how to know which eggs to keep?

[axolotl nerd]

i’m interested in breeding my axanthic (hopefully male, assuming he is for this scenario) with a golden albino (possibly mosaic or mel) and i wondered how i’ll know which eggs to keep? i’m most interested in luc (which i don’t even know ill get) and golden/albinos. i decided to ask if there was a way to tell what type the larva would be as soon as they’re laid. i’m thinking about keeping up to 30 - and culling the others as humanely as possible.

sorry if the above sounds unclear, what i mean is will i be able to look at an egg and say “thatll probably be a golden“ or “that’s an albino”?

 

[JM29]

what i mean is will i be able to look at an egg and say “thatll probably be a golden“ or “that’s an albino”?

Sorry, unfortunately no. At least not just after laying.
The colour of the egg is mother-dependant (the pigments of the eggs are given by the mother).

If the mother is albino (golden or not), she'll lay white eggs. If not (wild-type, leucistic), the eggs will be dark.

When the embryo forms (or not) its own pigments, you'll be able to separate the albinos from the others.

 

[axolotl nerd]

Sorry, unfortunately no. At least not just after laying.
The colour of the egg is mother-dependant (the pigments of the eggs are given by the mother).

If the mother is albino (golden or not), she'll lay white eggs. If not (wild-type, leucistic), the eggs will be dark.

When the embryo forms (or not) its own pigments, you'll be able to separate the albinos from the others.

how soon should i cull them? i’d like to be able to pick the ones i want but i also don’t want to have to cull too late - id hate to cause any lifing thing pain

 

[JM29]

I understand.
This problem is complex.
If I've really understood your precedent posts, you have an axanthic (presumably male, otherwise normally pigmented) that you'd like to cross with an albino mother.
What characters do you want to select for ?

 

[axolotl nerd]

I understand.
This problem is complex.
If I've really understood your precedent posts, you have an axanthic (presumably male, otherwise normally pigmented) that you'd like to cross with an albino mother.
What characters do you want to select for ?

i’ve not done a huge amount of research in the genetics of breeding, but i do hope to get a few wilds, mels, axanthic, and albinos out of the pairing. not sure how likely any of that will be though. and yes, you’re correct

 

[JM29]

Well, if your axanthic male also carry albino and melanoid recessive allele, and if at the same time your melanoid albino also carry an axanthic allele, then you'll get 8 possible forms including wild-type and axanthic melanoid albino. To be sure to get all the possible colours, you'll have to keep 16 to 24 eggs just after laying.

The worst possibility is : your axanthic male doesn't carry melanoid or albino alleles, and your albino femelle doesn't carry the axanthic allele. In this case, you'll get 100% wild-types and you'll have to wait until the next generation.

There are intermediate possibilities, depending on what you know about the genetics of the parents.

 

[axolotl nerd]

first, you’re a huge help and thank you very much


second, the breeder told me he’s heterozygous for golden, axanthic and leucistic - his parents were mel and leucistic - his siblings are wilds, leucistics, goldens, and axanthic

 

[JM29]

If his parents are melanoid and leucistic, he is definitively heterozygous for mel and leucistic.
If he has golden siblings, he has high odds (2/3) to carry the albino character, but not for sure.

Your axolotl seems to have an interesting genetic combination but it will be difficult to predict the results of the cross you are planning.

After laying, the eggs, which will be white (albino mother) will wait about 2 weeks before hatching.
The first black pigments will appear within 1 week on the back and on the eyes ; you'll be able to detect the albinos (0% or 50%).
The yellow pigments can be observed a few days before hatching (alternative yellow and black bars on wild-types).
For the melanoid character, I don't know. Observe the eyes, but I think the iridophores appear later.

 

[JM29]

To complete the reply :
The problem with the odds is that they match well for great numbers.
Small numbers can bring some surprises.

For example :
- I once decided to keep 6 axolotls, sure to get a couple. 2 years later, I counted 5 males and 1 female.
- Yesterday I watched 13 ribbed newt eggs, from which I expected 25% leucistic ones. I obtained 11 wild-types and only 2 leucis. Then I got 7 more eggs I caught from teir parents'aquarium. Result : 4 leucis and only 3 wild-types. The total was 20, with 14 wild-types (theoretically 15) and 6 leucis (theoretically 5)

Just to say you can keep and raise a dozen of eggs. The odds of the different colours can be calculated but the real number will be a surprise.
Try to keep 2 dozens to begin.

 

[axolotl nerd]

To complete the reply :
The problem with the odds is that they match well for great numbers.
Small numbers can bring some surprises.

For example :
- I once decided to keep 6 axolotls, sure to get a couple. 2 years later, I counted 5 males and 1 female.
- Yesterday I watched 13 ribbed newt eggs, from which I expected 25% leucistic ones. I obtained 11 wild-types and only 2 leucis. Then I got 7 more eggs I caught from teir parents'aquarium. Result : 4 leucis and only 3 wild-types. The total was 20, with 14 wild-types (theoretically 15) and 6 leucis (theoretically 5)

Just to say you can keep and raise a dozen of eggs. The odds of the different colours can be calculated but the real number will be a surprise.
Try to keep 2 dozens to begin.

thank you so much, i’m very excited to start this process and you’ve been a wonderful help