My tiger salamander larvae

I just got two tiger salamander larvae and I am keeping them in a 73qt. Rubbermaid tub. As of right now, I am using river rock but I am going to change it to pea gravel. I am going to build them a cave like hide and where they can get on top of it so when they start going through metamorphosis. I had feeder fish in there for about 4 days. They have eaten 10 of them in that time. Should I keep feeding them the fish? I tried dropping piece of a worm in there but with the large rocks the worm just dug down into the rock. Also, what is the average time it take for them to become actual salamanders? The water is pretty cold right now so I am sure it is slowing the process down... Will the likely stay the color that they are as larva? Is there any way to tell the species from what color the larva is or is it just a heretidary type thing?

(Message edited by Testykalz on October 10, 2005)

Here are some pics









(Message edited by jennewt on October 10, 2005)

Depending on the size, pea gravel may be a bad idea. You do not want anything in the tank that can be swallowed accidentally, as this is deadly. The rocks you have there look perfect, though you might want to remove any small ones that look even remotely swallowable. Also, you might want to use a thinner layer of rocks to reduce the ability of food and waste to disappear into the rocks.

Also, you need some method for pulling dirt up out from the rocks - a turkey baster works wonders. Don't skimp on partial water changes and clean-ups of uneaten food, especially during the first month. Do you know about "cycling" a new tank?

Feeder fish are not the greatest staple diet, in my opinion. I would suggest cutting up the earthworms into chunks, as these cannot crawl away, and drop in several chunks at a time. Also try other foods, such as live brine shrimp, occasional waxworms, etc. It may work well to offer pieces of food in front of their noses using chopsticks or tongs.

Maybe some other folks have experience with how long it takes for them to reach metamorphosis and what color they may be.

Okay, I may keep the large rock then...heh. Cycling a new tank? I have heard about it but thats about it. I have earthworms but they don't seem to want them or haven't yet. I'll try the chunk method and see if it works. I must say it is very neat watching them stalk a fish and eat it! haha

Well, I tried cutting up the worm and feeding it to them. The brown one eats the pieces but the dark grey one will not. Does the maturing stage make one become more active then the other? Because the brown one is constantly swimming around while the grey one just kind of sets on the bottom and hangs out.

From my observation, bigger mature larvae will be more active than the smaller ones. And they will be better hunter as well.