Marbled Crayfish Cloning Question.

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screaminleeman

screaminleeman

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Nov 27, 2009
1,445
10
38
Westminster, MD
Hi,

I have a question about "cloneing" these (marbled crayfish). I purchased around 4 - 6 (don't remember exactly) around six or so months ago. I put one in a 5 gallon, and each of the other three in 10 gallon tanks. The only one to "clone" was in the 5G tank.

Hungreds of feeders, I raised about a dozen to re-clone in tanks rangeing from 10G to 40G breeders.

I have had the 5G tank re-clone three times now! Not one single solitary cloneing has gone down yet in ANY other tank. Water parameters are extrememly close and as such should not be a factor in this.

Is the 5G actually "large" for a marbled crayfish, and around the MAXIMUM size tank that these should be in. All of the ones in the larger tanks are certainly heathy, active and have great appetites. They simply never clone in my bigger tanks!:screwy:
 
i have raised literally thousands of these guys. My very first one i put into a 30g tank when she was about a half inch long. she shed every other day it seemed like until she was about 2 inches. then she had her first batchat around 6months old. They have to feel safe i know. mine always burrow in and generally wont even come out to get food. i have upgraded to a 50g with my gar and pacus and knife fish and they are still reproducing.
 
I have a bunch in a 10G and i notice it seems there are a select few that constantly berried, where as others are only growing but not berrying...
 
I've had mine berry in buckets, 2.5gal, 5gal, 50gal and semi-terrestrial (a 20gal with split land and water filled 1/4 way) tanks. For me, the key was always the temperature of the water... the cooler water always produced more berries for me. The amount of water, the quality of water, lighting, food, etc never really seemed to affect it too much. *shrugs* But those are just mine.
 
Unbelievable. I had my fourth cloneing in the 5G tank. Still nothing in any of the larger tanks, heated of not.

Do they get too "big" to clone anymore. I have some of mine getting huge (4"+) and I was under the impression that this species did not get this large. They are 100% clones and now very large, but not cloneing themselves.

Is it possible to produce "sterile" clones? They do make awsome feed though!
 
I have read a couple reasons why these will turn blue. 1 is soft water the other is age... assuming your critters are not in soft water maybe when they turn blue you will know they are too old. I am 100% guessing I have no experience with these yet.

I won a 10+ marmorkrebs auction on aquabid yesterday. Today I put the payment in the mail and with any luck they will arrive in 1-2 weeks. Any idea how long it will take 1/2" crays to get 2"?
 
screaminleeman said:
Unbelievable. I had my fourth cloneing in the 5G tank. Still nothing in any of the larger tanks, heated of not.

Do they get too "big" to clone anymore. I have some of mine getting huge (4"+) and I was under the impression that this species did not get this large. They are 100% clones and now very large, but not cloneing themselves.

Is it possible to produce "sterile" clones? They do make awsome feed though!
Click to expand...

This species does stay "small". They max at about 4" in body length, give or take with some, whereas a lot of other species in that genus get 6" or so in body length, so by that comparison they mean small. Otherwise, they're classified as a medium sized crayfish more often than not. And they may be getting too old to clone, though I've not encountered this personally or in literature. Maybe you should drop Zen Faulkes a message and ask him, he's the #1 boss in terms of Marmorkrebs worldwide - http://www.utpa.edu/faculty/zfaulkes/marmorkrebs/

It'd be really interesting if they did get too old to clone.


Smertrios said:
I have read a couple reasons why these will turn blue. 1 is soft water the other is age... assuming your critters are not in soft water maybe when they turn blue you will know they are too old. I am 100% guessing I have no experience with these yet.

I won a 10+ marmorkrebs auction on aquabid yesterday. Today I put the payment in the mail and with any luck they will arrive in 1-2 weeks. Any idea how long it will take 1/2" crays to get 2"?
Click to expand...

The coloration in this species is actually temporary and changes molt to molt (sometimes staying, sometimes changing), it's rather cool. But it's environmental, it occurs due to food, lighting, water parameters, etc. But it's why you can see a single individual be reddish, dark grey/black, blue (light and dark), muddled green and white throughout it's life. White is reaaaaaally cool in these guys. ^_^

And rather quickly, month or two depending on food and water conditions.
 
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