sera guide - Shrimps and crayfish

Be sure to select the animals very carefully if you wish to keep crayfish or shrimps in a community aquarium. Surface fish (e.g. hatchetfish) or bottom-orientated fish (e.g. not too small armored catfish) are suitable fish for a community aquarium. Keeping them together with very lively livebearers, clown loaches or cichlids is not advisable. As for the larger crayfish species, only the rather peaceful Australian Cherax species such as the Red Claw (Cherax quadricarina- tus) or the Yabby (Cherax destructor), if at all, can be recommended for keeping them together with robust fish species. 77 Community aquariums Keeping shrimps and fish together requires some careful consideration. The danger is often not caused by the shrimps but by the fish. Especially guppies and cichlids tend to nibble at their co-inhabitants. The same applies for crayfish. For keeping in community aquariums, mainly dwarf crayfish such as the Mexican Orange dwarf crayfish (Cambarellus patzcuarensis var. “Orange”) are recommended. Keeping larg- er crayfish bears the risk of them digging up the carefully set-up aquarium and destroying the plants. Furthermore, partic- ularly aggressive crayfish might harass the fish. Larger crayfish should therefore be kept in a tank on their own. However, you must bear in mind that keeping too many animals in insufficient space may lead to increased aggression and cannibalism. Mexican Orange dwarf crayfish (Cambarellus patzcuarensis var. “Orange”) Hatchetfish Armored catfish Recommendation for community aquariums Yabby (Cherax destructor)