freshwater invert tank

fishdude · Member Joined: 03 Apr 2004 Posts: 94

i would like to make a freshwater invertabrate tank. if you can make a marine invert tank why not a freshwater invert tank? if any one has experience with comunity freshwater inverts i would like to know everything. i would like to know the care, size and name of any compatible criters.

ceveretts · Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2004 3:57 pm Post subject:

Hi Fishdude,
The only inverts I have had were little red crabs from the L.F.S. I had them in a freshwater tank as they were in the store. I asked about their diet etc. and was told not to worry about them and they would eat the garbage in the bottom of the 65g aquarium. First I bought two and one died. The other hid until I had purchased another one. So all they did was hide for weeks and come out and die! It was so sad! I don't know what went wrong! Hopefully you have better luck!

fishdude · Member Joined: 03 Apr 2004 Posts: 94

I have had a bit of experierence with crayfish and i know a bit about crabs. dont beileve they eat the garbage. yes they do eat some leftover food but you have to feed them. feed them shrimp pellets twice a day. its also fun to watch them eat earth worms but do not feed them for two feeding times.

ceveretts · Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2004 10:54 pm Post subject:

They must have asked me what I feed then, because it sounds close. I feed bloodworms, tropical flakes (or crisps when I have extra $), colorbits (that sink). I guess that the water parameters must have been different from that L.F.S. I don't normally shop where I got those. Confused

fishdude · Member Joined: 03 Apr 2004 Posts: 94

they can stand extremes in water parameters and changes. they are quite adaptable

ceveretts · Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2004 3:50 pm Post subject:

That is very strange! Something in my tank must have been after them then! They didn't look beat up or anything!!! Or maybe I got them from a sick batch, Is that possible? Nothing else in that tank had a problem.

fishdude · Member Joined: 03 Apr 2004 Posts: 94

It may be possible that you got sick ones. but i never had any problems but teritorial individuals(snappy got cray,bandit got snappy). what tankmates where there? did you find a shedding? Question

ceveretts · Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2004 12:31 am Post subject:

No, I did not see any shedding. In fact when I found them dead one at a time I always had to poke at it to make sure it was dead because they all looked perfectly fine at the time of death!?! One of the first two I bought hid for so long that I thought something may have gotten it but then it showed up approx. 5 weeks later and died within hours of showing himself!?! Very strange! So I gave up on them! It sounds like you will have much better luck than I did. You seem to know quite a bit about those little critters! Good luck with you tank of them!
Laughing

fishdude · Member Joined: 03 Apr 2004 Posts: 94

yes that is strange.
but what tankmates?

ceveretts · Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2004 3:02 pm Post subject:

I had them in a community tank. Let's see ... 3 gouramis, 9 tetras, a pleco, 5 barbs (3-rosey & 2 cherry), 3 angels, 2 dwarf frogs, 1 dwarf puffer, 2 harlequin rasboras, 3 bumblebee gobies, ana a rainbow shark.

fishdude · Member Joined: 03 Apr 2004 Posts: 94

wow! well there are a lot of fish there that pose a thret to inverts. such as the puffer, dwarf frogs, pleco and the rainbow shark. i dont know how you keep all those fish together. Shocked

. the crabs probally died of stress with all those invert eating fish(and frogs). how long have you had the tank?

ceveretts · Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2004 4:28 pm Post subject:

I was told in several LFS's that african dwarf frogs and rainbow sharks and pleco's were community and non agressive and they do seem that way to me for sure. The puffer was a dwarf malabar puffer and he never hurt anybody! Neither did the shark maybe I have his labell wrong he's black and all his fins are red (he is lazy and timmid). The first time I bought the crabs I asked if they would hurt my frogs because the crab seems like he has a lot more to defend himself (CLAWS!) But you are the invert expert so I guess like myself, the people who were selling the crabs to me did not know what they were talking about. I have had several aquariums for over ten years and those fish are all great together! They are all non agressive every store and book can't be wrong about that! It may very well be true that they are a threat to inverts, but I was ill-advised however I will not be getting more so don't worry!

fishdude · Member Joined: 03 Apr 2004 Posts: 94

i'm not really an invert expert, i just like crayfish and crabs. you would be suprised what puffer jaws can do.

why give up on inverts? you could set a species tank up for them. maby a 10-15g. add caves and maby some plants, i have heard anubis are good. then add some rock salt and something to harden the water with.i think 5g per crabe would be good depending on the type.
but if you do give up, hey.

needlefish · Posted: Sat Jun 19, 2004 12:19 am Post subject:

Fish Dude,

I have spare 10g and i wanted to turn it into a invert tank. Know any good combos? I was thinking:

#1
2 crayfish
2 crabs
4 snails

That's all i was thinking Confused

fishdude · Member Joined: 03 Apr 2004 Posts: 94

the crays will eat each other first and then the crabs. the snails are good thow. what type? besides, even if you got those it would be overstocked. is it heated? if so why not amano shrimp?

fishdude · Member Joined: 03 Apr 2004 Posts: 94

the crays will eat each other first and then the crabs. the snails are good thow. what type? besides, even if you got those it would be overstocked. is it heated? if so why not amano shrimp?