Raising some unexpected eggs

Smdee · Apr 25, 2012

Hi all!

I unexpectedly just received some axolotl eggs from a friend and I'm very excited...but also scared haha. I have really no idea what I'm doing XD. I believe they may be about a week old or less (my friend said 7-10 days they would hatch) And they're at room temperature right now so they won't develop so quickly.

I've read all the articles I could about it and just have a couple questions. Any help would be awesome!

1.) I plan on using BBS as a food for the hatchlings, but I've never done this before. I'll be making the hatchery soon but I was wondering if I could use aquarium salt for the solution? I have a bag of it that I use for my fiddler crab water, but don't use all that much.

2.) If this doesn't work, would feeding non-live food (like frozen bloodworms) be an option if it is moving (via airstone, a straw, ect.)? I've heard some saying they feed egg yolk...how does that work?

Like I said, I'm really new to this, but I'd love to have some of the buggers live instead of killing them all with clumsiness :wacko:. Any advice would be great! Thanks

Mycenaean · Apr 25, 2012

Smdee said:
Hi all!

I unexpectedly just received some axolotl eggs from a friend and I'm very excited...but also scared haha. I have really no idea what I'm doing XD. I believe they may be about a week old or less (my friend said 7-10 days they would hatch) And they're at room temperature right now so they won't develop so quickly.

I've read all the articles I could about it and just have a couple questions. Any help would be awesome!

1.) I plan on using BBS as a food for the hatchlings, but I've never done this before. I'll be making the hatchery soon but I was wondering if I could use aquarium salt for the solution? I have a bag of it that I use for my fiddler crab water, but don't use all that much.

2.) If this doesn't work, would feeding non-live food (like frozen bloodworms) be an option if it is moving (via airstone, a straw, ect.)? I've heard some saying they feed egg yolk...how does that work?

Like I said, I'm really new to this, but I'd love to have some of the buggers live instead of killing them all with clumsiness :wacko:. Any advice would be great! Thanks

1.) Table salt should work fine, aquarium salt is just larger granules, so you will need to give them time to dissolve. Table salt just is usually easier to access.

2.) Frozen bloodworms would be way too big for hatchling, and the food they eat usually must be in motion to attract their hunter's eye. Egg yolk can be used to delay starvation if your BBS hatchery is not working. Boil eggs, mash the yolk and then mix it with some of the water from your larvaes' aquarium. Use a baster to swish the yolk in front of the larvae. Remember, they will sustain themselves on their own egg yolk for the first 24 hours. When the first 'lotls start hatching you can start your BBS hatchery.

Good luck! 8 of my clutch just hatched! Very happy to be raising baby axies

Dr0gr1n · Apr 25, 2012

You can use aquarium salt, that is what I used. I would advise against the egg yolk. BBS is the way to go. I had my eggs hatch early and it took me 3 -4 days to get them BBS to hatch, they were fine. I would not wait that long though if you have the option. Small daphnia are an option if you can get them in your area. I have also heard of people using mosquito larvae they have farmed from rain barrels at the homes.

Good luck, they are fun to watch eat.

Smdee · Apr 25, 2012

Thanks so much! I'm really hoping to get a BBS hatchery going, but the egg yolk thing would be a temporary backup should anything go wrong. There is also a pond near my place that I could check out for daphnia or mosquito larva, but I don't trust that very much.

I can't wait for them to hatch! Very excited to watch them grow. Never got to watch a tadpole grow up, so this will be all new.

happycamper · Apr 25, 2012

I bought a shrimp hatchery from brine shrimp direct, it came with eggs and it is super easy to use. Cost around 30 bucks, and I was able to hatch brine shrimp in 12-15 hours if I put a heat lamp above it. I am really glad I purchased it, makes life so easy.

Smdee · Apr 25, 2012

I thought about doing that, but I just decided it would be more cost effective to make my own hatchery at the moment (Kind of broke

) Glad that it works so well for you!

I just saw the larva move! I'm so excited haha. My roommates both think I'm nuts for how excited I got...

Mycenaean · Apr 26, 2012

Smdee said:
I thought about doing that, but I just decided it would be more cost effective to make my own hatchery at the moment (Kind of broke ) Glad that it works so well for you!

I just saw the larva move! I'm so excited haha. My roommates both think I'm nuts for how excited I got...

I know the feeling! My friends don't understand my excitement.

I need to update pictures, I have 32 new larvae so far, many more eggs developing. 18 are golden and 14 are wild-type, strange split right?

Smdee · Apr 26, 2012

Mycenaean said:
I know the feeling! My friends don't understand my excitement.

I need to update pictures, I have 32 new larvae so far, many more eggs developing. 18 are golden and 14 are wild-type, strange split right?

Yeah, they were just like huh? Lol.

Awesome! That is a strange split, but very cool

. I believe mine are all leuistic...but I have no idea lol XD

axolotl lvr · Apr 26, 2012

Staci take some pics so we can seeee!! i have eggs coming to me and this will be the first time. Im hoping everything works out for my lil eggies too!! Id love to see some pics!!

Smdee · Apr 28, 2012

Here are some pictures of the eggs.

(Sorry, I'm not sure how to post pictures any other way without them being huge. Hopefully they work now)

I just got the brine shrimp eggs! And I set up a hatchery though I'm not running it yet, of course. I can't believe how small the brine shrimp eggs are!

axolotl lvr · Apr 28, 2012

Awww how cute!!!! I cant wait to watch them grow!! When were they laid? Mine were laid the 16thor 17th which is cutting is close but i should get them tomorrow Im super exciited!! I cant really see the pics that good.. If you have photobucket you can save them there the copy the direct link under manage attachments and they should show up bigger.. Im soooo excited for you!! How many eggs look good?? has the yolk opened yet?

Smdee · Apr 28, 2012

axolotl lvr said:
Awww how cute!!!! I cant wait to watch them grow!! When were they laid? Mine were laid the 16thor 17th which is cutting is close but i should get them tomorrow Im super exciited!! I cant really see the pics that good.. If you have photobucket you can save them there the copy the direct link under manage attachments and they should show up bigger.. Im soooo excited for you!! How many eggs look good?? has the yolk opened yet?

I can't wait either

. They've started to grow little gills now, so that's really cool. I can look at them every and see something new (movement, more movement, head and gills...) so that's just fantastic

My friend and I kind of came up with Wednesday (the 2nd of May) as a likely hatch date. Basically we went by when he harvested them from the tank not last Wednesday but the week before (a group in my animal behavior class is doing a project with axolotls and their axies are the ones that had the eggs) and from when I was in the class doing my research with guppies and didn't see anything (which was that Monday)

John · May 2, 2012

Good luck with your little monsters!

Smdee · May 2, 2012

John said:
Good luck with your little monsters!

Thanks so much!

Just wanted to give a little update...I've got hatchlings! 15 of them as of right now...and around 30 more still in eggs

. Excited nonetheless

. Got my brine shrimp hatchery set up so hopefully all will go well

Smdee · May 8, 2012

Just wanted to update everyone. Unfortunately, it isn't very good news. I've had two mass die offs. One of the tanks yesterday, and one today, leaving me with 7 babies. I am not sure what I've done wrong... I do water changes every day and vacuum up the brine shrimp hatchlings (pain in the butt, they're so messy!) feed them twice daily. I'm not sure what else I can do.

There's been one tiny one that has survived BOTH of the die offs...cheeky little son-of-a-gun XD.

Anyway, the remaining look fairly healthy, save two tiny ones (including mr. disaster lol) and I'll probably move those two and baby them along if need by. They all are eating well. I don't know what else to do. I am very upset over this...I feel like a horrible mother

. Any advice?

I can possibly get some more eggs from my friend, but I'm feeling kind of lousy about it all...I'd love to get some to survive, But for now maybe it's best to just leave be and hope the others survive. I'm not sure of the best route to go by...

Search

Search

Raising some unexpected eggs

Smdee

New member

Mycenaean

New member

Dr0gr1n

Member

Smdee

New member

happycamper

Member

Smdee

New member

Mycenaean

New member

Smdee

New member

axolotl lvr

New member

Smdee

New member

axolotl lvr

New member

Smdee

New member

John

Founder

Smdee

New member

Attachments

Smdee

New member

Settings Notifications

Options