Best crustaceans for a classroom tank?

[Morainy]

Hi All,

A Biology teacher (Bi 11, AP Biology) at my son's high school wants to set up a tank for crustaceans. I am going to set up the tank for him (either a 20 gallon or a 55 gallon tank, undivided, with hang on back filtration).

What kind of crustaceans would you recommend? He just told me, "anything you can find."

At first I was thinking of cherry shrimp, but then I realized that they're so tiny they might not be easily seen, or students might siphon them out while cleaning the tank. Then, I thought of those tiny orange lobsters they have at Aquariums West (I've got 2 of them now and they're very cute) but I think they're a little expensive for my budget in this case.

Now, I'm thinking of self-cloning marble crayfish. I don't have much experience with these. I looked after 2 briefly and so I noticed that they were interesting to watch and fairly hardy. What do you think?

[Keri]

Self-cloning might be kind of cool for a bio class, they could talk about it or do a project on them. Plus they are not too expensive.

[Tarobot]

self cloning marbled crayfish is the way to go as long as you're not adding plants. i've got a few if you're interested.

[djamm]

Yeah I agree with the idea of marbled cray's, they are easy too keep and breed. A tank with some pvc tubes or drainage tiles for cover. Make sure it has a lid as crays often find there way out!

Cheers

[Atom]

How about some Amano shrimp? They are usually larger than cherries, but maybe too dull to spot? I got some at Noah's on Broadway for a decent price.

[AWW]

Amanos probably arn't the best choice, as they wont breed,

[Morainy]

Thank you, everybody. That was very helpful! Tarabot, thank you for your offer. I may have a source nearer the school but if not, I'll write to you by PM.

Atom, amanos are quite lovely. I have a few of them. I think they may not be right for this particular project, but I might donate some for their other tank (a fish tank). My amanos seem to be very hardy and fish-wise.

Thank you, all!

[Ursus sapien]

I like the marmokreb idea - a wonderful biology lesson on genetics and reproduction, with an added component of wild release danger and invasive species.

[Morainy]

Thank you, Storm. I didn't know that they were called marmokrebs and I also didn't know anything about them. I Googled "Marmokreb" and found that they are quite fascinating. Perfect for this class!

I like the marmokreb idea - a wonderful biology lesson on genetics and reproduction, with an added component of wild release danger and invasive species.

[Homahfan]

I vote for the Marble crays also! They grow fast... and are very hardy!