just a beginner with crayfish.
 
#13 ·
I wouldn't rule paradise fish out. I've even succesfully kept dwarf crays with full sized Angels, dwarf guarami, bala sharks, clown loaches and some other larger fish. All these fish would eat my shrimp whic were larger then the crays but the crays had no problem fighting for food with these fish. I saw a few times an angel not notice the crays and swoop in for food but get pinched on the mouth. Asside from food theft( or fighting for food) i really saw no other aggression. Had to move what i coukd to another tank though when I put my bichir in there.
 
#14 ·
Recently, i have started to doubt the my crayfish's dicipline to eat the food i gave him. Hestarted hunting fish 5days back, from 3 chiclids down to 0. I used to have a school of tetras who also get wiped by crayfish. They are nonetheless fun creatures, just that they need to be diciplined. Cheers
 
#15 · (Edited)
How big is your crayfish Tightmuffin o_O ?
That really doesnt sound like a CPO... More so a full sized crayfish. I can't tell from your pic since I have no size reference. I have two full sized blue ones and they certainly can catch and kill fish but Ive never even seen a CPO attempt that.
If thats what you have its nothing to do with discipline. Youve put them in a tank full of their " food" so they will eat them. Full sized crays have very few types of fish that can survive with them.
 
#17 ·
That guy is 2.5inches, and i have another that small, 2inches. He climbs on top of my filter and waits for 'prey' so i give him a pellet to satisfy him from eating my last fish in the tank. Lepornidus arcus. 2inch guy. I used to have a chiclid, a malawi chiclid that dueled with my crayfish and made the 2.5inch guy back off, but that guy was killed by the crayfish when he got stuck in a tube that flew in from outside during a thunderstorm --
 
#20 ·
Oh dear.. I'm pretty certain thats not a CPO. They are done growing at 1.5inches. You should keep an eye on it as it is likely not done growing.. Or if it is its still not a CPO. How long have you owned it? My two 5 inch ones did take forever to get big and some can take much longer then mine.
And.. Wow .. Anything that kills a Malawi cichlid is super crazy. I could picture my big ones doing that but the CPOs wouldnt last a day with my African cichlids. I wouldnt trust yours with anything but maybe barbs or some surface dwelling fish in a taller tank( maybe!)
 
#22 ·
Oh my... when I read he was eating cichlids I was thinking, this CAN'T be a CPO! My male will lunge at my female bettas, but he's not trying to eat them, he's just trying to drive them away. Both of my CPOs are full grown, and they are only 1.5 inches. I can't, in my wildest dreams, imagine at CPO taking out a cichlid! I think your crays need a tank of their own like yesterday!
 
#24 ·
Yes, there is no way he could have been a CPO at that size! I think you'd better either keep your crayfish alone, or get rid of it and get some CPOs, where you can keep them with fish, and they are so very cute.
 
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