Scarey times ahead!!

I have just started feeding frozen bloodworm today for the first time, warmed up of course, and wow!! The babies went wild, well all except two, which are a bit tinier than the others. So it looks like its brine shrimp for breakfast and bloodworm for tea. Its quite an experience feeding each individual with tweesers, and the way they leap forward and grab makes me jump every time. The way the babies raise themselves up on their front legs looking so cute, saying "feed me I'm starving" its awesome! A bit time consuming though, as I have 23 to feed, with 6 monsters and the rest around half the size, so it takes around an hour. I think I have too many! Bless em!! roud:

So that was one scary thing, the other is trying to wean the babies from bottled water to tap water. It was getting a tad expensive, even if it only costs 17p from tesco, I am using 2 or 3 bottles a day, in six tubs, and that wont work if I have to use bottled water in my 3 ft tank. So I have just done a 50/50 mix, tap water of course using tapsafe, and water provided from the water butt my husband set up for me today while I was at work. Aww!! But it was so worrying thinking that something bad was going to happen. I put one baby in the tub, and waited.... and waited... and I think everything is going to be ok. Fingers crossed anyway. The worries we have with our babies, I dont remember feeling so worried raising children??

My last scary thing is finding one baby with a possible fungal thing going on, he/she must have been nipped as there is an arm missing, bless, so have separated him/her until things improve, not fridging yet, just thought I would see how things go over the next few days.

Just thought I would give everyone an update, pics to follow soon

babies can be a handful! it does take a long time, i know, I’m raising all 300! it takes over 2 hours do the water change, poop clean and brine shrimp. And i do that twice a day + working full time. L worth it though!

Tap water should not bother them at all, they are very sturdy little things. Just dechlorinate it and make sure it is around the same temperature.

if they have their legs they should have a sense of smell too, you could try leaving the bloodworms in the tub and see id they sniff it out and eat it themselves. It would make things a lot easier

they will get less of a pain when they get bigger. What do you plan to do with 23 of them?

yellowpebble said:

babies can be a handful! it does take a long time, i know, I’m raising all 300! it takes over 2 hours do the water change, poop clean and brine shrimp. And i do that twice a day + working full time. L worth it though!

Tap water should not bother them at all, they are very sturdy little things. Just dechlorinate it and make sure it is around the same temperature.

if they have their legs they should have a sense of smell too, you could try leaving the bloodworms in the tub and see id they sniff it out and eat it themselves. It would make things a lot easier

they will get less of a pain when they get bigger. What do you plan to do with 23 of them?

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Erm, I have got no idea, only wanted 2 or 3 really. I didnt realise how resiliant they were.

It takes an hour each morning to feed and water change, and then again in the evening, and I too work full time. How do we do it??

I figured that it is so difficult for people in the north of the UK to obtain larvae, most are available in the south, but are pick up only, I thought that I would be a kind of half way point. I am an hour from southern scotland and two hours from the north east, so if anyone would like a few larvae get in touch.

I am very curious, what on earth are you going to do with 300?? and where are you going to keep them?? Mine are separated into 6 takeaway tubs, plus one small hospital tub for the poorly one, and that takes up 3 feet on top of the fish tank, and I think they need separated again. 300???

Anyway, the story so far:

Bloodworm going extremely well. All but two are wolfing them down, nearly a block of frozen bloodworm between them all. Still feeding brine shrimp for breakfast but think I will incorporate bloodworm too for the larger ones, to stop them nibbling each other.

Tap water mix with bottled water went extremely well, will keep that 50/50 mix for a week then add more tap water over time.

Little one with fungal thing is not so good. Appetite is waning so after water change this evening and not eating the blood worm, I have added some daphnia to see how things go. Will keep everyone informed.

LOL looks like Jabba does good eggs bless her Well you did say you wanted some axolotls :rofl:

Glad your babies are doing well I ended up seperating my guys into loads of different tubs as I had some monsters aswell and they grow so quickly!! My first babies are now over 3 inches

zoezakella said:

LOL looks like Jabba does good eggs bless her Well you did say you wanted some axolotls :rofl:

Glad your babies are doing well I ended up seperating my guys into loads of different tubs as I had some monsters aswell and they grow so quickly!! My first babies are now over 3 inches

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Hi babe, yes I think there are some very strong genes there. My 6 largest are 2 inches already, the rest are 1 & 1/2 inches or less. Its an amazing difference in size. And the way they all push themselves up on their front legs and look longingly at you is soooo cute, how can you say no to them??? Bless!! Thanks for sending so many cuties, I will do my utmost to look after them and make you and Jabba proud!!

laalflaach said:

Erm, I have got no idea, only wanted 2 or 3 really. I didnt realise how resiliant they were.

It takes an hour each morning to feed and water change, and then again in the evening, and I too work full time. How do we do it??

I figured that it is so difficult for people in the north of the UK to obtain larvae, most are available in the south, but are pick up only, I thought that I would be a kind of half way point. I am an hour from southern scotland and two hours from the north east, so if anyone would like a few larvae get in touch.

I am very curious, what on earth are you going to do with 300?? and where are you going to keep them?? Mine are separated into 6 takeaway tubs, plus one small hospital tub for the poorly one, and that takes up 3 feet on top of the fish tank, and I think they need separated again. 300???

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I will try to give them to as many people as possible, and to pet stores around town (if they get treated properly) AND she just laid more eggs last night, another 100 or so! ugh. too many babies. The are seperated into about 30 containers all over my dining room table at the moment while they are small, when they get bigger i will put them in large tubs with an airstone. I will try to give them away/sell them when they are a bit easier to manage, at the stage where they are less fragile and can eat pellets.

Quick update, the poorly baby died on tuesday, my husband rang me at work to tell me. That was so quick, 2 days. At least it didnt suffer, well at least I hope not. I dont think that fridging would have changed the outcome, maybe just prolonged it. Poor thing. I am curious as to how and where the fungal thing comes from, does anyone know? If you have clean water, fresh food, plants to aerate the water where does it come from? By the time I got home from work the poor thing had loads of fungus, when it didnt have much at all that morning when I did the water change. Very strange and so quick!

So the babies are all doing well at the moment, growing faster every day. All of them are eating defrosted bloodworm fed to with tweasers, and now they are eating a full block per meal between them. They are now in tubs in full tap water with dechlorinator in, water changes twice a day, and feeding twice a day. Still cycling the tank, as soon as its ready, the two goldfish can go and be replaced with a couple of the largest babies, think I would like a leucistic to go with them, dont know of any locally though. I dont know what I am going to do with all the others, as you cant put 22 babies in a 3 foot tank. I suppose they will all have to have individual tubs until they can be rehomed, dont seem to be having much luck on that score...