Triturus Marmoratus embryonic development

mine are starting t look like Mark's, but smaller, and they are just now getting their hind legs. Some are definitely more aggressive feeders than others, and those are the biggest. They all eat blackworms, Daphnia, mosquito larvae and white worms.

Here are mine. They will be on the market soon but not through me. I can't deal with the heartbreak of retail.

I now have 2 larvae that have morphed.

They are exploring their new home.

how big are all of yours at morphing, nose-to-tail?

here is one of mine, with a belly full of Daphnia and blackworms - still 3 or 4 weeks till morphing.

Mine are less than one inch and do not nearly as plump as your.

maybe i need to feed more small feedings.

mine are about 1.5 to 1.75 inches long now, nose to tail tip, with maybe 3 weeks to go till morphing.

Does anybody know what a good morphing size should be for these?

Molch,

I got out my tape measure to be sure I was not making a fable out of the length.

I am measuring 1 to 1 1/4 inch and that is being generous.

Now colors........I have some that are dark, light and in between.

As far as morphing ........I now have 3 in the enclosure with more that are well on there way.

The little fellas that are in the enclosure are pretty much inquisitive and wanting to know how the heck can we get out of here.

The 2 are in one corner of the tank trying to hang together. I noticed when the lights are out is when they really go hunting for some way to get out of this torture chamber.

The enclosure is definitely not short on food. There are spring tails of different sizes literally everywhere in the tank. There are also patches of white worm cultures. There are also some type of bugs that are said to be beneficial from the leaf litter that I got from Josh's Frogs.

It seems as though I saw one of the recent morph''s chewing on something. Granted I need glasses as thick as coke bottles.....no offense to anyone that wears glasses. This is just my own generalization of my eyesight. I literally keep my magnifying glass next to my bed. I am pretty much sure of what I saw.

p.s. My daughter is constantly making fun of me and my magnifying glass. She told me when I get old and senile she will make sure I have my magnifying glass and my supply of milk and honeynut cheerios. She then goes on to say......this should keep you quiet until you either:

a) can't find my magnifying glass
b) run out of milk
c) run out of cheerios
d) need my diaper changed......at which point she says she refuses to do this

Kids.....how soon they forget the sacrifices a parent makes to ensure they are comfortable.

esnailme said:

Molch,

I got out my tape measure to be sure I was not making a fable out of the length.

I am measuring 1 to 1 1/4 inch and that is being generous.

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if your morphs are that size, that does sound small..but as long as they eat and grow, they should be fine...

I learned from my apuanus that density apparently has a large influence on morph size, despite high food availability.

I had one single apuanus morph small and early when I still had the lot at high densities. I was worried about him at first because I didn;t see him eat for about two weeks, ut now he's voraciously taking anything I dangle in front of him and he's growing.

As for the marm babes, I currently have 4 of them in a 5 gallon and another 6 in a 10 gallon, and a single one who got his tail bitten off by himself in a small plastic tub.

here are my favorite marm babe shots, taken with Oma Molch's camera, which has a better close-up than mine. Still, it's hard to get the stupid autofocus to focus on the larva, not all the plants.

These are in a densely planted 10 ga tank.

I'm unreasonably fond of them and I check them all the time to make sure they are ok. I can't wait till they are morphed and "out of the woods"; they seem so fragile as larvae...

P.S.: is there a penalty around here for posting too many pictures?

Molch said:

P.S.: is there a penalty around here for posting too many pictures?

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Yes, you have to come round and do my water changes for a month.

Looking good, Molch, nice and fat. They're tough cookies so don't fret about them.

Mark said:

Yes, you have to come round and do my water changes for a month..

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happy to If you have plumbing your water changes can't be that hard.

btw, what's that spectacular creature in your new avatar - is that a kaiseri larva?

P.S.: is there a penalty around here for posting too many pictures?

As long as you promise not to high jack my thread.

Molch said:

btw, what's that spectacular creature in your new avatar - is that a kaiseri larva?

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Correct. It's a kaiseri.

Early this morning.....I had my first larva/pre morph to expire on the "morphing island"

Odd he/she appeared to be doing well.

Grandma's baby that has morphed are as cute as a button. :happy:

I will see if they are all awake at the same time....so I can get a group picture

Morphs from my eggs are for sale now in the For Sale US section here, if anyone was wondering if any of these were going to be available- they are now!

I am making a quick update.

I have a total of 4 morphs.

2 of the morphs are boldly walking of the enclosure.

Dawn, I am not trying to "toot my own horn but "BEEP BEEP!!
my grandbabies are so cute. :tongue:

This time I have noticed some shall I say "interesting things"

1--I call myself introducing myself to the new tenants. As i sat next to their enclosure and began talking, 2 of the 3 morphs came out of hiding and looked at me with their black beady eyes. It was as if they knew me. :happy:

2--The coloration: 3 of the morphs have the deep green color with the reddish-orange stripe down the back. 1 of the morphs is a brownish-black with a faint red stripe going down the back.

1 of the "injured sibling" that was once very tiny and had lost all limbs magically grew the limbs, check this out.... a potential "albino color". Yep I said it .....an albino t marm. Or maybe the color has not caught up with the body. This larva is currently the "largest one" GO FIGURE.

I have managed to round up 2 of the morphed kids for a picture. However I could not get them all together in one picture.

I will definitely continue to post pictures. Look out for more updates

You're doing great!! Isn't a great feeling when you watch an animal overcome terrible odds? (your one missing the legs) Keep up the great work!

otterwoman said:

Mark- no morphs yet?

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Look who I spotted out and about

otterwoman said:

You're doing great!! Isn't a great feeling when you watch an animal overcome terrible odds? (your one missing the legs) Keep up the great work!

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Dawn,

This is the most fun I have had since as far back as I can remember. Thanks so much. I owe it to you and the other members of the forum that has laid the path for me to learn.

This is a fun hobby! I"m glad you enjoyed this.