Crayfish and Betta as temporary tanks mates.

[R Budds]

I picked up a little betta the other day to put into the 5.5 gallon tank. He ended up being a bit too aggressive with the male guppy and bit 1/4 of his tail off so he had to go in the 10 gallon with the crayfish. It was a wakeup call for him. They dont back down, he went down to check out Little Man (who has grown a bit this last week) and those little claws touched him once, he hasn't bothered them since.

Here the little guys are playing, just kidding Little Man then Whitey are trying to kill Lefty for the biggest flake that fell. It was too late since he had already eaten it. There was a decent distribution of flakes on this side of the tank but they all just went after that one big flake.

Here Little Man and Whitey are sparring so Lefty trys to join in but Whitey just swats him away.

Here Little Man (who looks huge now) backs down as Lefty approaches. 

After they ate they separated and calmed down.

They've been getting sinking cichlid pellets, cory pellets, and tropical fish flakes, but yesterday they got some live baby brine shrimp. I injected them with a big syringe and a tube, I tried to get them on the driftwood and near the bottoms of the plants. The betta got his share and the rest were gone in a few hours. 

He loves the wisteria just like our other betta.

I ran out of space or I would upload some more pictures of the betta and Righty, plus I can't access a few more pictures that I already uploaded. 

So far the betta and crayfish seem like a good fit; he stays where they can't go and they don't look too edible to him.  However they like it cooler so he will have to go eventually, the tank is around 76-77 degrees now, normally I try to keep it around 73-74.

Edited April 1, 2022 by R Budds

[Fish Folk]

Glad things seem good. My only caution would be what happens after lights out. If they are still foraging, a “sleeping” betta might seem like a midnight craving snack…

[R Budds]

Hi Fish Folk,

Yes they got to him, but not in the dark. I think it was while he was hanging out in the wisteria, because they like to jump into the airstream and it usually takes them there. They just gave his lower tail a bit of a trim, so he'll be ok. I feel bad but he got a taste of his own medicine I guess. He knows where to go to avoid them, since they can't really swim, and that's where he seems to sleep.

I am setting up a 20 long and he will be the first one in there, probably later today or tomorrow.