The crayfish is a very aggressive creature. They are the most aggressive in their family, which is crustacea, and they are both agile and hardy too, that’s why they could easily withstand any condition they find themselves in. These creatures are not expensive in any way, but they are so aggressive and territorial that they could hardly tolerate any other animal in their tanks, not even themselves. This brought about the question of, whether can crayfish kill each other.
Can Crayfish kill each other? Crayfish are very aggressive and territorial that they will kill and eat any animal they could, including each other.
It’s not uncommon for animals to kill and sometimes eat themselves.
Many fish and other aquarium animals do this, so it shouldn’t be a big surprise knowing that crayfish could kill each other.
Naturally, crayfish of any type are very aggressive and territorial, although some species are less aggressive and territorial than others, all the same, they are not tolerant of each other.
To answer the question, yes, crayfish will kill and eat each other if they have the chance to do so.
This is the main reason why it is not advisable to keep these creatures more than one in a tank unless such a tank is very large in width.
The fact is, that crayfish detest living with each other, especially in a limited environment, so keep them in a tank, and you will see them fighting and claiming territories.
Although they could live together in the wild and in bigger ponds, but keeping them together in a small tank is not advisable, and I won’t even advise keeping more than one in a tank that is less than 50 gallons because of their nature.
The issue of crayfish killing each other or themselves is not a new thing, unless you don’t quite know them.
They normally go for their kind when they see that their opponent is weak, for instance, when their opponent or should I say other crayfish are weak, like when they Molt.
The molting process is the weakest period for crayfish.
When a crayfish molt, it becomes very very weak that anything could kill it at that point.
This is because when they Molt by shading off their old shell or skin, a new shell will emerge.
This new shell is very soft and fragile that the crayfish could hardly move nor do anything with it.
At this point, all the crayfish has to do is hide from any other animal in the tank, including from its kind.
This is because even other crayfish will utilize this opportunity and kill the newly molted crayfish and eat it.
This is the main reason why many crayfish die at the hand of their fellow crayfish, so it is very important to keep hiding places such as caves, pipes, gravels, etc in a crayfish tank, in fact, it’s a must to keep those things in their tanks because their life depends on those things.
Again, crayfish could kill and eat their young ones or the ones that are smaller and weaker than them.
Once they see the ones that are smaller than them or once those that are smaller than them step onto their territory, they will fight them very brutally, and in the process might kill them.
This is one of the reasons you might see some crayfish that lost their claws or legs etc, it’s because of a brutal fight with their kind or another more aggressive tank mate is in their tank.
Apart from fighting and waiting among themselves to Molt so that they can take that advantage and kill each other, a parent crayfish normally eat her eggs and offspring.
This might sound strange, but they do eat their eggs and some of their offspring when it suits them.
This sometimes happens when the eggs in question are not fertilized or when she is hungry, she may decide to feed on her offspring, so crayfish could kill and eat themselves.
Apart from harming and killing themselves, even fish are not safe in a crayfish tank because they are nocturnal and would pick on the fish at night when they sleep, although not all fish because crayfish themselves are victims of fish aggressiveness.
So, crayfish do kill each other, including any other animal they could kill.
Do Crayfish Fight Each Other?
Although they are very interesting animals to keep in an aquarium and watch as they explore here and there, the issue is, that they are very aggressive.
Do Crayfish fight each other? Crayfish are territorial and aggressive creatures and will engage each other in a fight for crossing their territories and also for food.
If you want to see animals that fight a lot among themselves, then get more than one crayfish and keep.
They fight each other a lot, that is why you could normally see a crayfish with a missing claw, leg, etc.
Sometimes they don’t fight for any tangible reason, they just need to fight each other, but the common reasons why they will engage themselves in a brutal and life-threatening fight is when any of them crosses a territory that belongs to another or when food is given to them.
Another reason they engage themselves in a brutal fight, especially with the weaker and smaller ones is to kill and eat them as food.
We all know that they are scavengers and would eat anything, including their kind too.
Will Baby Crayfish Eat Each Other?
Crayfish is not a livebearer, they lay eggs, and when the eggs hatch, they have their fry, but the fry is at risk of being eaten by their parents.
Just like their parents, baby crayfish are cannibalistic in nature too and would kill and eat themselves as they grow.
The fact is, crayfish of any type and any size is a scavenger and would eat anything, including themselves.
So, baby crayfish, just like adult crayfish are scavengers too and would eat themselves if they have the opportunity to do so.
So, baby crayfish will eat each other if they get the chance to do so.
They still need a large tank if you want to raise them from their fry stage, keeping them in a limited space will only end up triggering more aggression in them.
Can 2 Crayfish Stay in One Tank?
Knowing their natural attitude, you might be wondering if it’s possible to keep 2 crayfish in one tank.
2 crayfish in a tank? 2 Crayfish can stay in a tank if the tank is large enough, but it is it not recommended to keep 2 crayfish in a tank because of their level of aggression.
Crayfish are lone creatures that like to live on their own, not even with their kind because they always fight each other, kill and eat themselves too, so keeping such a creature together with their kind in a limited space is dangerous to both of them.
Yes, you can keep 2 crayfish in a tank, but in a large tank anyway, but if you ask me, I won’t recommend doing such no matter the size of the tank.
If you want to keep them, only one is okay, and find some fish that are compatible with them and keep them together.
References
