Apuanus eggs!!

[Azhael]

I just saw the first couple of eggs n_n
I´m not sure they will be fertile since the only adult male doesn´t look fully mature yet (although his cloaca sure is developed). I also haven´t seen any courtship yet which makes me doubt. However it wouldn´t be the first time i miss the courtship (which is rather unbelievable considering the time i expect just watching my animals xD). I really hope they are fertile

I´m just happy to delight with the impressive colors of this species, but if the eggs are fertile it´s going to be a most brilliant surprise.
Mark, if all goes well you are soon going to be a grandfather(?¿) again! xD

 

[Molch]

well hurrah. I'm rooting for ya that they'll be fertile

 

[Azhael]

Cheers, Molch, i now have high hopes for the eggs because:

I just saw them courting for the first time!!! The male is definitely ready.
Argh it´s such a rush xD Yesterday i was almost certain they probably weren´t going to breed for at least months to come, and today i have eggs and courting behaviour. I´ve been completely caught offguard xD

I have been waiting for so long to see the courtship of this species with my own eyes...this is such a brilliant moment My inner 8 year old me is having a great day xD

 

[Molch]

ain't they great? I think they are the prettiest newts around. I love the lil' polka dots on their cheeks.

As a kid, I watched them court in their natural habitats every spring. It seemed that alpestris and vulgaris could breed just about anywhere; any ditch or puddle would do. Cristatus and helveticus I only found in bigger ponds....

 

[Mark]

Congratulations Rodrigo! I'll let their parents know the good news. They do become sexually mature long before they reach their full adult size so don't be surprised if they're fertile. Mine don't normally lay till March.

 

[froggy]

Congratulations! Hope they are fertile. Even if they aren't, at least you know they are getting there.

C

 

[Azhael]

They certainly are amongst the most beautiful creatures i can think of. I´ve been looking for them in the wild for over a decade with no luck at all xD I´d have killed to see some when i was a kid

Here´s hoping that they are indeed fertile, Mark! It´s looking well. I hope their parents were pleased with the news of their upcoming grandchildren xD I have thanked you for them before, haven´t i ?

Cheers Chris! If they are this is going to be a bussy year for me xD And i wanted it to be a quite one with very few larvae to raise....xD By the way, you´ve got an e-mail!

I love this fricking hobby....raaaaargggghhh!

 

[Azhael]

And the first larva has hatched! All hail The Wee Tiny Larva!
I noticed the eggs were smaller than other specie´s but now that i see the hatched larva, they are definitely minute. I compared it with a dobrogicus larva of almost the same age, and there is indeed a difference.

 

[RobM]

Congratulations, how long did it take you to find it?

 

[Azhael]

Actually, surprisingly long xD I had to inspect the whole tank several times until i realized it was hiding near the surface behind a leave. Sneaky little thing for a newborn...

 

[Molch]

they sure are tiny. My one single pyrrhogaster egg is about twice the size.

Good luck with these. I'd love to hear how you go about getting them their first meals. Do you just flood the tank w. Daphnia? Or do you remove them to a small container where you have more control?

Most of my hatchlings are currently in a 4-gallon plastic tank with a thicket of java fern that contains many more eggs. I put lots of Daphnia in there, and I know some are eating because their bellies look lumpy. This weekend I'll try brine shrimp.

 

[Azhael]

My general approach is to let them feed on copepods and other microfauna that is present in the tank until they develop the front limbs and start hunting more actively at which point i introduce new food sources. At least it´s what works for me. Mind you i´m small scale, i only raise a reduced number of animals of each species.

 

[Azhael]

Here is a little update.
I´m chuffed with these...they are not only pretty, but they are also bloodthirsty killers. Whenever i introduce the tweezers in their tank it´s like a riot of sharks in there!

 

[Molch]

aren't they cute little buggers? Mine are about 6 cm now and about half have morphed but remain mostly aquatic. I love it when their back colors become marbled with slate gray and blue-gray. Their bellies are turning orange too.

 

[Azhael]

Stop teasing and post pictures xD
Your pictures in another thread showed the multitude of colors they have even at this stage, my camera just doesn´t, which is a pitty. I love the colors of these little buggers, i can´t wait to see the rest of their development

 

[Molch]

Stop teasing and post pictures xD

aaaw wright...here's one of a few of them loitering at the surface. The little guy is my first morph; he morphed a bit earlier and is a lot shrimpier than the others; the others are all between 5 and 6 cm now.

 

[Azhael]

They are lovely! They look very healthy, and they´ve grown big. I hope mine grow so well before morphing, although it´s clear they are still a long way from that.
They look really fantastic, Molch, well done!

 

[Molch]

thanks kindly I am very fond of them. I've learned a lot.

here some thoughts on morphing:

the small one morphed early at about 4 cm. He's my oldest. At the time, I had them in 4-ga shallow water tubs at pretty high densities, with complete daily cleanings - the intensive setup. I realized it would induce them to morph early, so I moved them into a 10 and a 20 gallon tank (10 larvae per tank) with deep water and many plants. After that they grew much bigger before morphing. The ones in the 20 ga morph even bigger (5.5 to 6 cm) than the ones in the 10 ga (5 to 5.5 cm). This tells me that density is a big factor. Temp varied between 55 and 70, according to weather, but most times around 60-62 F. Food was daily doses of Daphnia, white worms, chopped earthworms and blackworms.

 

[Azhael]

I keep them in a small tank now, but i´m already cycling their next home, which is considerably bigger. I´m just finishing their training xD They haven´t mastered the art of eating bloodworms by themselves yet.

 

[Molch]

here a few more pix of the kiddos. I'm very proud of them now they're all growed up