Marmorkreb Keepers in the House?

[Trouser Cough]

It took a bunch of buckets to transfer them individually as if they noticed they had company in a 5g bucket there would be a contest for sure. Tannins off of the Mopani turned the tank water brown PDQ.

There are two planters that are roughly 6"W x 24"L and I drilled holes in both ends of each planter along the bottom edge. There are four young Defenbachia(sp) in the planter to the left and a few Pothos plants in the one to the right. No soil. They're held in place w/ volcanic rock from the BBQ section at the big box store. I sort through the rock in the bags I buy to keep the light weight stuff and toss the heavier. Works out to be about 1/2 and 1/2 but even the light stuff seems like it's at the limit of what I want that center support to bear. I can't help but wonder if this application might be the only thing K1 could be good for.

 

[Trouser Cough]

As soon as you drop them back into the tank they immediately look for defensible space. They find it surprisingly quick, too.

 

[Trouser Cough]

I feed them primarily algae pellets and it has made the adults turn green. When I rec'd them initially they were a sort of nondescript spotty brown color. Supposedly if I were to feed them something else they are likely to take on a color other than green.

As to the question 'what have I learned so far' the answer would be...

The more I think about it the less I think the typical kid w/ a 5 gallon tank should be able to have something like this. In country where marmorkrebs could survive outdoor year round they would be hell on wheels and impossible to eradicate. They'll eat anything that doesn't eat them first and they're not selective. Snails, algae, fish, plants, other marmorkrebs and just about anything else in the water column is on the menu and seconds if you got 'em.