willowcat
New member
A spawning substrate is an item that an animal has chosen to deposit its eggs on. The definition of the material used, when governing, hopeful control, of where the animal lays its eggs, becomes spawning mats. I prefer mats over substrates because of this mere fact; control. In the Axolotl world we all know what kind of mess, headache and work it can be to retrieve one of our princesse's clutches. So I want to share something with everyone that I have found to be the, .....hmmm.......cats' meow. They are body sponges. Very inexpensive and easy to work with. They can be found at your local Dollar Mart for a buck! The ones I use are colored and are made of "plastic" . They come in all shapes and sizes for everyone's "decorative imagination". One, could really spruce up their tank for little money. From what little I know of plastics, the color is part of the media. The media is extruded, so there is no dying after it is formed, to obtain color. But......I am not completely convinced of all "types" of plastics. Plastic is one of the most-used materials in fish keeping. Many plastics are completely safe- the acrylic used in fish tanks, for example, and the materials used in plastic plants and other aquarium decorations. Some plastics, however, will degrade in water or release toxins when heated even slightly. A general rule to keep in mind is this: if something smells like plastic, don't use it. Soak the item in hot water. If it has a plastic smell after that, don't use it. If the plastic feels slimy in the water or goes brittle when dried out again, don't use it. A plastic decoration that isn't made for aquariums should be viewed as risky. It might be fine – but then again, it might not. So......having said that... This is what has worked for me. If you want to do what I am doing and then take it a step further and use the sponges as permanent decorations then that is YOUR choice and YOU do the research. And if you learn either good or bad news let us know.
Some sponges come as decorative figures or as characters (like the pink pig pictured here)
The faces are usually made of cotton or polyester. I again state: the comfort of using these in your tanks, lies with you. You should also do the research on the cotton or poly, should you choose a sponge that uses one of these extra materials. The plain plastic is what works best for me.
I am writing this in the month of October. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I have chosen the color pink to work with because of this reason.
The tools that you will need are minimal.
(# 1) The sponge!! (Bought at Dollar Mart store) My favorite is the simple round sponge
(# 2)-four inch plastic cable ties, bought at (Hardware or Dollar Mart stores).
(#3) Snips.....guys, you should have these (no excuses)-- girls, if you don't have snips use finger nail clippers.
(#4) Suction cups. Bought at Dollar Mart store (I think it was nine for a buck)
(#5) Ear Plugs-what are they for you ask?....tell you later...you should no this one....
I recommend more that one mat so when Mama lays the eggs she will not be limited to a little surface area. Two mats should be plenty. Again, you are in control, so give her no options to lay eggs anywhere but the mats. Now since you have to separate all Axies from the eggs after they are laid, I suggest moving your bloated girl to a small (10 gallon) aquarium, bare bottom and nothing in it, before she unloads. If you have no choice but to leave Momma in her "home" tank (because you didn't put your earplugs in) and you have other substrates and media on the bottom, then you are going to have to use some kind of weight to hold the mat down. (do not use lead), and/or stick them to side. The bottom is the best place for the mat though. She will still want to lay eggs on other things. But, you will significantly cut down the time it takes in retrieving the eggs. That is what is nice about a separate tank. Once Momma is done---move HER back and not the mat. If you have to move the mat then I would use a small pale (ice cream bucket) to load them in for transfer. I also find it easier if I cut the mat in sections, while still in the water, before moving it. If you sell and ship eggs, think of the cost savings by not sending anymore Java Moss!! Just clip and ship!
The sponge, when the binding that holds the ball together is cut,
can easily stretch out to six feet or more.
I then grab the two open ends and bring them back to the other end. Like folding a sheet.
You can fold it to what length you want, depending on the length of the aquarium.
Once I have the desired length I take the 4 inch, plastic cable wraps and zip it where I want.
Then cut the end.
I then take small, plastic, suction cups and slide the hook through the tie wrap.
If you have suction cups that don't have hooks and only eyelets, then run a cable wrap through the eyelet.
Here is what the finished product looks like. Notice that I tried to leave the mat as poofy as possible. Again, this allows for more surface area for your girl to lay eggs on. This mat only has two suction cups. Length will dictate how many suction cups needed, because the mat wants to float. Trial and error. Finally, take the Mat and adhere the suction cups to bottom and/or sides of your aquarium.
This is what the Mat looks like with the eggs on it.
LOOKIE HERE>>>>>> Ole' Sugar Butt is taking a rest after she got done depositing eggs on a Pink Mat!!!
Once the eggs have hatched I strongly recommend throwing the mat away because of all the left over jelly and dud eggs covering it. Jelly and dud (non-fertilized) eggs are dead matter. Since they are dead they are decaying. See, life does start at conception. I also recommend, if you are also going to use the sponge as decorations, then it is easier to throw them out, on occasion, instead of trying to clean them. Too cheap to keep!!!!
A note for those who use Blackworms: Blackworms do like to make their home in the sponge. I also know that these paticular sponges are used on the end of air lift stands for Copepod, Rotifer and Daphnia culturing......which will be a different sermon down the road.
I hope this helps,
Trace
Oh yea, why the ear plugs?............who's in control?
Some sponges come as decorative figures or as characters (like the pink pig pictured here)
The faces are usually made of cotton or polyester. I again state: the comfort of using these in your tanks, lies with you. You should also do the research on the cotton or poly, should you choose a sponge that uses one of these extra materials. The plain plastic is what works best for me.
I am writing this in the month of October. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I have chosen the color pink to work with because of this reason.
The tools that you will need are minimal.
(# 1) The sponge!! (Bought at Dollar Mart store) My favorite is the simple round sponge
(# 2)-four inch plastic cable ties, bought at (Hardware or Dollar Mart stores).
(#3) Snips.....guys, you should have these (no excuses)-- girls, if you don't have snips use finger nail clippers.
(#4) Suction cups. Bought at Dollar Mart store (I think it was nine for a buck)
(#5) Ear Plugs-what are they for you ask?....tell you later...you should no this one....
I recommend more that one mat so when Mama lays the eggs she will not be limited to a little surface area. Two mats should be plenty. Again, you are in control, so give her no options to lay eggs anywhere but the mats. Now since you have to separate all Axies from the eggs after they are laid, I suggest moving your bloated girl to a small (10 gallon) aquarium, bare bottom and nothing in it, before she unloads. If you have no choice but to leave Momma in her "home" tank (because you didn't put your earplugs in) and you have other substrates and media on the bottom, then you are going to have to use some kind of weight to hold the mat down. (do not use lead), and/or stick them to side. The bottom is the best place for the mat though. She will still want to lay eggs on other things. But, you will significantly cut down the time it takes in retrieving the eggs. That is what is nice about a separate tank. Once Momma is done---move HER back and not the mat. If you have to move the mat then I would use a small pale (ice cream bucket) to load them in for transfer. I also find it easier if I cut the mat in sections, while still in the water, before moving it. If you sell and ship eggs, think of the cost savings by not sending anymore Java Moss!! Just clip and ship!
The sponge, when the binding that holds the ball together is cut,
can easily stretch out to six feet or more.I then grab the two open ends and bring them back to the other end. Like folding a sheet.
You can fold it to what length you want, depending on the length of the aquarium.
Once I have the desired length I take the 4 inch, plastic cable wraps and zip it where I want.
Then cut the end.
I then take small, plastic, suction cups and slide the hook through the tie wrap.
If you have suction cups that don't have hooks and only eyelets, then run a cable wrap through the eyelet.
Here is what the finished product looks like. Notice that I tried to leave the mat as poofy as possible. Again, this allows for more surface area for your girl to lay eggs on. This mat only has two suction cups. Length will dictate how many suction cups needed, because the mat wants to float. Trial and error. Finally, take the Mat and adhere the suction cups to bottom and/or sides of your aquarium.
This is what the Mat looks like with the eggs on it.
LOOKIE HERE>>>>>> Ole' Sugar Butt is taking a rest after she got done depositing eggs on a Pink Mat!!!
Once the eggs have hatched I strongly recommend throwing the mat away because of all the left over jelly and dud eggs covering it. Jelly and dud (non-fertilized) eggs are dead matter. Since they are dead they are decaying. See, life does start at conception. I also recommend, if you are also going to use the sponge as decorations, then it is easier to throw them out, on occasion, instead of trying to clean them. Too cheap to keep!!!!
A note for those who use Blackworms: Blackworms do like to make their home in the sponge. I also know that these paticular sponges are used on the end of air lift stands for Copepod, Rotifer and Daphnia culturing......which will be a different sermon down the road.
I hope this helps,
Trace
Oh yea, why the ear plugs?............who's in control?