'09-'10 Neurergus kaiseri Captive Breeding report

[SludgeMunkey]

EDIT: Changed this post as a wiser person than I explained how to properly make a PDF file. See below for a less than 5mb version.

Please feel free to down load, distribute, add to your own website or whatever.

 

[Mark]

Woah! That PDF is 161mb! Does it have to be that large or is there some sort of error?

 

[SludgeMunkey]

Working to make it more manageable...uno momento, por favor.

 

[SludgeMunkey]

Try this instead:


Forgive me, I am new to the ways of the PDF...

 

[gp]

That makes for an interesting read! Good and thorough methods, well recorded. Will there be more to follow on larval development/environmental conditions?

Really good stuff. Thanks for making it available!

 

[SludgeMunkey]

Aye, more to follow in the future.

 

[NewtZoo]

WOW!! You are the man Sludgemonky!! If I gave you a dollar every time you did something awesome on this website you would have lots of dollars!! Cant wait to see whats next! 80 eggs is amazing for an animal in such few numbers. As a scientist I thoroughly enjoyed how detailed your methods were. Very easy to recreate and fallow. Cheers!!!

 

[SludgeMunkey]

Thanks! I have to admit there are a few folks around that convinced me to share the results with as many people as possible. This was something I was hesitant to do here given the gray nature of the species in the US.

 

[jackj921]

What a fantastic job and resource for a newbie like me. Your data and pictures are certainly a fantastic foundation for others to build on for also acheiving success in keeping and breeding these beautiful newts!

 

[sean n dad]

SludgeMunkey,Great Job!!!!! Great read!! I currently have 5 Kaiseri that I am growing out now and this a great reference!!Thanks for your hard work!!!Ed

 

[RobM]

I recently obtained 4 of these little guys. Found the pdf very interesting, thank you

 

[SludgeMunkey]

More data to follow in the future. I keep finding post-it notes and receipts with stuff scribbled on them I forgot to put in this report. Thankfully most of it is just my own wild theories, conjecture, and coffee stains.

The good news is, the other female is laying eggs for the third day straight. The first female laid a few more after a two day break.

To paraphrase Captain Quint in JAWS:

"I think I'm gonna need a bigger tank....or two."

 

[NewtZoo]

Hey Monkey,
How are those eggs coming along? I would love to see a pic of their latest development.

 

[SludgeMunkey]

Developing well. Lost one to fungus. I'll give a full report once they have hatched.

 

[kenya_1977]

Great documentation. I just got some CB ones. I'll be saving the PDF to look at for next year if I can get these guys to breed. Would definitely like some early life history stuff on those eggs.

 

[SludgeMunkey]

The first clutch has hatched with nearly a 99% hatch rate. The other clutches have started hatching. The final clutch has about two weeks to go. The larvae are doing very well so far. It took a bit longer than expected for them to absorb their yolks, but once they did this, they became little eating machines.

 

[callina]

WOW, great and interesting stuff, Johnny - chapeau:smile:
I hope that my N. kaiseri will mate next year and then your report will be a great help for me.

Thanks, Tina

 

[froggy]

Brilliant work! Thankyou very much for putting ths together - i was great to read even though i don't have the species, and will be invaluable to anyone else working with it.

Chris

 

[SludgeMunkey]

It has been very interesting so far. I actually had to sequester all the males away from the females to get them to stop breeding. Three females each laid two clutches of eggs within 35 days. Now the real experiment begins- raising them up! These little guys eat voraciously and grow very fast. Two week old larvae have already doubled in size.

I really suspect that high carbonate hardness is very important to this species. More on that in a few months though. I will post up another report once they start climbing up on land.

 

[callina]

Oh Johnny, I cannot wait until they are on the land.
Please, could you post some photos of the little larvae in advance.:grin:

Tina