Should I quarantine my crayfish and my nerita snails?

[Karen B.]

Greetings 

I would like to add 3 crayfish (CPO - orange dwarf mexicain crayfish) in my aquarium that contains only fish (clown killifish). I was wondering if I should quarantine them? Is there any disease a crayfish can transfer to a fish?

Same with some nerita snails. Do you quarantine them? 🤔 

Thank you!

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

As far as the snail, I have found no need to quarantine.  It's my understanding snail problems do not infect fish.  I do float the bag to get them adjusted to temp, adding a half cup of my water every 10-15 minutes for 30-45 minutes total, then I throw away the bag water.  I take some of my tank water in a little dish and I give the snail a "car wash" - I just hold him in there and rub gently on his shell to remove any debris or algae.  Then he goes into the tank and is cleaning the glass in no time.

Edited September 20, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[AnimalNerd98]

I haven’t found any problems with my snails either. I have introduced rabbit snails, mystery snails, and nerite snails into my home aquaria without quarantining and I never had anything flare up. 

I have never kept CPOs but I did introduce Alleni crayfish into the aquarium for the lab I managed a year ago. I haven’t heard about any diseases being transmitted from crayfish to fish. If anyone would know, it would be the most intense nerms on here or people like the Shrimp King. I wouldn’t even know where to begin treating diseases for crayfish. All I have heard to be careful of is to make sure your crayfish get enough calcium and iodine in their diets or they can have difficulties molting. Good luck! 

[Willy Dibbert]

As a general rule, most fish diseases will not affect crustaceans, and most diseases that affect crustaceans will not affect fish. If your Killifis fish is large in size it is an interesting combination as it is one of the friends that are said to live peacefully with crayfish.

Edited February 12, 2023 by Willy Dibbert