# Can a Marble Crayfish be kept in a Community Tank



## Byronicle (Apr 18, 2009)

I recently gave up my daycare's sailfin pleco (10 inches +) which was inhabiting in a 10 gallon aquarium ...So the kids are bored, thought I get themselves something cool so I got them a marbled crayfish (as it is pretty neat and they self-clone themselves )

the tank only has fancy guppies so I was curious to whether it is possible for the marble crayfish to stay in the tank with the guppies (I did research and got mixed results so I would really like some personal experience)

and how often to they have babies? Thanks


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## ksimdjembe (Nov 11, 2006)

Normally crayfish mate with other crayfish. This little critter seems to do some sort of parthenogenesis. 
Normally you need a male and female, in the same tank. In this case they don't. Neat stuff.

I had at one point a feeder crayfish in a ten gal with a couple of fish, but they were more like a zebra danio, and each kept to their own, and in the event of the cray coming close to the fish, they would zip off.

I have heard that when guppies sleep, sometimes a cray will catch them unawares. Generally it is cautioned.


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## Byronicle (Apr 18, 2009)

ksimdjembe said:


> I had at one point a feeder crayfish in a ten gal with a couple of fish, but they were more like a zebra danio, and each kept to their own, and in the event of the cray coming close to the fish, they would zip off.
> 
> I have heard that when guppies sleep, sometimes a cray will catch them unawares. Generally it is cautioned.


feeder crayfish i believe are not a dwarf type? because these marble crayfish are a dwarf crayfish. basically the same size as CPO's


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

Where did you buy the marble crayfish?


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## Byronicle (Apr 18, 2009)

bae said:


> Where did you buy the marble crayfish?


Menagerie has like maybe 10ish


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## ksimdjembe (Nov 11, 2006)

menagerie, huh? How much for the lil' guy? (or girl...)


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

:*( 

Damn MTS... These self cloning craws sound so cool... I feel another ten gallon coming...


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## ksimdjembe (Nov 11, 2006)

no kidding eh? I was thinking along those lines too.... another 10 gal wouldn't be that bad....
argh.


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

ksimdjembe said:


> no kidding eh? I was thinking along those lines too.... another 10 gal wouldn't be that bad....
> argh.


They're cool looking too... which makes it even harder...


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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

interesting...I think I need to go out and get myself a fahaka puffer now. lol

Does anyone else have personal experience with this type of cray? Would be nice to know the 'cloning' frequency and brood size.


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## Byronicle (Apr 18, 2009)

ksimdjembe said:


> menagerie, huh? How much for the lil' guy? (or girl...)


they are $5.99 each right now, and are pretty neat.

I have her kept with my african clawed frog in a 10 gallon right now. At first the frog tried to eat it and vice versa but now they just chill with each other


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## Byronicle (Apr 18, 2009)

AquariAM said:


> :*(
> 
> Damn MTS... These self cloning craws sound so cool... I feel another ten gallon coming...


you can't put MTS with crayfish? or will the crayfish try to eat it?


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

Byronicle said:


> they are $5.99 each right now, and are pretty neat.


Enbaler . Now that I know they're cheap I want one even more.


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## Cory (May 2, 2008)

Read an article about these guys in TFH a few months back and thought it would be neat to get some. Didn't think anyone would actually carry them so I never pursued it seriously. Very cool critter!


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## Byronicle (Apr 18, 2009)

yea they are pretty neat, i put them in the tank with the guppies and the crayfish just went straight for the cucumber as they are basically vegetarians but she'll eat flakes. she won't go after the guppies or even the fry (experimented by keeping a fry in there with the crayfish in a breeding box thingy and nothing happen, it did however eat bloodworms)

the kids at daycare love it so i plan to get maybe 2 more as they show more interesting behaviour when there are others around (territorial) but i wouldn't put it with plants as i read they will eat the plants for sure but who knows.


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## Byronicle (Apr 18, 2009)

they will eat snails too, i saw the crayfish pick one up and in a few minutes the shell was completely empty


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

IIRC, they are much too territorial for more than one in 10 gallon tank.


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## Byronicle (Apr 18, 2009)

bae said:


> IIRC, they are much too territorial for more than one in 10 gallon tank.


yea i was just reading, they can rip each other's limbs off...and its not suggested unless I have a 40+ gallon tank since they will multiply 400-1000 babies


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## Cory (May 2, 2008)

When you have some babies I'd love to buy some off you  I'm too sick now to trek out of the house to menagerie or anywhere for that matter so I'll probably miss them while they're there. I haven't forgotten about the plants either by the way but again.. same problem lol.


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## Cory (May 2, 2008)




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