Photo: My dud eggs?

[piaalexa]

Hi Guys,

So I was lucky enough to receive some eggs however, not entirely sure of the day they were laid but it was at least 5 days ago and no change in development. Also most are covered in a fungus now which makes me think they were never fertilised (I read somewhere that fertilised eggs have natural anti-fungal properties). So should I give up on them? This makes me sad, I was so excited...

 

[Axolbreeder]

it takes 17 days for axolotl eggs to hatch. mark the day they were laid and keep an eye on them. it takes about 10 days for development to be easily seen. you will need brine shrimp hatcheries ready and live BABY brine shrimp already at your disposal the day of the hatching. Otherwise they will start cannibalizing each other within 6 hours of hatching. Live baby brine shrimp, there is nothing else they will eat until just under 2 months of age

 

[Jasmini]

These eggs don't seem very healthy... When my axolotls laid eggs, I saw some change after 4 days. Fungus is a very bad sign. Are there any 'clean' looking eggs left?

 

[melfly]

They are definitely dead.
I have no idea if they were fertilized originally I've never had any unfertilized.

I think that something happened regarding temperature which killed the eggs.

How were they transported and kept?

Mel

 

[fuzyasme123]

I am sorry for your loss... Maybe it had something to do with the water you put them in. Did you use tap water?

 

[piaalexa]

Thanks everyone, I got them from the Zoology department at the university I'm at. Their axolotls laid some eggs and they were just going to get rid of them. Some already had some fungus on them when I got them (I removed those) so maybe they were never healthy to begin with. Is it possible for a female axolotl to lay eggs that are not fertilised? It is winter here now so maybe the temperature dropped below 10 degrees during the night. I think next time I will set up a heater and an air pump (if I can get more eggs). The people at zoology told me they never usually do that though.

I have only been able to find brine shrimp eggs for sale, daphnia seems harder to come by here. My plan was to get some this week but when I saw my eggs all fungus infested, that priority waned...

 

[piaalexa]

I am sorry for your loss... Maybe it had something to do with the water you put them in. Did you use tap water?

I used a combination of deionized water and a little tap water, mixed with a small amount of Holtfreter’s solution. We have a naturally hard tap water though.

 

[auntiejude]

You don't need a heater as axolotls are cold water amphibians, and you should be using a dechlorinater in your water if your tapwater has chlorine or chloramines added at source. Axolotls usually prefer hard water, so you shouldn't need to adjust the hardness.

 

[Dragon1]

In SA the eggs will hatched at 20' with a lot of air, after 14 days. The adults been kept with no heater at a temp of 10-15'.

 

[piaalexa]

Normally I just leave the water for a day or two and naturally let the chlorine evaporate out. Have not had problems with my axolotls in the past using that method (but maybe eggs are more sensitive?). OK but I heard that if the water temperature drops below 10 degrees Celsius that the eggs can be damaged or not develop properly. It is winter here now so sometimes the air temperature does drop below that.
I know the adult animals should ideally be kept between 16 and 19 degrees so they don't need heaters.

Well the dud eggs are going to get the unceremonial flush down the toilet treatment today...I had just been keeping them in a small tank that was less than half full with a few aquatic plants, no pump or heater.

 

[melfly]

The eggs are not more sensitive water wise in my opinion.

Or to anything too cold (above freezing obviously) as far as i'm aware.

Its heat that can damage the eggs. Or possibly full sunlight. Or extremely rough handling.

Eggs are usually extremely hardy.

Hope you get another chance to raise them.

Mel