One of my babies died

S

shop worn angel

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Hi, all.

One of my chinese firebelly larvae died today. I just found it on its back in the tank. I'm confused because it was one of my bigger ones- it seemed to be growing just fine. I can't figure out how it died. He would have been about 3 months old. I have only an inch of water in the tank- the rest is rock islands. So far, the larvae are only aquatic. I have been feeding them live blackworms and using a turkey baster to clean out the tank daily. What could I have done wrong? I was not expecting this to happen at all.
 
with only that amount of water the water quality can drop very quickly even if you are trying to keep it clean with a baster. The larvae will be fine in deeper water as long as they have all their gills, only lower it as they start to absorb them.I would put them in deeper water with a lot of elodea type weed and do 30% water changes every few days with aged water.
 
"Initially, maybe as little as an inch. The depth can increase as they grow and the risk of drowning decreases".

Jennewt had mentioned this information to me, which is why I have been keeping the water level at an inch.
 
Jenni meant that water level was appropriate for metamorphs, not for larvae.
 
I thought that at the 3 month mark, these larvae would be close to the point of metamorphosis, which is why she suggested keeping the water level low- to prevent drowning. I must have misunderstood. How do I know when to lower the water level, then??? I want the water to be shallow enough for them to be able to crawl out onto the islands. I've been keeping the water level quite shallow this whole time, and cleaning daily. How much water do you suggest for larvae? When do I change the water level to be more shallow?
 
Lower it when their gills start to shrink (check every day).
 
Thanks for everyone's help!

It's awful losing a little one.
 
I have put another inch of water in the 10 gallon tank. Now I have 2 inches of water for the larvae. I am still a bit confused, as I understand that my larvae are aquatic until they lose their gills, but I have also read on the website and the forum responses that the water for larvae should be kept shallow. I suppose this is where my confusion lies.
 
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