# will room temp be okay for crayfish?



## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

I'm going to set up a self-cloning crayfish tank at my son's school and I am wondering if they need a heater. The school is always heated but sometimes on the cool side (perhaps down to 60 F on a winter holiday, though I think it's generally around 68 to 70).

I heat all my fish tanks and my shrimp tanks but if the crayfish don't need heat then I think it might just be better not to put in a heater if it doesn't need one in a school environment. There's always the chance that someone will pull the heater out of the tank while it's still plugged in while doing a water change and then forget about it. (It happens!)


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## Zeron (Apr 23, 2010)

They should do fine at room temp.


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## Homahfan (Apr 22, 2010)

I had them setup in a small tank (14 Gallon) at room temp and they did quite well.


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## Captured Moments (Apr 22, 2010)

They are very tolerant of a wide temperature range so they would be fine in an unheated tank. I used to have lots of them along with some newts in an unheated tank in my basement and they were fine.


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Thank you, everyone! I'm really quite excited about this project.


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## poiuy704 (Nov 6, 2010)

I just found one in my sink while washing the gravel of a tank I picked up at MR Pets last week. She travelled from Vancouver to Chilliwack in the back of my pick up on a cold rainy day, spent 10 days in an unheated garage and a half hour being swirled around as I washed the gravel. It looks perfectly happy now in her new home and is actually carrying 5 or 6 youngsters. based on this ones experience I'm thinking they'd be okay at room temps.


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## fuzzysocks (Dec 8, 2010)

When I started reading your story I thought one had crawled up through the drain!



> I just found one in my sink while washing the gravel of a tank I picked up at MR Pets last week. She travelled from Vancouver to Chilliwack in the back of my pick up on a cold rainy day, spent 10 days in an unheated garage and a half hour being swirled around as I washed the gravel.


And that's why marble crayfish getting released into the wild terrifies me...


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## Jasonator (Jul 12, 2011)

They are resilient little girls, indeed!!

They prefer cold water and are oh so hardy.

The only thing to be concerned about is air in the water. So, a simple airstone will do. If not enough, they try to leave!! and they will, as they are good escape artists - so keeping the water level a little lower is good, and nothing in the tank to easily climb up.... a lid is good too 

Have fun!!


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

Their hardiness, coupled with their reproductive prowess is why they are such a wild release hazard in places like the Lower Mainland.

Please, lets keep them out of our waterways!


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