tiger larvae dieing off fast!!!

[shanerules]

Me and a buddy of mine just went herping and caught about 6 tiger salamander larvae and as soon as i put them in the tank i set up they started moving slowly. then 1 just died. then 3 more. What did this? and how can i stop it? PLEASE HELP!!! -shane

 

[Kaysie]

What was in the tank?

Are you aware of the regulations about removing specimens from the wild in your state?

 

[shanerules]

just water and some duckweed from the pond we found them in. i honestly have no idea on any of the rules. but ive been collecting for almost 9 years. and no one has ever said anything. but i dont want to get off topic. i only have 2 left now. i will probably release them back in their pond in the morning. i used hose water and a bit of pond water in their tank. could that be why?

 

[dane_zu]

is your water treated with chlorine and what not?

was the tank you put them in cleaned? or cleaned with some type of soap that wasn't rinsed out well enough?

temperatures?

 

[shanerules]

i have no idea about the chlorine. i dont think it does. the cage was very clean. the water temp was about the same as the pond water. maybe a bit warmer.

 

[lestat]

The chlorinated water is killing them. You need to be using something to neutralize the chemical. Fish stores sell drops that do that. You should probably just let the survivors go though.

 

[benw]

thats a shame they died, but unforunately a case of better leaving animals where you found them.

Probably is the tap water

 

[Daniel]

I would be very careful with re-releasing the remaining two. If it is not the chlorine but some kind of infection, you might unfortunately (and surely unintentionally) infect the wild population.

I would suppose that you get some dechlorinator and treat the water with it, if it really is the chlorine, that will solve the problem if the larvae are not too weak already.

 

[shanerules]

thank you for your help everyone. But im sad to say that this morning when i was going to release them... they were dead. but this did teach me not to use chlorinated water. thanks

 

[flyangler18]

thank you for your help everyone. But im sad to say that this morning when i was going to release them... they were dead. but this did teach me not to use chlorinated water. thanks

A hard lesson to learn. But frankly, if you've been collecting for 9 years, you should have known this little nugget already.

 

[Kaysie]

I'm pretty sure Missouri has strict regulations about the re-release of captive animals.

In addition to ensuring the survival of captive specimens by having appropriate setups, you really should investigate the rules and regulations of your state before collecting the animals.

 

[Jennewt]

i honestly have no idea on any of the rules. but ive been collecting for almost 9 years. and no one has ever said anything. but i dont want to get off topic.

Collecting for 9 years with no idea of the local laws and regulations? Of course no one is going to say anything to you, it's your responsibility to know the laws if you are going to collect wild animals. All it takes is a call to your state fish and game, or maybe even just reading the rules on their website.

Regarding the water, chlorine is not all that toxic (although chloramine might be, if you have that). More likely it was the shock of being moved. The water in the tub may be different (pH, hardness, etc) than what they were in before. And it's probably warmer.

 

[shanerules]

Jason. Ya i know chlorine kills animals. I used hose water and i recently found out that their was salt in our hose water ( I have no idea why) so thanks.

 

[lestat]

Doesn't the hose water come from the same location as the tap water?

 

[shanerules]

someone told me it didnt. but i geuss it did.