Spermatophores everywhere!

Hiya, much to my shock I woke up this morning to find 5 or 6 little packets lying around the tank.
Strange seeing as I only put Phil in with the three girls last night... he is eager. They're all sexually mature, wether they're old enough to go through with it I'm unsure.
I found 2 eggs (or what I presume are eggs) laying on the sand, which I've moved. They're white so I presume they've come from Gary. She's now swimming around on the plants, so maybe I'll get some more.

Now I'm just sitting around watching intently, trying not to disturb them. How exciting! Oooh Alan has just sat herself down on a packet....

Right, I'm off now to read everything I can on the subject, just incase I end up with 4 batches of eggs.... eep.

Have they got anything to lay on, plants or some such? Depending on what you have, it can be a major pain and really quite gross getting the sticky eggs off the surface of things. Also I'm wondering, has there been a major temp dip lately to induce the spawning?

I've been reading up and it think it may have something to do with the fact I've been slowly getting them used to a light in the tank over the past few weeks - then all of a sudden adding in phil (the boy). And in Aus it's begun to get colder over the last weeks or so. Only 2 - 3 degree difference in the tanks though. Gary seems to be the only one laying. I think I might remove the other spermatophores to stop Alan and Steve picking them up - hopefully they haven't already.

The tank has vallisneria in it, which is a big long reedy plant. Gary's only been laying on those so far. She layed the first egg at about 6 tonight, and it's 9:30 now, about 20 eggs or so, but she's still going. I've removed about 10 eggs to another tank, I just snipped off the plant below the eggs. But I can imagine how annoying it would be getting those eggs off.

I've been watching intently for the last few hours. My god it's so fascinating! I wish I could take photos, but no doubt I'd stress her out. It's probably a good thing my camera is broken or I wouldn't be able to resist taking millions of photos.

Well I must go read some more, but I shall be back with updates.

Lisa, I have to ask - why boys names when they're girls???

I was waiting.... lol. The first 2 axies I got were girls, but I didnt find that out until about 6 months after i got them. I couldn't change their names so I decided to stick with it. Now all my axies have silly names to keep with the theme of things.

Thats why I always wait to determine the sex for sure before I name any new critter. Keeps the confusion low.

ARGH! theres more!!!! That horny little phil!
It seems phils has wooed another of my axies, alan. So now I have 1 1/2 week old eggs and brand new ones today.

All Garys eggs are developing well, you can make out which end is their heads and almost see their little fin along the back. Their so cute. I have about 20 left in a holding tank, and gave away about 75 today. There was a few infertile eggs and one or two eggs that developed strange, which I've removed. They're all melanoid(from phil) from what I can gather.

Now I can start all over again with Alans eggs (if they're fertile). These ones are more an off white, and alan is a wildtype, so I'm hoping I might get something different.

But anyway, I've ordered brine shrimp eggs, I've bought 2 new pumps, each with a gang valve that divides into 3 seperate air lines. I plan on having 6 large tubs, each with approx 5 - 10 hatchlings (depending on tub size). Hatchlings will be divided by size, fed twice a day, daily water change after feeding. Seem like I'm on the right track?

And yes, I'm taking phil out as soon as I transfer the eggs in the holding tank to tubs. Both girls that layed are getting extra food and I'm keeping a close eye on them incase they get sick.

I think thats all for now, but I'll be back with updates, and hopefully photos when I get my camera back.

And so it begins. . Good luck with your axie raising, Lisa.

Sounds like you are on the right track to me. You might want to find some daphnia incase the brine shrimp do not hatch well.

Congrats

indeed, it begins! thanks anne-marie and cynthia, I'm worried I'm gonna miss something.
I have been looking for daphnia, but I cant seem to find any in australia. Maybe I can find a pond and scoop out some critters, make my own pond culture.
Alans eggs are doing well, soon to reach blastula stage. She didn't lay anywhere near as many as Gary, but then again there wasn't much plant space left for her to lay on, and just to be annoying she layed some in a big clump of java moss, that will be fun sorting apart.
A few of the eggs have 2 embryos, like twins.... not sure if they will develop though.
My god I'm still in shock.... sneaky little phil.

AW thats so awesome!! congrats hun!! And beware what you scoop from the pond is truely daphnia and that you don't get any nasty tag a longs!!

You can mail order them... although I'm not sure where you order them downunder.....

Sharon

NO nonono! Don't get anything out of a pond - too risky. From what I've heard, it is quite difficult anyway to breed / keep daphnia. Others may know more about this.

As far as food, all I had easily on hand was a few tubs of microworms, newly hatched brine shrimp, and when they got bigger, blackworms. Check out aquarium shops.

And its interesting you mention the twins cos I had those too. Its weird when you think about it.

ok then, no pond culture.
I haven't been able to find anywhere in aus to get daphnia. I was thinking about those microworms, they seem easy enough to grow (Ive been reading Jennifer Macke's microfoods article). How long does it take to get a culture started?
And would "mashed" black worms still be too big for hatchlings?

(Message edited by lisapie on May 12, 2005)

I'm not sure how you start a microworm culture. In Perth, I got some from Veba's Aquariums and then all you do is replenish the oaty stuff they feed on.

I'm pretty sure that black worms are too big for hatchlings. Get a brine shrimp culture going, that's your best bet. A hint, you will need to buy a cheapie aquarium heater for the brine shrimp, otherwise (I found) that they don't hatch at all well.

BTW, how many eggs do you have in total??

I dont need anything special to start a microworm culture, that why i thought it would be good.
My brine shrimp eggs arrive in the mail soon. I've never hatched brine shrimp before, would 2 hatcherys set up with 1/2 tspn each of brine shrimp eggs staggered every 3 days be enough? So one is ready when another is being "re-egged". How much does eveyone else hatch?
I have a heater, but its thermostat is broken. My sink in the kitchen sits above my water heater, so that would be a nice warm place to keep the hatcheries going. Hopefully warm enough, ill do some tests. What temp is optimum?
Now I have about 100, week and a half old melanoids still in eggs. They wriggle every now and again, you can see which end is the head, and I'm beginning to see the gill buds forming!!! its so fascinating. Also have about 100 of the one day old white/yellow eggs.
I only plan on keeping 20 - 40 hatchlings, so the others will be euthanised, or left in the main tank for nature to take its course.
Hopefully I can give away some more, I'm still waiting to see if I can post in For Sale, Give-Away or Trade.

I use 90% cysts from Brine Shrimp Direct, run 2 hatcheries staggered 1 day apart. 1 Liter water (treated w/ dechlorinator), 2 tbsp salt, and 1 tsp cysts. i have lots of babies (as it sounds like you do), so i generally start a new batch daily.-e

Around 25-30 degrees celsius from memory is the temp I used.

They started hatching this morning! Ooooh, I noticed when the girls started snapping around the tank... From the 150 or so I began with I only have 20 or so left, which were in the holding tank. The 50 or so left in the tank with the girls either got eaten or were removed because of what I'm guessing was a fungal infection.
I got an email from Heidi (the lady I gave eggs to) and all her eggs have hatched and are fine aswell.
I just finished setting up all my tubs, and the axies are happily swimming around. I've got about 10 hatched, 10 unhatched from the first batch.
The second batch of eggs are going well, I'm going to transfer them to tubs tomorrow. Lucky I don't mine the hum of 6 air pumps running, and 16 airstones bubbling in my loungeroom.

Got my shrimp in the mail today, will start a batch tonight. Anne Marie, what sort of heater do you use? I can only find the big long ones? Looks like a glass tube, plastic top.
I remember a post reeling off a list of all the things you need to raise axies, "time, space, water changes, money, lots of money". Indeed, the 6 food safe plastic tubs with lids was $50 alone!
And on top of that my camera is totally broken, so I can't take any photos! I shall go shopping for one when get the time, oops, I forgot I have baby axies.
I had better go and build my hatchery, be back soon.

(Message edited by lisapie on May 16, 2005)

Yeah, that lots of money post was mine - lol! The heater I used was a cheapie Aqua One, 25Watt I think. My brine shrimps were hatched in bodgied up 2 litre coke plastic bottles. The heater fit just nicely in these.

You have got such a long road ahead of you - Enjoy, Lisa. Keep posting. Email me if you get really lost.

I got my camera and took some photos today, so theres some pics of the eggs in the Axie Gallery.
I didn't end up getting a heater for the brine shrimp (spent enough money already) and they hatch ok, it just takes a little longer, so I have 3 running. I used 2ltr milk bottles, and a chocoloate Big M bottle.
So thank god the brine shrimp hatched in time and my babies have little orange bellies. Now for the numerous water changes...