Housing

What would an ideal Marmorkrebs rearing system look like?

Housing Marmorkrebs poses interesting problems, not the least of which is because Marmorkrebs reproduce so quickly. Using regular aquariums of the sort commonly found in pet stores certainly works, but can take up a lot of bench space. There may be a lot to be learned from zebrafish and Xenopus researchers, who are numerous enough that there are specific aquarium systems dedicated to housing large numbers of animals, collecting offspring, etc.

Aquatic Habitats offers some interesting systems (pictured). Our department has been using a benchtop system to house invertebrates for teaching purposes, and it is a decided improvement over lots of individual little tanks.

Another company worth looking into is Aquatic Eco-Systems, which has a variety of supplies. I'm particularly fond of their acrylic tanks, which I am currently using to house Marmorkrebs. The tanks are lightweight, making them much easier to move around. They are much less susceptible to cracking.

As the Marmorkrebs community grows, it will probably be important to work with these sorts of businesses to develop a standard set-up for someone who wants to establish a Marmorkrebs colony for research.