Eggs a-go-go!

[john]

Well, it's been a few years since I've bred axolotls (I didn't have any between 2000 and mid 2003), but look what I discovered when I went to bed last night:

That's the mother. She's still laying eggs 24 hours later. Rough tally about an hour ago was 500. I think there will be a few hundred more in the morning.

Father is a melanoid (pitch black) and the mother is a melanoid albino (a type of white albino). The offspring will be 50% melanoid and 50% melanoid albino.

 

[mik]

WTG John, She's a bit of chubber even if she is egg bound...lol.

 

[cynthia]

I want a black one realllllly bad! The only one I have seen is in Mik's picture lol

 

[john]

I think melanoids are hard to come by generally. I am really looking for a leucistic

.

 

[richard]

I have a melanoid male that I found at a pet store. When I saw it, I instantly snatched him up... Am I correct to say that I need another melanoid female to produce offspring that are black like this?

 

[john]

Either that or one that carries the melanoid gene but doesn't express it (heterozygous).

 

[michael]

I feel pretty sure their will be lots of melanoid axolotls available in the U.S. in the spring. The blacks have been harder to come by but everything is relative.

 

[john]

I disposed of any larvae that weren't capable of exiting their own eggs, along with any dead hatchlings, and runts. I also gave about 100 eggs away between a number of people. So, here's a photo taken today (a few days after hatching) of the remaining larvae (two colour types: melanoids and melanoid albinos):

I think I need a bigger tank...

 

[john]

I estimate a minimum of 700.

 

[cynthia]

700...Definatly need a bigger tank. What a good female.

I must find a black axolotl.

 

[alan]

How are you feeding that lot John?

 

[john]

I've got 3 microworm cultures going at the moment, supplemented by Daphnia (and a new Cladoceran I've discovered). I don't think I'll be able to keep up for long though! I just need to get them on to white worm, then bloodworm (once they pass about 20 mm), and we'll be laughing.

 

[alan]

From the size of mine, they only look to be a few days away from being able to take grindalworms (which are *much* easier to culture than whiteworms anyway!).

 

[morg]

Wow,thats a good amount of larvae John.
Never mind a bigger tank, when that lot grow up you will be needing a room full of tanks for them.
I should think you may have problems getting enough food stuff for that amount as they grow.
Do you plan to try to get them eating pelleted food?

 

[alan]

What *are* you going to do with 700 axolotls John?

 

[john]

Cull them... There never seems to be as many eggs as you think, eh.

I'm going to use white worm because I have a good culture of those going at the moment. No grindals, and given the time I had to get a grindal culture going, I think it would be cutting it fine.

I plan on breeding a different female in the spring that will produce golden, melanoid albino, melanoid, and wildtype. Anyone care to trade a grindal starter now for eggs later?

 

[alan]

So, 10 days post-hatch, 14mm TL, eating brine shrimp (as you can see) and grindalworms. Not much interested in microworms.

Hope you don't mind John, thought I'd share these rather than email.

 

[john]

Hi Alan,

I don't mind at all. I know what you mean by microworms. Mine aren't really eating them except to stay alive... I think that'll change when the front legs develop, since they start actively seeking food at that point.

 

[alan]

Err, without being rude about axolotls, they really are lazy at first. They seem to want the food to swim almost into their mouth.
Bearing in mind mine are already chomping grindalworms, I don't think they're going to be interested in something as small as microworms by the time they've got legs.

 

[john]

I've learned the following info the hard way. Axolotls hatch without any legs. Newts and salamanders at that stage exist passively - they only snap at food moving in the water column. If it's on the bottom, it doesn't provide the right stimulus and won't get eaten to any degree. Once the leg buds develop about 1/3 - 1/2 of the way, they will eat a bit more actively, and when the front legs are totally developed they will hunt the tank. Doesn't matter that they are axolotls.

Compare axolotls to a species like the verrucosus in your photo. They are born with front legs. They are immediately partially active. I've fed both of these species at newly hatched stage solely with microworms. The verrucosus will have full bellies, whilst the axolotls won't.

The major downside to microworms is that they're little more nutritionally valuable than cardboard, but if, like me, you use up your Daphnia on 300 verrucosus larvae right before your axolotls decide to pop out about 800 eggs, there isn't much choice.

What about brine shrimp eggs? They're great. Unfortunately there aren't any to be had in Dublin at the moment. I searched 2 weeks ago ;(.

Luckily for me, my larvae are now taking young white worm quite successfully (tried them tonight) - evidenced by very white little bellies. I feel a lot better now

. I fed them right after posting the last time.

Luckily, I have a very good white worm culture that is mostly juveniles. Lifesaver.