N. strauchi eggs & larvae

Through the generosity of an N. strauchii breeder, I've been the lucky recipient of some eggs (and one "preemie"), and will post photos here of their development starting with these:

wow, this'll be a great thread to watch. Do you think the tiny insect-looking guys hitched a ride in with the eggs, or were they in your tank?

You're very observant, Jonathan, I hadn't noticed the insect-looking guy in the photos, but I did siphon out one yesterday from the same container. I'm guessing they came from a large, well-planted tank housing Cynops pyrrhogaster. It's been trouble-free for years now, so I often use water from there when starting up new tanks or changing tubs of water for larvae. I'm rethinking that now though given that N. strauchii are said to prefer harder water.



(Message edited by TJ on April 24, 2007)

They look like aphids Ô_o Don´t really know what they are, but they look dead...so they could be just aphids that drowned in the tank???
Anyway, congratulations Tim, i´ll definitely keep an eye on this thread. How are you keeping them so far?? what temps, kind of setup, etc?
Best of lucks with them.

I hope that's the case, Rodrigo. I'm looking into it.

As for the eggs, I only just got them so I'm just keeping them in a smallish container with cycled water and plants, no aeration. pH yet to be checked but I think it's close to neutral. Air temperature in the room is a pretty constant 20 C. The pictures of N. strauchii eggs that I've seen so far show them to be clear while most of these are milky, so I don't hold out much hope for them. What I have hope for is three larvae, or rather the one preemie and the two embryos that were pretty far developed in the eggs already when I got them. My problem now is that one of the eggs seems to have deflated and it doesn't seem viable, at least to my untrained eye. So I'm now thinking of excising the larva from the egg prematurely as it's still alive and wiggling in that cramped environment. It'd be delicate work with great risk though...

Turns out it was much ado about nothing as the larva in question was merely hatching, which explains the deflation of the sac. What a relief

Congrats, Tim! Your larvae do look a bit premature. I've seen strauchii hatch with full gills.

In photo 2, the egg on the lower left definitely looks "fungal". Better remove it.

I wouldn't worry about the insect looking thing, mites are normal detritovores in aquariums.

Thanks for the tips, Jen







Jen, does that egg in the middle picture seem fertile to you? I read what you said about the nucleus of some of the eggs of this species looking "too white" in a way one might associate with duds...

Also, I just read what Henk said about the eggs being "very sensitive to saprolegnia and to being eaten by flatworms." Scary as I recall there were a few planaria in the egg and larvae container when I looked in this morning. Are those any threat? Aren't they a kind of flatworm?


(Message edited by TJ on April 27, 2007)

How they doing Tim? How are you planning to harden the water? A couple of inferior shots of mine . Still with yolk sac and no signs of feeding - not too far off though.

Nice shots

My 2 larvae are still fine, and the third that was about the hatch still hasn't. As for the eggs, they don't seem to show signs of developing, and some went white and fuzzy early on.

Last night, I tested the pH of the water of the larger tank from which I took their water and found to it to be dangerously acidic. But I was relieved to find that the water in the larvae tank was around neutral, most probably because I've been daily water changes of 20-30% of the water. I guess I should find a way be raising the pH higher as my tap water is neutral. Any ideas?

Interesting to see your larvae further along than mine with their front legs formed and a different pattern

(Message edited by TJ on April 29, 2007)

In caudata culture it says limstone can be useful for that matter Tim. Using the appropriate kind of rocks can make your water more alkaline.
Best of lucks with them Tim and Mark. I´m starting to appreciate neurergus more and more with time, they are becoming one of my favourites.

I wasn't sure if the growths at the front of the larvae were arms. I initially thought they were balancers and then I noticed the tiny finger like structures on the end. As this species live in flowing water it could be an adaptation to help grip onto rocks.

I worry I may do more harm than good trying to alter the hardness at this stage. Fluctuations in hardness could be stressful and maybe dangerous. My water is fairly neutral with regards to ph and neither very soft or very hard. If I get to the stage where a permanent set-up is required I'll probably introduce some limestone rocks.

How are yours doing Tim? Mine has front and rear legs and a feisty appetite. Approx 2cm long.