Possible Crayfish Eggs

Hi! As some of you know from a previous Fourm I have a 4 inch marbled crayfish. Typically when this crayfish is preping to molt it will stop eating for a few days and I will see the food not being eaten. Usually if it does eat it comes out shortly after the food is dropped in. The last few day I have not been seeing the crayfish eating but I am also not seeing the left over food and I haven’t seen a molt. Is it possible this crayfish has some eggs? A few days ago it really freaked out when I saw it out of its hide when I was coming down to turn off the light, darting around the tank (I thought it was gonna jump out). I didn’t see any eggs then. Because of the way the tank is set up when it is in its hide I can only see its barbels, nothing more of it (in the photo there is an arrow pointing to its hide). Today I plan to do a water change of the crayfish tank so should I lift up his/her hide to see? Also I don’t have any other crayfish in there but I read that these crayfish can reproduce even if there is only one crayfish. Thanks

 

They do produce on their own but it still must be a female, normally only female are sold through the trade but the odd Male gets through, the other reason is he/she may be getting ready to moult, some five days before they stop eating and go into hiding, I'd just do the water change and not disturbe

 

I was just watching the crayfish. He had his head showing. I know he/she could smell the food but she didn’t fully come out. She is still just sticking her head out. I am considering camping out near the crayfish to see when she comes out

Do you think it is likely she has eggs? If so how can I care for them when they hatch? I would plan to sell all other than maybe 1 so how much do marbled crayfish typically go for (I got mine for free)

Also how long does it take for the eggs to hatch?

 

As a rule marble are not cannibalistic but it dose sometime occour where the parent eats her offspring it's a case of watching, if I remember right I believe they carry eggs for 6 weeks but not 100%on that, my Australian red is 14weeks, so 6weeks is there or there abouts as for price I don't know as they are banned in the UK, there's no real care for the offspring other than hiding places, try dropping some food as close to her hide as possible if she's ready to moult she won't eat but may if she as eggs, it's a bit of a waiting game to see when she comes out

 

They do produce on their own but it still must be a female, normally only female are sold through the trade but the odd Male gets through, the other reason is he/she may be getting ready to moult, some five days before they stop eating and go into hiding, I'd just do the water change and not disturbe

All Marbled or Self Cloning Crayfish are female. There are no males. They all have the ability to self reproduce.
I would just do your water change as usual. If you really want to check, go for it otherwise she will come out when she is ready. I have 3 small ones and one larger one and my biggest seems to be the most skiddish. I hand feed each of them with a set of long tweezers. That way I know everybodys eating. Took them a min to catch on, now they come running out with claws in the air soon as food hits water lol. If she is berried, get ready for many, many babies. I'm breeding mine for puffer food. Otherwise I don't know what Id do with them all

 

There is a Male marble crayfish but the female only is self cloning and only females available in trade it true name is Procambarus Fallaxf. Virginails

 

There is a Male marble crayfish but the female only is self cloning and only females available in trade it true name is Procambarus Fallaxf. Virginails

No. There arent. They originally came from a pair of slough crayfish. The single cray had a genetic mutation that gave it extra chromosomes, allowing it to breed without a male. But this isn't wat the OP asked so I think we will have to agree to disagree.

 

Sorry OP as been PM me regarding this subject so your not in recept of all the information my crayfish book clearly states what i'v said while doing research on marble cray, can you tell me what book your information is coming from as clearly one of them is wrong mine Is Crayfish invertebrates by Chris Lukhhaup/Reinhard Pekny

 

Hi! I just got a glimpse of my crayfish through a live feed camera. I can not see any eggs and she darted away soon after. Any reason (other than molting) why she might suddenly be so shy?

 

If she's getting ready to molt she may see you as a predator when you approach the tank mine tend to do the same other times it will come to the front of the tank, if it is, moulting is a very stressful time for all crustaceans up to a point it life threatening, again if it is she will also stop eating

 

That is the only weird thing, she is still eating. That is what is confusing me

 

starting to confuse me as well now

 

Sorry OP as been PM me regarding this subject so your not in recept of all the information my crayfish book clearly states what i'v said while doing research on marble cray, can you tell me what book your information is coming from as clearly one of them is wrong mine Is Crayfish invertebrates by Chris Lukhhaup/Reinhard Pekny

I said agree to disagree.. so heres a link to the Invasive Species Compendium

And one to Science Magazine
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/201...ke-over-world?r3f_986=https://www.google.com/
I don't have access to your book but this is just 2 of the many articles that Ive read specifically stating that it is a Female only species.

 

brondo please forgive me but I wanted to know more it was not putting your information as wrong at any time, in fact although we have clearly got two different write ups your information I would regard as more to fact and truth to what my book says, I hope this doesn't put a wedge between us and thanks for the information it's good reading

 

richie.p Its all good. We can still be friends
; )

 

richie.p I have to agree with brondo on the female only species. I also read that they are a female only species. Thanks oh for all the info though I guess I will see if she is molting or if something else is going on. Thanks

 

I agree with you both there are two versions of the same species but what I read from brondo makes me sure my book is wrong, its nice to know mind as its so easy to give out wrong information, I also found the findings in my book was 1982

 

Well in 1982 you would have totally been right, as they didnt exist until the 90s. Or so Ive read. Can you believe its 2019?Just bananas.

 

So brondo what happened any idea did the males just die out forcing the females to become self cloning

 

Ok, heres one that explains it pretty well I think. Link to the whole thing at the top (hopefully) the part we are talking about I pasted below that. I hope I'm doing it right

Marbled Crayfish That Can Clone Themselves Originated From One Mutant Ancestor

"It appears to have evolved from a species called the slough crayfish. The new species was likely born from the mating of two slough crayfish, one of which had a mutation in the sex cell.
Sex cells normally contain only one copy of each chromosome, but this mutant crayfish had two. The two sex cells apparently fused and produced a female crayfish embryo that had three copies of each chromosome.
The new crayfish did not suffer from deformities regardless of its extra DNA, but instead of reproducing sexually like its ascendants, it can induce its own eggs to divide into embryos, producing an all-female offspring.
These offspring contain the same copies of their mother's three sets of chromosomes, which essentially makes them her clones. These clones also produce fertile offspring, which allows the population of the new species to explode.
These findings are consistent with the model that the marbled crayfish genome originated from an autopolyploid P. fallax gamete and the mating of two distantly related P. fallax individuals."

 

That was very interesting reading brondo this is why in the UK crayfish are banned except for two species that can be controlled and if let go will die in the wild, the Signal crayfish was introduced from the USA many years ago and its decimated our rivers and lakes its completely out of control, that's why the ban is on, thanks for taking the time for the write up it's very interesting reading, I understand these creatures a little bit more now

 

Hi! The crayfish still hasn’t come out of hiding and I still don’t see a molt. From my live cam photage it doesn’t look like she has eggs either. The food is still being eaten at some point but I want to know what is going on. Is it possible she is getting ready to lay the eggs on to her tail?

 

Good morning.
All I can do is guess at this point. I have 4 and my biggest is the most skiddish. She never ever comes out when I am there and she goes nuts trying to get into a cave if I manage to sneek up on her. The fact that yours just started doing it is weird. Id gurss molting but you aren't seeing the leftovers. Is she alone in the tank? Because other creatures eat those too. Its big enough to be reproducing, but I haven't got there yet so I have no advise there. It is eating and that is good. How many days has this been going on?

 

This has been going on for about a week now. She is alone in a 10 gallon, I was considering upgrading soon.

 

I think all you can do for now is just wait and see what she does next. As long as she continues to eat I wouldnt worry.

 

Here's my first young just above the elbow of the leg incubation period as been 8 weeks 1day this is the Australian red claw

 

Hey everyone! I know this is a somewhat old thread but my crayfish is still not coming out to eat, I still se left over food but he is still not coming out for me to see him. I have a tied everything. I even reshaped his tank a few days ago to make it look more natural. Is it possible that he feels uncomfoatible in his tank because he feels it’s to small? He is like 4-5 inches now and it’s only a 10 gallon tank. Should I upgrade him to a 20 long? So you think tab would help. I have made the tank pretty much escape prof so I don’t think he can escape. Last night I actually had a dream about upgrading him and it made him feel better and that is where I got the idea. Thanks

Or maybe I could take out his main hide, he is starting to get to small for it anyway

 

For a cray of 5" your probably right he needs a bigger tank, its probably something as simple as that

 

His main hide also takes up a bunch of space. I don’t have the money for a upgrade currently but I could save up. There is also the factor of putting him in my 55 gallon. That tank is a African cichlid tank but it is scaled that I think my crayfish would love it. 90% of the cichlids in there are shy anyway, think that would work?

 

That's nice I'm just about to setup a MalawI cichlid tank, may be brondo could have some advise, there's plenty of places to hide

 

I am posting a video on how to clean river rock so ou don’t have to spend a fortune soon

 

Ok I'll pick up on that, I'm looking at putting a mix of colours of the MalawI peacock cichlids in

 

HI everyone! So the Crayfish didn't eat today, and he has been hiding a lot. I think it is possible he is just prepping to molt. However because of his weird behavior I am worried he might be dying. If he does die could I blame it on myself, or just a mysterious death? Do you think he could be dying. Also if it is just a molt could he maybe go back to normal soon? Thanks

 

I have to be honest, I am stumped. This has been going on for 12-13 days now, which doesn't make sense for molting or reproducing as far as I know. I was beginning to wonder if this was just your Crays behavior now, but not eating is always a red flag for me. I just don't know where to go from here. My large female doesn't like to be caught out of her caves when I come around oddly. She freaks. I was thinking, how many hides does she have in the tank? I have 5 separate caves spread thru the tank so she can jump in one when scared. My kuhlI loaches were the same. Soon as I made it to where they had tons of places to go they stopped hiding so much. Regardless, if the worst happens and she dies, you have done your part and then some so no blame is needed. Sometimes they just die. My Fave, my lil mexican dwarf cray died a couple months back and looked perfect, just dead, no idea why

 

Should I upgrade the tank, maybe bigger will help?

I just went downstairs to check on him now that the lights have been off. The food is gone and he was out of his hide, so could he just be becoming very shy for some reason. What do you make of that?

 

It could well be the tank its worth a try if she's coming out at night says to me she's afraid in the day and that may be the restriction put on her by the tank, other than that I'm stumped as well, at least she's eating

 

Ok, so I have another question that doesn’t at all relate to the crayfish but I think you guys are the ones to ask:
So yesterday I picked up 3 fiddler crabs (1 male, 2 female) and I would like some advice. I know fiddler crabs should be in brackish water but the last fiddler crab I had died about a month after introducing brackish water. I read on some site that you should put in 1/4 per 5 gallons for fiddler crabs but that 5 gallon isn’t fully filled so I have been putting in roughly 1/7 of a cup in. Is that why the fiddler might have died? He died shortly after a molt and he was housed alone. I did notice he never really left the brackish water and only occasionally moved around. I have (and had for him) a whole cave setup with a small pool of freshwater in case he didn’t want to be in brackish and I have (and had for him) a big platform of land. For these guys I made the opining to the cave larger (it was pretty small) and I made the platform of land more acessible. Does this sound good for them? I will post pics in a little bit. If this sounds good for them could I expect them to breed, and should I expect live fiddler crabs to come from it? Thanks

P.S. the tank also has a air stone in the water and a heater

 

Hey everyone. My biggest DREAM has come true! The crayfish has moved out of his tiny hide he barely fits into anymore to one of the rock caves I made! I can finally remove his hide without feeling guilty! Also here are some pics of the crab tank an the crayfish tank:
Crayfish tank-

Crab tank-

 

Although I've been looking into getting some crabs my knowledge is still very sparse, but I have bee getting some real good feed back from TheDarkAbyss he may join in and give some good advise

 

richie.p this morning the crayfish came out and ate right in front of me! I hope he is going back to normal