Hello everyone, it’s Pierre, the Fish Beast and welcome back to the channel!

This is a Marbled Crayfish or Marmorkrebs… and it can clone itself!

You heard right! This crayfish lays eggs that hatch into tiny versions of itself WITHOUT a male. This means that you can keep one in a tank and eventually you'll end up with dozens or even hundreds of them.

In fact, this ability to reproduce without a mate (also known as parthenogenesis) has caused concerns about the Marmorkrebs being a potentially invasive species.

Description:
The Marmorkrebs is a freshwater crustacean related to lobsters. They grow to around 45” in length. Like other decapods, they have 10 main legs, 2 of which are claws. They have antennae, a hard exoskeleton, small swimming legs and a strong tail.

These crayfish can come in many different colors ranging from reddish brown, orange, dark green and even blue depending on their diet. In fact, this video shows the same Marmorkrebs a few months apart after I switched their food to krillbased pellets. They have a fine “marbled” pattern on their shell, hence the name.

Name and Origin:
Marmorkrebs were thought to have been discovered in a hobbyist’s aquarium in Germany around 1995. The name Marmorkrebs means “Marbled Crab” in German. The scientific name is Procambarus virginalis.

The Marmorkrebs isn’t really known to native from anywhere besides being discovered in Germany. It’s thought that the first one was a random mutation. Their closest living relative is the slough crayfish which is found in Florida.

Marmorkrebs are not easily available in pet stores. In fact, they are banned in the European Union and other places due to their potential to be invasive species. Some states in the US also prohibit their ownership because of this.

Selfcloning Reproduction:
All Marmorkrebs are female and reproduce by selfcloning. They do not need fertilization and as mentioned before, lay eggs that hatch into exact genetic copies of themselves. In fact, every single Marmorkrebs in existence is thought to be genetically identical to the very first one discovered decades ago!

Adult Marmorkrebs will lay between 50 to over 200 eggs every month and keep them attached to the swimming legs under their tails until they hatch. The babies develop fairly quickly and are able to lay eggs in about six months. You can imagine how fast a colony can grow from only one animal!

For this reason, always have a plan for what to do with the offspring. Some people sell them, others use them as a food source for their larger fish. Some countries even eat the Marmorkrebs.

Care and Feeding:
Marmorkrebs do best in water temperatures between 68 and 74 degrees Fahrenheit (20 to 23 degrees celsius) but some reports show they can survive down to nearfreezing conditions. They are not picky at all with water parameters and do well with routine care. They can even survive for a time out of water!

A colony of Marmorkrebs should be kept in at least a 20 gallon tank. With proper care and a suitable environment, they can live as long as 34 years. Keep in mind that even a single crayfish will not be alone for long!

Marmorkrebs should be given plenty of hiding places and crevices to help them feel secure. This also allows them to be safe from being disturbed after they shed their exoskeleton during molting. They will mostly occupy the bottom of the tank but climb onto any structures they can get to. Any plants will quickly be uprooted, snipped and eaten.

They/re also very good at escaping through even the smallest openings, so a tightfitting lid is a must.

Marmorkrebs are scavengers and opportunistic predators. They’ll crawl around searching for anything edible and are not picky at all. I feed my Marmorkrebs sinking pellets and sometimes worms. They will eat snails and even any fish slow enough to be caught.

Behavior and Tankmates:
Marmorkrebs are generally peaceful to other tank mates that they can’t catch or eat. They can sometimes be territorial with one another and even get into fights that result in the loss of claws or legs, but as long as they don’t die, they will usually regrow them in the next molt. Again, having plenty of hiding places will help mitigate this. I keep PVC pipe sections in my Marmorkrebs tank which they move into and use like little apartments.

Conclusion:
Marmorkrebs are really interesting creatures and are easy to keep. I find the fact that they can clone themselves without a mate extremely fascinating as well! If they aren't banned in your area, think about picking one or two of them up to keep in their own 20 gallon tank… With proper care, you'll find yourself with dozens of them in no time.

I enjoy reading your comments and also am happy to answer questions so don’t be shy! Again, thanks for watching and happy fishkeeping!

#aquarium #crayfish #weird
Edited by Julius @eurusaki
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