Marbled Crayfish Care

Because marbled crayfish are genetically identical easy to care for and reproduce at high rates they are a potential model organism particularly for studying development.

Marbled crayfish care.

Marble crayfish are said to have been discovered in an aquarium shop in germany in the late 1990 s. Since i started selling from the original batch to people who in turn sold offspring from their stock i have seen blue marbled crayfish advertised for sale. All marbled crayfish are clones meaning they are identical in dna. The blue marbled crayfish.

Marbled crayfish are very useful in the area of aquaponics or recirculating garden systems. Actually this is absolutely crucial when housing multiple crayfish in the same tank. The basic principle is simple. Like most crayfish the marbled crayfish is an omnivore who will eat a variety of plant live or dead matter meaty foods detritus and even a small slow swimming fish if he can catch one.

Unlike most aquarium fishes and shrimp marbled crayfish are not picky about their water at all. A major drawback however is the long generation time several months compared to other research organisms. As much as 90 of the water can be removed without harming the fish. Its large numbers of genetically identical offspring rapid reproductive rate and simple care requirements make it an ideal species for lab research vogt 2008.

They can be housed in extreme conditions and will be fine. They are not overly aggressive either with other crayfish or with fish species but should be kept well fed if kept with very small fish species. You only need one adult crayfish although more obviously makes for a faster process. Marbled crayfish are easy to raise and colonize.

Marbled crays live to be about 3 years old. Live fish provide waste which is pumped into plant containers to feed root systems. Keep the water quality high and feed a varied diet to make sure the crays stay healthy. The water is filtered by the plant roots and returns clean and fresh into the fish tank where edible species of fish are grown.

Whenever there is an intake valve you should make sure that you cover it with pantyhose a filter sock or another cover to prevent baby marbled crayfish from getting sucked up. Marbled crayfish and shelters they are very much similar to other crayfishes in this regard since they equally need crevices or hiding places for protection and healthy growth. They do best in medium hard to hard water with a ph in the neutral to alkaline range. Honestly there is not much you need to do to get your marmorkrebs to multiply.

They do well in cooler temperatures between 72 74 degrees fahrenheit. Water changes you should give the tank a regular water change. The marbled crayfish is a useful laboratory model organism for developmental physiology epigenetics and toxicology. Supply plenty of hiding places the more the better.

They can also co habitate peacefully with aquarium shrimp and community fish. Many people have advertised blue marbled crayfish.