# Orange Dwarf Crayfish in community?



## EvilFish (Oct 15, 2013)

Hi,

My stock for 29g low tech:










+ some shrimps (ghost, amano, blue).

Orange Dwarf Crayfish is compatible with my fish/shrimps? Or it will try to catch them if it can? Also, it can catch RCS? 
It has a big bioload or low like shrimps?

Thanks


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## Planted-tnk-guy (Dec 23, 2013)

Mine caught my Angel fish and hung on to the fins but I like my Dwarf crays better so food they were and they do eat snails even Olive nerites some times I was watching one eat one it flipped over today actually again I still love mine LOL worth the expensive snacks.


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## cownose-ray (Sep 28, 2013)

Mine attacked my clown killis and ate my shrimp. I owuldn't recomend them to a community tank.


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## Edub (Mar 23, 2011)

They're pretty aggressive little guys and will attack/eat fish and shrimp when they can. The good news is they aren't very fast, but they can still catch a few especially at night.

I kept them in a community 20g long as well as a 10g and never experienced any deaths, but many others have.


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## Planted-tnk-guy (Dec 23, 2013)

I would say it depends how much you like them The shrimp are way to fast to get caught unless they are ill. My 3 CPO's live in my Orange Rili shrimp tank with no issues for them the slower fish with long fins are at danger none of my small fast fish get hit by them. They are so fantastic and full of life that I think even if they snack on a few things here and their its worth it Mine are so orange now that they stand out real well in the tank and they are a favorite in the tank by all who visit and myself. It gives an aquarium one more dimension and something to search for in the tank.


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## EvilFish (Oct 15, 2013)

Corydoras sterbai sometimes stay on the ground and don't move. This lobster can catch them? 
How about slow Neritas? And bioload of crayfish? Alsom it's safe for plants and don't dig?


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## Planted-tnk-guy (Dec 23, 2013)

Oh they try to eat nerites i have seen it. I dont know how succesfully but they try. No digging and never eat plants they like meat for sure. I feed mine crab pellets daily. I would be worried about the cory if it doesnt scare easy they would have to not swim to get away though. I would be carful if you like your fish more and I also have three in a 49 but that tank is for plants first and foremost.


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## Joe Fish (Dec 12, 2013)

I just saw my orange crayfish catch a fish last night. I heard a splash and saw him on top of a piece of drift wood. I thought he was trying to make an escape but I saw the guppy in his claws. They aren't generally fast enough to swim after a shrimp or fish, but they are ambush hunters and will wait with their claws open for something to swim close enough, or through the open claws. They also tear up plants. I have several crypts in the tank and they get trimmed regularly. I also had anubias in the tank, but all the leaves were eaten. Ate all the pond snails out of the tank, so that's a positive!


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## SmokeyBlue (Oct 12, 2013)

I've heard that Cajun Dwarfs are more peaceful and easier to breed, but I'll get back to you on that once I actually have 'em. They're not as colorful but they're pretty similar. I'll take a good attitude over color any day (but that's just me, I like diversity).


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## Edub (Mar 23, 2011)

I have never had my CPOs mess with any plants. Their attitude is AWESOME


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## jeffpersonn (Feb 9, 2014)

My cpos are fish, shrimps and plants friendly

Sent from my HTC Desire 601 using Tapatalk


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## EvilFish (Oct 15, 2013)

Any idea about bioload? I'm pretty stocked with 29g?


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## EvilFish (Oct 15, 2013)

It's sensible to liquid carbon?


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## ShrimpChips (Mar 27, 2014)

EvilFish said:


> Any idea about bioload? I'm pretty stocked with 29g?


dwarf crayfish should have a pretty small bioload


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## Jen8560 (Jul 30, 2013)

I had CPO crayfish and while I never really had any luck with them breeding, I really enjoyed having them and am planning on buying a few more breeding pairs at the next fish fair. I found they made a good cleanup-crew for dead guppies. 
I did have them in a guppy tank with a Siamese fighting fish, and came home once to see them sitting side by side. I thought "awww, how cute, they are curious about each other" and then noticed that the CPO had a big pincher full of trailing fins. So while I would have no hesitations putting them together with fast-moving fish, I would avoid putting them in a tank that has fish with long, trailing fins.


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## EvilFish (Oct 15, 2013)

So, any information about sensibility to Excel (liquid carbon)?


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## sbinf (Jan 26, 2014)

I keep two in a community 10 gallon with a betta and 6 neon tetras. Everyone gets along for the most part, though I did notice the betta missing a chunk of its fin the other day. I'm not sure who is the culprit though.


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## Puddles (Jan 5, 2013)

My various crays have eaten neons, German blue rams, goldfish, and every snail within a 10 mile radius.


Sent from my IPad using magic


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## EvilFish (Oct 15, 2013)

Puddles said:


> My various crays have eaten neons, German blue rams, goldfish, and every snail within a 10 mile radius.
> 
> 
> Sent from my IPad using magic


I don't think that DOC can do something like that. It's too small.


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## JustJen (Jun 20, 2011)

I tried CPO's in several tanks and pretty well came to the conclusion that they are best in a species tank! They may be small, but they (at least the ones I had) are mean little ba*****s! It is true that they are too slow to actively chase down a shrimp or a fish, but they're darn good at sitting ready until one comes near enough for them to pounce. I watched mine take down healthy cherry shrimp, amanos, young guppies, and gertrudes rainbows - and do some wicked damage to the fins on a betta, some swordtails, adult guppies, angels, and others. I kept moving them around to different tanks hoping I'd find something big enough or mean enough that the crays would leave them alone, but it didn't work and they found a new home. They were very interesting little guys though, and I'm not so sure I wouldn't set up a tank just for them at some point. But they dang sure won't get anywhere near my community tanks again.


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## garfieldnfish (Sep 25, 2010)

It depends on the CPO. I had a group of them with RCS and never did I see one catch a RCS. Of course that does not mean that it could not have happened. The shrimp even bred in the tank successfully. However, I had one very aggressive male that eventually over a few months time killed off all of his CPO tank mates. He lived out his remaining life with the RCS and I would not get another one of them. However, a less aggressive one, preferably a female, I would not hesitate to put in a tank with RCS. But not with CRS or OEBTs. In your tank I would worry about the nerite snail and the oto being attacked by the CPO. And I would be concerned about the CPOs wellbeing with an angelfish in the tank.


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## Betta132 (Nov 29, 2012)

Couple notes about your stock; ottos really do best with a few companions. They aren't exactly schoolers, but it seems to perk them up if you have at least 3. Also, I'd suggest maybe one or two more cories... They're way more playful that way.


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## ravensgate (May 24, 2012)

garfieldnfish said:


> However, a less aggressive one, preferably a female, I would not hesitate to put in a tank with RCS. .


Female CPOs are FAR more aggressive than the males IME.


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## JustJen (Jun 20, 2011)

^+1 My female was WAY worse than my male.


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## ravensgate (May 24, 2012)

I had 5 CPOs in with a neo community. Kept finding poor shrimp cut in half, missing tails, missing, eyes. I had two females and 3 males. Eventually all my females died and I had just males left and my shrimp stopped being attacked and missing body parts or half of their bodies. The babies would ride the male CPOs around even.


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## EvilFish (Oct 15, 2013)

How can I identify if my CPO is male or female?


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## EvilFish (Oct 15, 2013)

CPO must be always active? It can stay on the same place for some time?


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## suriel (Sep 17, 2013)

i have a 10g with 2 bamboo, 5 amano, 4 ghost and 2 cherry with a CPO (i named him Zoidberg) and he has only caught my sick/ill shimp (1 cherries and 2 ghost shortly after being introduced to the tank, stress i guess) zoidberg spends most of his time wandering around until he bumps into one of the bigger shrimp then scoots away and hides. he acts tough but hes mostly show  i feel as long as there are enough places to hide and everyone else in the tank is healthy things will be ok but every animal is different.


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## Little Soprano (Mar 13, 2014)

I have one in my 40 gallon, and minus throwing his claws up at me for putting plants where he is at the moment, he doesn't bother anyone, not the neons, the amanos or the bamboo shrimps. He does let plants loose a bunch though.


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