Dead FBN Larva

[firefly]

I found one of my little FBN larva dead this morning. I couldn't see anything on it such a fungus etc, so I assume they're not eating.

I'm giving them microworms, doing 50% water changes every morning & transferring them to new containers twice a week.

I've attached 2 pics of the container that they're in at the mo.

I'm hoping comeone could advise me what to do or give me some idea of what's wrong?

Thx

 

[Greatwtehunter]

This article on why larvae die may be of some use.

 

[firefly]

Thx Greatwtehunter - do you think the container looks ok tho with that water depth, & do you reckon it's ok for them with the light from the window??

 

[Greatwtehunter]

I can see a larva in the second picture and judging by that it looks ok to me. Although more water would help with water quality but since they are getting water changes everyday I don't see that being an issue. Are you using aged water for the water changes? I've had some larvae die on me because I didn't let the water sit long enough, more than 24 hours seems to be enough for me. The only thing I would worry about the light from the window is if it's causing the water to warm up. Depending on how much light it recieves this may also be a reason for the deaths.

 

[firefly]

I use bottled water, and there's no heat from the sun yet as its January.

I've put them in new containers now, two in each with the Elodea so I'm keeping fingers & toes crossed

Thx

 

[Greatwtehunter]

there's no heat from the sun yet as its January.

You'd be surprised. Stick your hand in the sunlight there for a few minutes and you'll see what I am refering to.

 

[Jennewt]

Your second photo has vanished. How long since they hatched? Microworms are only good for the first few days. Maybe they need more substantial food.

The container looks OK, but I agree that the sun will heat it up, even in January.

 

[firefly]

Oh no - I've got two microworm cultures going and I've got a vinegar culture too, but I'll get daphnia tomorrow, The larvae is still very very small (1cm) so I hope they can eat them. They hatched 6 Jan.

Hey this is England and it's freezing, but I've taken your advice & moved them away from the windowsill.

This is the other pic by the way - I don't know why it was removed You can see one of the little larva

Many thanks

 

[Jennewt]

What food are you planning for after they outgrow microworms? Whatever that is, you might want to start trying it.

 

[KJ_29]

I second Jennewt's advice that Microworm are only good for a very short while after hatching. Looking at the size of your larvae, I do believe that Microworms may still be an appropriate food source for a few days (though definitely try the second food source, at Jennewt's suggestion). I found that microworm had to be placed in the tubs in quite large quantities, so that the larvae could find and eat it. Obviously, this means frequent water changes are required; but you seem to be changing the water frequently anyhow. I used tubs with slight indentations at the bottom, which the microworm happened to collect in, making it quite convenient for the larvae to consume them.
Perhaps consider moving on to tubifex in a few days. They come in a range of sizes, from very small, to quite large (in relation to the larvae), so they're guaranteed to be of use for quite a large portion of the larval stage. They're also a more nutritious food source than Microworm. If you browse through live food sites, you can usually find lab-produced tubifex, supposedly free of the grime in which they thrive naturally. However, I've used 'regular' tubifex before with nothing going wrong; a few days in a tub of water with frequent water changes should rid the worms of any harmful substances.
Incidentally, there are fantastic articles on culturing live food on caudata culture; tubifex included. I'd forgotten about it up until now, though it has certainly helped me out: Caudata Culture Articles - Microfoods
Hope some of that helps
Karl