P. chinensis eggs!

[Fenrhir]

Hi everybody!
Today I found some P. chinensis eggs between Egeria densa!! I am so happy, but they were only two or three.. do they lay a bunch per day like Cynops genre? What should I do? Wait to have more eggs and separate them from their parents tank or leave them inside so they grow together?

[Rodrigo]

Hey Fer, congrats :)
It is my understanding that they lay like you described, a bunch of eggs at a time, for a period of time.
As to wether to leave them in with the parents or not, it depends on wether your individuals are egg eaters, really. If they are, you better take out every egg you see xD

[Fenrhir]

It's the first time i breed them and i didn't ask them :P Someone that has breed paramesotriton... what would you do?

[Chris Michaels]

I have always found that Paramesotriton eat their own eggs. I would adivse removing them to a well-cycled aquarium (they do very poorly under sterile-type conditions), ideally filled at least partially with water from the adult tank. Also feed the adults, particularly females, which are the biggest egg-eaters, very heavily to keep them full. Earthworms are particularly good for this.

If you need time to set up a separate aquarium, you can move the eggs, still attached to a length of plant - don't peel the eggs off or just remove one leaf, as I have found this increases chances of fungus - to a fish breeding trap (basically a mesh container that sits in the main aquarium). This keeps the adults away while maintaining the same water condit0ons. Just ensure that there is adequater water flow through the trap to avoid stagnation within it.

Development is very long, with the larvae hatching with fully formed front limbs, unlike pond-dwelling newts. If eggs start hatching early (i.e. the larvae look like little greyinsh foetus-y things), there is something wrong with the parameters. These premature larvae are very delicate (both to physical and chemical trauma), but if kept clean they can stillk pull through if they aren't too under-developed.

The larvae are very benthic, so make sure that you provide food that they can catch on the substrate.

Good luck!

[Fenrhir]

Cris, thanks very much for all you advices! i've fed the females very well as i've seen the first egg i'm separating all the eggs i see. I'll keep you updated!

[Chris Michaels]

Sounds good. The keys to successful rearing are clean, stable, well-oxygenated (but not fast flowing) water and enojugh food, time and space to get large at metamorphosis; Paramesotriton morphs do not do well if they are tiny when they morph.

The laying season can be quite long, so you may end up with more than one tank of larvae, sorted by age. Also beware that live 'Cyclops' (or, at least, some species) will eat the larvae alive. The larvae look like they are eating them, but then the little crustaceans start to 'bump' against the larva. Left alone for an hour or so, the larva will suddenly lack limbs and gills....

The morphs are EXTREMELY hydrophobic and will desicate stuck to the glass if not noticed, rather than return to water to hydrate. Some people have managed to raise P. chinensis aquatically (there is a thread somewhere in this forum) after they have grown a bit, but there is a large risk of drowning with this genus.
For the juvies, I found that 'stabilising' them on slaightly damp paper towels with moss and bark until they develop a truly granular skin and then moving them to an enclosure with forest soil, moss, dead leaves and stacks of cork bark works well, with lots of earthworms and little bugs introduced.

C

[Fenrhir]

Ok nice to read all advices Totally until today they're 12 eggs, 1 broken inside. I put them on a set up filled up with rainwater and water from their parents' tank. I added an airpump but i have to buy another cause it's so noisy . both females are laying! i'm so happy cause we're in falling winter, that means that they will lay for some weeks more perhaps

[Fenrhir]

Hey dudes, the eggs are all cloudy, they're lying more eggs but i don't know if it'll be better to let them there, or separate them.. the problem perhaps is that the male hasn't fertilize them! could it be a possibility right?

[Logan]

Well I hope the new eggs do better for your. P.Chinensis is my favorite newt! Congrats on getting them laying.
Logan

[Chris Michaels]

If the cloudiness originates from the inside, with the yolk of the eggs breaking down, then they are infertile. If the embryos start to develop and then fuzziness starts to grow from the outside, then it's a fungal infection.

The first few eggs of the season soemtimes do not develop, so you have some hope left! Try leaving a few in with the parents to see if they develop there, in which case there may be something wrong with your egg tank.

Good luck

C

[Fenrhir]

Thanks Chris! When i see the cloudiness i leave the eggs in the parent tank. They're infertile then, cause the same comes from the inside I'll wait the middle spring, cause we still don't start it!

[Chris Michaels]

Lots of Paramesotriton breed in the Autumn, at least in captivity, so you may have to wait another year....make sure they get cooler during the winter to bring the animals into condition and ensure that sperm and eggs are matured properly.

Good luck

C