# Crayfish ate my betta



## millersrepairshop

I have a 10 Gal. aquarium set up at my work. Yesterday I went to a local pet shop and noticed a bright blue crayfish/crawfish and decided it would look great in my tank. I placed him into the tank yesterday afternoon at almost 4:00 in the afternoon. When I arrived at work today I noticed my betta and a male guppy are both completely gone. :-( I have moved everything inside the tank and even the gravel looking for some sign on my 2 missing fish, but haven't found anything. Not even a fin in the filter. 

Is it possible that he ate them both in one night? Or killed them and buried them in the gravel? 

I was deviated to learn that my beloved betta is gone. 

Has anyone else ever had this happen before? And is it ok to remove his thumb pinchers so I don't have to worry about any other fish becoming victims?


----------



## NeptunesMom

millersrepairshop said:


> I have a 10 Gal. aquarium set up at my work. Yesterday I went to a local pet shop and noticed a bright blue crayfish/crawfish and decided it would look great in my tank. I placed him into the tank yesterday afternoon at almost 4:00 in the afternoon. When I arrived at work today I noticed my betta and a male guppy are both completely gone. :-( I have moved everything inside the tank and even the gravel looking for some sign on my 2 missing fish, but haven't found anything. Not even a fin in the filter.
> 
> Is it possible that he ate them both in one night? Or killed them and buried them in the gravel?
> 
> I was deviated to learn that my beloved betta is gone.
> 
> Has anyone else ever had this happen before? And is it ok to remove his thumb pinchers so I don't have to worry about any other fish becoming victims?


I am NOT an expect on Crayfish, but I do not believe they are NOT recommended to really be in tanks with any fish (except dwarf Crayfish). I would highly recommend doing research prior to putting species together. Just a quick google search and you would've seen it was a bad idea.


----------



## millersrepairshop

NeptunesMom said:


> I am NOT an expect on Crayfish, but I do not believe they are NOT recommended to really be in tanks with any fish (except dwarf Crayfish). I would highly recommend doing research prior to putting species together. Just a quick google search and you would've seen it was a bad idea.


I did read up before I put him in.. 

Q: Are crayfish a threat to the fish in my tank?

A: For most fish, the answer is no. But the bigger crayfish do pose a threat to slower, bottom-swimming fish. Algae eaters seem to get along well with them, however. Crayfish will also kill weakened or sick fish that get too close to the bottom. But in most cases, those fish will end up dying on their own, anyway.

http://voices.yahoo.com/the-ultimate-guide-keeping-crayfish-as-aquarium-179827.html?cat=53


----------



## NeptunesMom

millersrepairshop said:


> I did read up before I put him in..
> 
> Q: Are crayfish a threat to the fish in my tank?
> 
> A: For most fish, the answer is no. But the bigger crayfish do pose a threat to slower, bottom-swimming fish. Algae eaters seem to get along well with them, however. Crayfish will also kill weakened or sick fish that get too close to the bottom. But in most cases, those fish will end up dying on their own, anyway.
> 
> http://voices.yahoo.com/the-ultimate-guide-keeping-crayfish-as-aquarium-179827.html?cat=53


That didn't appear on my search. Everything I came across said, "No, the Crayfish will eat your Betta". Remember to always source from more than one place. Anyone can post anything online. I always try to get at least 4 or 5 sources for information. Preferably, from academic sources.

ETA: All the sources I found for this were forums where people posed the question. I think forums are a good source too, especially if you have a consensus from many people.


----------



## LebronTheBetta

Hm... Bettas _are _slow moving fish. With their big fins and whatnot, they have to drag them everywhere making them slow. (HMPKs, PKs, and females may have better luck)

Yahoo is also a bad place to get advice, there will only be a small chance of them actually being correct. For example, I saw: Betta fish live in puddles! All of them love small tanks, like your water bottles. Smh


----------



## millersrepairshop

I did read a few forums and also read this on bettafish.com 

" I live in Indiana, we see Crayfish of every shape and size here. They're not like fish at ALL, you will find ponds with an entire different strain and size of crayfish than you'll see at other places or in rivers. I've kept crayfish with nearly all of my fish, as a matter of fact this is one of the first times ever I've went with something else to clean my tanks (Otocinclus). Yes I've kept crayfish with a betta before. I've also kept crayfish with Cory cats which are slow moving and always on the bottom with them. I've never had an issue. In all honesty if you put crayfish in your tank at a small size chance are you won't even see them until you re decorate and move things. They'll form a den and only seldom come out to pick stuff off the bottom. That being said I've never had experience with a purchased crayfish, only ones I've caught personally. Crayfish will adapt perfectly to almost any tank, they're nearly bullet proof, and I think it's kinder to get a small one and let the tank limit its size than to get a large one that will be miserable and possibly die in too small of a container. I don't think this is cruel to them as they are opportunist species and can be found EVERYWHERE. You can literally find them breeding in stagnant puddles when they're barely 2in long."

Oh we'll, now I know :-(


----------



## Lamb

Yeah. Neptune and Lebron are right... Male bettas are extremely slow swimming compared to other fish. I'm sorry to say, but it was not a good idea to get that crayfish. Common sense would have told me that crayfish are way too aggressive and that their diets consist of tadpoles and fish... 

Sorry to hear about your fish though...


----------



## millersrepairshop

Thanks neptunesmom and lebron


----------



## NeptunesMom

I guess, I would look on the bright side in this situations. 1) You are now an expert in Crayfish and Betta relationships. 2) You have a Crayfish that sounds beautiful (I would love to see a picture of him).


----------



## LebronTheBetta

Sorry about your fishes, though. 

Like Neptune, what does your crayfish look like?


----------



## jaysee

Crayfish can be kept with fish, but they must be the right kind of fish. Bettas are definitely not on that list. Too, tank size has A LOT to do with it. I would not suggest keeping any fish in a 10 with a crayfish. Honestly I wouldn't even recommend keeping the crayfish in a 10 gallon. I'm sure it's small now, but it will grow quickly and if it doesn't escape the tank first, it will outgrow it. Crayfish are excellent escape artists, especially in small tanks. I would look to upgrade the crayfish to a 20 for a permanent home without fish, or a 29 with fish. 

Dwarf crayfish are another matter. They can be kept with fish, provided the fish don't eat them. It's important or them to have lots of places to hide that are not accessible to the fish.

Crayfish molt their shells in order to grow - the period of time after the old shell is shed, the crayfish is at its most vulnerable. A few days prior to the molt, they will stop eating and go into hiding - stop feeding. It will come out at night and shed the shell, and then it will return to hiding. Leave the shell in the tank - the crayfish will eat it all, to recycle nutrients. Do not feed it again until the shell has been eaten.


----------



## millersrepairshop

Thanks for the advise. Here is blue.


----------



## millersrepairshop

RIP Mo :-(


----------



## NeptunesMom

Your Crayfish is beautiful, as was your Mo.


----------



## NorthernLights

Your crayfish is lovely!

I think breaking off his pinchers would be cruel. I know there's been extensive scientific debate about whether crustaceans can feel pain, which suggests to me that it is definately possible. Also, even if it didn't "hurt" the crayfish, it would seem to me to be deliberately removing healthy parts of his anatomy -- like breaking your hands off your body. They may very well re-grow when he molts (crabs and lobsters and such do that), anyway.

I think you should keep your crayfish healthy and intact, or return him.


----------



## Lucubration

I couldn't tell you exactly which kind of blue crayfish you have, but one grows to 6" and the other to 12" and both of those species will both take down fish left and right given the opportunity. Even my dwarf crayfish started murdering my cherry shrimp and I've heard stories of them stalking and eating resting fish. I'm pretty much convinced that any crayfish should be in at least a species tank with lots of hiding spots so they can escape from each other.

Sorry to hear you lost Mo. 

I wouldn't try to remove the crayfish's pincers. Besides it being cruel in the first place, he'll probably just regrow them after the next molt anyways and you'd face doing it over and over again.

Provided you keep him, I'd say just keep him separated.


----------



## jaysee

oh I just noticed in the pictures...... 

The claws will regrow with each molt. Crayfish use their claws for more than just catching their food. I would hope that you do not continue that practice, but it's your crayfish....


----------



## millersrepairshop

Thanks for the replies. I just had no idea that little guy would have made 2 fish disappear in about 12 hours. I even sifted the gravel and not a fin. 

I did speak to a student at Louisiana State University AgCenter and he did some digging for me. I was advised that it would be best to declaw him. I was told the proper way to do so was to cleanly cut the "thumb" or "hinged" claw at the base and not to cut into the joint. I was told that they often lose tentacles, claws and even eyes in battle and they do regenerate them. 

I would NEVER recommend anyone to do the declawing. I just had nothing to do until I got my tank cycled.
Please do not think I approve nor do I suggest anyone else try it!

I just hope someone will read and not make that same mistake as I did.

He has since been relocated into a 10 gal tank and he seems to be enjoying it quite nicely in there all alone. He rearranges the tank gravel every few days. And his favorite thing is the the live moss ball. He rolls it and pulls it around the tank almost ever hour. He is fun to watch!


----------



## ao

being in an area where crayfish and bettas are widely available I had two of my friends lose their bettas (and other fish) to cray fish...



Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## resa

above from LSU is good advice. I love close to them.


----------

