Originally Posted by
bulrush
In my aquariums I raise marbled crayfish. These are all female and all reproduce without males. They all reside on the bottom of the tank (generally) and need no more than 36 square inches each. I have about 8 in my tank with a bottom of about 12 x 24 inches.
Square footage on the bottom is not the deciding factor. The deciding factor is number of hiding places. They need to hide when they molt or the other crayfish will eat them when their shell is soft post-molt.
Since marbled crayfish multiply so fast, they might be an ideal candidate for a TIGHTLY CONTAINED crayfish production facility. For example, a swimming pool with 3 ft high walls (these buggers can climb also but not out of water, they can climb to the top of the water). I get about 30 babies every 30 days per adult crayfish. It takes about 120 days for a baby to mature.
Starting with 1 adult, here's what I would have:
after 30 days: 31 crayfish
After 30+120 days: 1+(30*30) = 901 crayfish