Marbled Crayfish breeding

[bloodlucky]

I received 5 marbled crayfish from a very generous user on here, and all 5 are still perfectly healthy and happy, and best of all, growing. They are in a 10 gallon and I'm waiting for them to breed so I can sell them, much like how they've been sold to me. I'm just wondering what I could change in the tank to make it more breeding friendly. I am aware that they clone quite easily but I want to provide a nice place for the fry and if possible, to assist the reproduction.

In the tank I have a fake plant, a sponge filter, and a little mix between medium size and small gravel substrate. I also have one smooth flat rock from a river I found, which is quite convenient since I placed it underneath the food hatch so the pellets land on the rock, making it much easier for the crayfish to spot out instead of digging through and possibly ignoring the pellets, causing additional waste.

Are there any tips? The user who shipped me the crayfish said that flower pots are nice for fry, but it's not a usual thing I can find here in manhattan, NYC. I'm planning on redesigning the tank this weekend and making a stop to petco, so any ideas will be considered!

 

[Alyxx]

Glad to hear they are doing well! Just keep them fed well and in clean water and they should grow to breeding size fast. Did you find any of the hikari crab cuisine yet? That's the food I sent. Also, if you are having trouble finding flower pots check craft stores. They often have the itty bitty ones I get for the crays.

Oh, and I think I forgot to mention this when you bought them, but if you supplement their diet with spirulina they can turn sort of blue! Thought you might find that cool.

Do you have a heater? It isn't necessary but they do grow a little faster in warmer water, maybe 76-78.

 

[FishCr8zy]

Glad to hear they are doing well! Just keep them fed well and in clean water and they should grow to breeding size fast. Did you find any of the hikari crab cuisine yet? That's the food I sent. Also, if you are having trouble finding flower pots check craft stores. They often have the itty bitty ones I get for the crays.

Oh, and I think I forgot to mention this when you bought them, but if you supplement their diet with spirulina they can turn sort of blue! Thought you might find that cool.

Do you have a heater? It isn't necessary but they do grow a little faster in warmer water, maybe 76-78.

One of my marbled crayfish turned blue. If you supplement them with liver rich foods, they turn red.

 

[FishCr8zy]

I recommend smaller grained substrate so that the babies don't get stuck in the gravel. Sand is the best but small grained gravel works too.

 

[Alyxx]

I recommend smaller grained substrate so that the babies don't get stuck in the gravel. Sand is the best but small grained gravel works too.

Yeah, I use sand for mine so I never thought about babies getting stuck. Good point! Especially with how tiny the hatchlings are at first.

Haha, just did a water change on my cray tank only to find the adult berried again!

 

[FishCr8zy]

Yeah, I use sand for mine so I never thought about babies getting stuck. Good point! Especially with how tiny the hatchlings are at first.

Haha, just did a water change on my cray tank only to find the adult berried again!

I have 5 as of now but by having gotten berried yet. The hatchlings are so tiny! I have seen hatchlings get stuck under gravel pieces and I couldn't do anything to help them.

 

[bloodlucky]

Glad to hear they are doing well! Just keep them fed well and in clean water and they should grow to breeding size fast. Did you find any of the hikari crab cuisine yet? That's the food I sent. Also, if you are having trouble finding flower pots check craft stores. They often have the itty bitty ones I get for the crays.

Oh, and I think I forgot to mention this when you bought them, but if you supplement their diet with spirulina they can turn sort of blue! Thought you might find that cool.

Do you have a heater? It isn't necessary but they do grow a little faster in warmer water, maybe 76-78.

Thanks! Haha! And thanks for the crayfish I should have given you a shout out here my bad :/

I got more of the Hikari Crab bites you reccomended and I will see if I can get the coloring food too! And yes I have an adjustable heater I will try that now! Thanks!

 

[bloodlucky]

So although I never got a direct definition I'm assuming "berried" means the mother has eggs on her i assume?

 

[FishCr8zy]

So although I never got a direct definition I'm assuming "berried" means the mother has eggs on her i assume?

Yes. That is exactly what it means.
Btw, I keep my tank at 80 degrees and they went from less than 1" to like 3" in a few weeks.

 

[Alyxx]

Yes. That is exactly what it means.
Btw, I keep my tank at 80 degrees and they went from less than 1" to like 3" in a few weeks.

Interesting... This may be why I have seen a jump in growth in all of mine - their tank is kept at around 78 with their heater but my ac has been broken for a while now, so my tanks have been hovering around 80.

 

[FishCr8zy]

Interesting... This may be why I have seen a jump in growth in all of mine - their tank is kept at around 78 with their heater but my ac has been broken for a while now, so my tanks have been hovering around 80.

That is probably why. Some of them will get berried very soon. One of my marbled crayfish is almost all blue. It isn't like a tint of blue, it's really vivid blue! All I feed them is turtle sticks.

 

[Alyxx]

That is probably why. Some of them will get berried very soon. One of my marbled crayfish is almost all blue. It isn't like a tint of blue, it's really vivid blue! All I feed them is turtle sticks.

Nah, berrying is still a while off for these, the oldest ones just hatched in mid February. Still hovering around an inch and a half long.
Might have to pick up some turtle sticks, though!

 

[FishCr8zy]

Nah, berrying is still a while off for these, the oldest ones just hatched in mid February. Still hovering around an inch and a half long.
Might have to pick up some turtle sticks, though!

Make sure they are sinking though unless you want to wait until sticks absorb water and squeeze them till they sink. Btw, i use wardley turtle sticks. I heard that marbled crays get berried around 3" ?

 

[Alyxx]

Make sure they are sinking though unless you want to wait until sticks absorb water and squeeze them till they sink. Btw, i use wardley turtle sticks. I heard that marbled crays get berried around 3" ?

Mine did, she berried the first time at around 3" and 8-9 months old. Back in mid January of this year. This is her third time being berried.

 

[FishCr8zy]

Mine did, she berried the first time at around 3" and 8-9 months old. Back in mid January of this year. This is her third time being berried.

Will hob filters suck up the babies? How long till eggs hatch? ( from day 1 to last day )

 

[Alyxx]

I use a sponge filter on their tank, for multiple reasons.
1. Babies can't get sucked up
2. The babies eat the bits of food that get caught in the sponges
3. Crays are sensitive to oxygen levels in the water, so I like having another source of air bubbling in the tank. I run an airstone, too.
I'm not sure if the babies would get sucked into an HOB but I'm sure they could if they climbed up onto the intake. I had a sponge filter on their tank before I ever got the crays, though. It was cheaper than replacing the old HOB that broke.

So far she has usually spent between 3-4 weeks berried, and berries again about 4-5 weeks after she drops. I say 3-4 weeks because she hides when she berries and it takes some time to notice, so I can't be sure. It's usually about 3 weeks after I first notice eggs.

 

[FishCr8zy]

I use a sponge filter on their tank, for multiple reasons.
1. Babies can't get sucked up
2. The babies eat the bits of food that get caught in the sponges
3. Crays are sensitive to oxygen levels in the water, so I like having another source of air bubbling in the tank. I run an airstone, too.
I'm not sure if the babies would get sucked into an HOB but I'm sure they could if they climbed up onto the intake. I had a sponge filter on their tank before I ever got the crays, though. It was cheaper than replacing the old HOB that broke.

So far she has usually spent between 3-4 weeks berried, and berries again about 4-5 weeks after she drops. I say 3-4 weeks because she hides when she berries and it takes some time to notice, so I can't be sure. It's usually about 3 weeks after I first notice eggs.

While all the others are scavenging around, one is just hiding under a log. I looked behind her but she wasn't berried. Would they hide before they berried?

 

[Alyxx]

While all the others are scavenging around, one is just hiding under a log. I looked behind her but she wasn't berried. Would they hide before they berried?

They might, but they also hide when they ate in the process of moulting.

 

[bloodlucky]

Same I have a sponge filter lol the crayfish love crawling all over it though. Can't wait for the crays to start getting berried!

Right now I'm looking for a relatively wide flat surface I can place on top of the gravel for the crays to lay their eggs on, but I might just go to Michael's and buy a flower pot as you suggested, Alyxx

 

[FishCr8zy]

Same I have a sponge filter lol the crayfish love crawling all over it though. Can't wait for the crays to start getting berried!

Right now I'm looking for a relatively wide flat surface I can place on top of the gravel for the crays to lay their eggs on, but I might just go to Michael's and buy a flower pot as you suggested, Alyxx

Crays don't lay eggs. The eggs hang onto the females swimmerets until the babies hatch and the babies are ready to fall off.