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fully aquatic crayfish/mini-lobsters anyone?

MichaelJ

MichaelJ

Member
Joined
9 Feb 2021
Messages
3,383
Location
Minnesota, USA
Hello,

I am thinking about possibly starting to keep some crayfish/mini-lobsters. I am going for fully aquactic species that fits well in softer waters.
I have my eyes set on some Orange Drawf Mexican Mini lobsters, they look pretty bad-ass, but wont get more than about an 4 cm when fully grown - I may try and keep them with my RCS/CRS initially while small (the selling size is about 1 cm) and move them out to another dedicated tank when they grow up.

An interesting article from TFHMagazine on the Orange Dwarf Crayfish.

I am not asking any specific questions, but just for insights from anyone with practical experience keeping these or similar crayfish or thoughts on the matter.

Cheers,
Michael
 
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I don't think any of us in the uk will be able to help with experience as we aren't allowed to keep them. It's a shame as I've always quite fancied some. I have seen them in Europe though so hopefully someone will have some experience to share.
 
Hi @mort,

mort said:
I don't think any of us in the uk will be able to help with experience as we aren't allowed to keep them.
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Oh really, why is that I wonder? Your allowed to keep shrimps, and perhaps other crustaceans but not the mini-lobster....

mort said:
It's a shame as I've always quite fancied some. I have seen them in Europe though so hopefully someone will have some experience to share.
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Hopefully!

Cheers,
Michael
 
As I understand it crayfish have a really varied temp allowance and for that reason alone they’re banned so that our native crayfish doesn’t get put under more pressure
 
hypnogogia said:
Probably because we already have one invasive crayfish that is affecting the native species, so other species are…er…crayfish non grata.
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castle said:
As I understand it crayfish have a really varied temp allowance and for that reason alone they’re banned so that our native crayfish doesn’t get put under more pressure
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Got it, thanks. I was thinking along those lines, but figured that lots of other plant and fish/shrimp species could potentially survive if released into the wild - especially in the southern part of the UK.

Invasive species is a big problem here in the US as well... especially down south where you see all sorts of non-native exotic wild life from snakes, reptiles, spiders to ornamental fish, even monkeys that people accidentally or deliberately release into the wild.... not to mention non-native plants.



Cheers,
Michael
 
Wookii said:
Also worth considering that most crayfish will happily predate on any fish they can catch, so a species only tank would probably be he way to go @MichaelJ
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Hi @Wookii , Your absolutely right. However, this particular species stays small and is generally very peaceful. I was told that the selling size is about 1 cm and they get to be about 4 cm when fully grown. When they grow bigger my thinking is to put them in a species tank as they will get large enough to potentially pray on shrimplets - I am not too worried about my adult shrimps, big cardinals, black neons or even my fat embers (I need to put those on a diet btw. LOL).

Dwarf Orange Mexican Crayfish CPO Safe With Shrimp?

Is the Dwarf Orange Mexican Crayfish CPO Safe with Shrimp? The oft asked question is answered. Find out in this article by The Shrimp Farm!
www.theshrimpfarm.com www.theshrimpfarm.com

Cheers,
Michael
 
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I kept Cambarellus crayfish years ago and they were pretty easy. Just give them stable, clean conditions with something near neutral pH. Provide numerous caves and other hiding spots for them. Small, peaceful fish are OK as tankmates, although if I were to keep them again I would just give them their own dedicated setup to showcase them as an interesting animal.

I don't know what Minnesota's rules are, but various US states do have restrictions on commerce and transport of Crayfish species as a consequence of certain invasive species, especially the Rusty Crayfish (Orconectes rusticus).

"Scary" invasive species such as the Burmese Python get most of the press, but in context various invasive plants, insects and pathogens are far more destructive. Millions of acres of forest and grassland in the United States are severally degraded by invasive plants. Numerous aquatic invasive plants and animals are also quite bad.
 
There is a bit more here on what we can and can't keep, basically one tropical species only (and if you click the link you will see its a big boy)

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

Illegal crayfish on the rise in the UK

Are you keeping an illegal crayfish? If you are, you risk a visit from the authorities to have your livestock confiscated. As a retailer, if you’re caught with the wrong species, you could lose your license to import any livestock at all, writes Nathan Hill.
www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

hypnogogia said:
Yes, I’ve heard that there are lots of anacondas and Burmese pythons in the Everglades competing with your alligators.
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It's interesting that Burmese pythons are critically endangered in their native environments where they have suffered from habitat loss, being hunted for skins and medicine, plus still being caught for the pet trade. I know they are a real problem in the Everglades as I hear are iguanas and common plecs.
 
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@hydrophyte, Thanks for bringing this up and thanks for the insights.

hydrophyte said:
I don't know what Minnesota's rules are, but various US states do have restrictions on commerce and transport of Crayfish species as a consequence of certain invasive species, especially the Rusty Crayfish (Orconectes rusticus).
Click to expand...

I am pretty sure I've seen the Mexican Mini lobster at an LFS here in MN, but I just checked with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and indeed we do have restrictions on two crayfish occasionally found in the hobby:

The Rusty Crayfish - native to the Ohio river basin - is a regulated invasive species.
Regulated invasive species: "which means it is legal to possess, sell, buy, and transport, but it may not be introduced into a free-living state, such as being released or planted in public waters."

The Red Swamp Crayfish - native to the Southern Mississippi River drainage - is a prohibited invasive species.
Prohibited invasive species: "which means it is unlawful (a misdemeanor) to possess, import, purchase, transport, or introduce this species except under a permit for disposal, control, research, or education."

Cheers,
Michael
 
Im late to the thread but have some experience with the orange mexican dwarf ones. They are good candidates for aquarium keeping, amusing critters that breed readily, and should do fine with shrimp I believe. They should not be kept with bottom dwelling fish or fish that sleep near the bottom of the tank at night. Anyone telling you otherwise is either willfully misleading you in order to secure a sale, or has yet to observe the consequences of this pairing. When I had the crayfish they took a liking to snipping the fins clean off the corydoras at night..
They are small and relatively behaved for crayfish, but they are still crayfish and will try to catch and eat anything they can get their hands on.
They should do ok with shoaling fish that stay in the upper area of the tank. As long as you do this I could recommend them to you, they are quite sassy and fun little critters and my SO still speaks fondly of them from the short time they resided in our house (they were rehomed immediately after the snippy snippy fins started)
 
Hufsa said:
Im late to the thread but have some experience with the orange mexican dwarf ones. They are good candidates for aquarium keeping, amusing critters that breed readily, and should do fine with shrimp I believe. They should not be kept with bottom dwelling fish or fish that sleep near the bottom of the tank at night. Anyone telling you otherwise is either willfully misleading you in order to secure a sale, or has yet to observe the consequences of this pairing. When I had the crayfish they took a liking to snipping the fins clean off the corydoras at night..
They are small and relatively behaved for crayfish, but they are still crayfish and will try to catch and eat anything they can get their hands on.
They should do ok with shoaling fish that stay in the upper area of the tank. As long as you do this I could recommend them to you, they are quite sassy and fun little critters and my SO still speaks fondly of them from the short time they resided in our house (they were rehomed immediately after the snippy snippy fins started)
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Just saw this @Hufsa... Thanks for the insights and recommendations! ... Shortly after my original post the breeder ran out of the Orange Mini Lobsters and my interest sort of faded a bit due what I read elsewhere from people with practical experience with these guys (very consistent to what you express above). One other option would be to keep them in my other tank, but I think the water would be too soft so I would have to go with a species tank as they will most certainly (even at 1-1.5 cm) pray on tiny shrimps and shrimplets.

Cheers,
Michael
 
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