Caudata.org: Newts and Salamanders Portal

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
Did you know that registered users see fewer ads? Register today!

Albino Hymenochirus breeding

corientalis

New member
Joined
Sep 26, 2010
Messages
35
Reaction score
1
Location
Budapest, Hungary
Hi!

I didn't even know that they are exist until I saw them in a local pet shop. Later I bought four young specimens and after a couple of months it turned out I've a male and three females (later I got 5 new, smaller frogs which aren't breeding yet). Since then they breed on every other week or so, I've hundreds and hundreds of eggs, however only a few tadpoles survive. I feed them with paramecium, later live artemia nauplii. The interesting part (at least for me) that tadpoles are usually dark grey, almost black colored when they hatch, and as they grow, their coloration fades away and they become visually albinos (or leucistic, I'm not sure). Here are some pictures of them.
 

Attachments

  • netre1.jpg
    netre1.jpg
    238.1 KB · Views: 8,592
  • ebi2.jpg
    ebi2.jpg
    123.9 KB · Views: 1,103
  • ebi5.jpg
    ebi5.jpg
    210.9 KB · Views: 1,658
  • ebi3.jpg
    ebi3.jpg
    184.7 KB · Views: 1,212

Ezequiel Nahuel

New member
Joined
Oct 29, 2009
Messages
15
Reaction score
0
Location
Buenos Aires
Really amazing, congratulations!!
Were they more expensive or the sellers didn´t even know they are albino?
Continue showing us their progress.
Bye
 

Green frog

New member
Joined
Jul 6, 2011
Messages
29
Reaction score
0
Very interesting. Are the eyes red or dark?
I have the opposite going on here.
Different species of frog, but anyway, my albinos come from white eggs, and the normal and or splits, also come from white eggs, yet develop dark pigmentation over first week or so.
Have also had some yellow with black eyes, like tadpole above, but when they morph they regain normal green pigment.

Nice find what ever they are, thanks for sharing :D
 

corientalis

New member
Joined
Sep 26, 2010
Messages
35
Reaction score
1
Location
Budapest, Hungary
Eze:
Shopkeepers knew what they are selling so albinos were a bit more expensive.

Green frog:
What you mentioned is strange too.
They have dark eyes at the moment, and most of the time the adults' eyes seem to be black too, however sometimes when you look at them from the right angle, they seem to be reddish, so along with the grey tadpole coloration that's why I couldn't clearly decide. I think it's safe to call them albino for now until we find out more about them.

I took some new photos about new eggs and tadpoles on the first 4 days, they definitely look grey here.
 

Attachments

  • pete1.jpg
    pete1.jpg
    76.4 KB · Views: 10,855
  • 2ndday.jpg
    2ndday.jpg
    28.8 KB · Views: 1,015
  • 3rdday.jpg
    3rdday.jpg
    322.1 KB · Views: 1,022
  • 4thday.jpg
    4thday.jpg
    319.9 KB · Views: 1,828
Last edited:

Green frog

New member
Joined
Jul 6, 2011
Messages
29
Reaction score
0
weird, something appears to be eliminating their pigment.

here's some of mine.

all eggs were white (this from breeding albino to an albino split)
pic 1, notice black dot (eye) on the one in the centre. that = not albino. will colour up to a normal looking tadpole. rest albino, notice it appears they have no eye.
33-1.jpg

few days after hatching the ones with black eyes start gaining normal colour/ albinos clearly different now..
32.jpg

34.jpg

q.jpg

albs1.jpg
 

corientalis

New member
Joined
Sep 26, 2010
Messages
35
Reaction score
1
Location
Budapest, Hungary
There were many others, not just a few where I bought them, and looked all the same, just like selectively bred animals, so albino or not, I don't think it's just a random mutation. From what I can tell seeing their tadpoles so far, the offspring inherit the same fenotype.
 

corientalis

New member
Joined
Sep 26, 2010
Messages
35
Reaction score
1
Location
Budapest, Hungary
I wish I were more into genetics. Sadly I usually forget most complicate stuff shortly after reading:) I found a dead tadpole (air-bubble in stomach), and while being quite large and developed, it was grey with black eyes unlike most of its siblings at this size. There are more, living ones with these features - I wonder if they become wild type frogs or will show different levels of hypomelanism.

Isn't this Hymenochirus color morph available in your country yet, guys? Does anybody know something about its origin?

Here's a new pic. I put them in a well cycled rodent cage base with lots of algae and stabile water chemistry, they seem to do well in it.
 

Attachments

  • ebi6.jpg
    ebi6.jpg
    73.5 KB · Views: 1,295

corientalis

New member
Joined
Sep 26, 2010
Messages
35
Reaction score
1
Location
Budapest, Hungary
Here's a darker specimen I found, still grey while almost being a froglet. Definitely not an albino.
 

Attachments

  • feketeebi.jpg
    feketeebi.jpg
    170 KB · Views: 917

corientalis

New member
Joined
Sep 26, 2010
Messages
35
Reaction score
1
Location
Budapest, Hungary
Allright, I finished rearing the offspring of my supposedly albino adults. The results are: no albino froglets, many hypomelanistic ones (which start with pure light color and gain more and bigger spots as they grow) and a few wild type specimens. Many tads and froglets died by some bacterial infection, but some enrofloxacin cured the survivors.
 

Attachments

  • béka1.jpg
    béka1.jpg
    237.3 KB · Views: 1,148
  • béka6.jpg
    béka6.jpg
    335.5 KB · Views: 4,304
  • béka4.jpg
    béka4.jpg
    162.7 KB · Views: 1,506

Jakub T

New member
Joined
Sep 3, 2011
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Beautiful. Looking at the first pictures, I was sure that they will be albino...
 

corientalis

New member
Joined
Sep 26, 2010
Messages
35
Reaction score
1
Location
Budapest, Hungary
The tapwater here is quite hard and the pH is 8-8,5. My animals were kept at room temperature (22-29°C according to season and weather). 4 specimens in an approx. 130 l tank, with a 40cm water level. No other tankmates, lots of shady hiding places and caves (artifical rock background), only a few sphere moss as live plants in the water. Daily feeding with live tubifex, frozen artemia, bloodworm, shell etc. That's all I think.
 

xxianxx

Well-known member
Joined
May 19, 2011
Messages
2,739
Reaction score
128
Location
South Wales, Gwent
Thanks for the information, do you know of any other breeders who have bred in soft water with a lower ph ? mine is typically 7.4-7.6. I have a group of eight adults 2.6.0, they are in an tank with a pair of breeding angel fish at the moment, though i am planning a species only tank in the near future and am looking for ways of getting them to breed. My males never call which makes me assume that something is just not triggering them to breed or something is amiss with my standard of care. They are in a three foot long 18" deep tank at 26c (78f), they are fed live/frozen bloodworm , live daphnia, occasional pieces of salmon or shrimp and any baby guppies they can catch, which is not many as my angels tend to get them first. Any advice you could give would be appreciated.
 

corientalis

New member
Joined
Sep 26, 2010
Messages
35
Reaction score
1
Location
Budapest, Hungary
I'm not sure but I think the pH of yours must be allright. Some people say adding cooler water at waterchanges might trigger them to breed, just like feeding with live tubifex or chopped small earthworms (which definitely works in the case of many fish species).
 

xxianxx

Well-known member
Joined
May 19, 2011
Messages
2,739
Reaction score
128
Location
South Wales, Gwent
I'm not sure but I think the pH of yours must be allright. Some people say adding cooler water at waterchanges might trigger them to breed, just like feeding with live tubifex or chopped small earthworms (which definitely works in the case of many fish species).

Thanks , i will try that in a few weeks when i rearrange my tanks, if i am successful i will post about it.
 
General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
    There are no messages in the chat. Be the first one to say Hi!
    Top