C. ensicauda popei larvae

J

joseph

Guest
DSCN4418.jpg

Larvae almost out of the egg(checked back a few minutes ago and he is at the bottom somewhere now leaving an empty egg)

DSCN4413.jpg


DSCN4426.jpg


And a sibling.

Can't wait to see these develop. They so far seem a bit larger than orientalis eggs/larvae.
 
Nice timing, Joseph
biggrin.gif


Keep us updated on their development!
 
At least 12 larvae, front and back legs. They are at the point where they are starting to bulk up...that is...legs becoming thicker and heads less slender.

Hmm...how fast are they supposed to grow? Compared to orientalis they seemed to have grown quite fast but they are in much warmer water(75 vs 60).
 
You'll definitely see a growth rate difference with a 15-degree temp differential.

(Message edited by tmarmoratus on March 17, 2006)
 
They are now caught up and passing the orientalis.

Looks like 15 or so...wonder when they will morph?
DSCN0187.jpg
 
No plans right now but it should happen eventually. Can't keep 15 thats for sure.

Seems to be belly patterns coming in.
DSCN0422.jpg
 
Overnight after I fiddled with the container and provided a moss land area due to expecting morphing(some larvae were hanging around near the surface and bobbing at the corners) 9(out of 16) crawled out of the water. Pretty big compared to orientalis morphs. Photos soon.
 
Joseph - I was wondering more about the conditions you are raising your larvae in. I have some C.o larvae that have left their eggs in December of last year and Jan of this year and they still havent been bobbing at the surface or shown any signs of getting ready to morph yet.... Maybe its because I got them in cool water and Im only feeding them twice a week.
 
Danny: I have some orientalis larvae(but have been trying to slow them down in hopes of maybe having them morph in fall...don't think it is going to work so maybe I'd just ought to concentrate on the spring batch of eggs). I remember orientalis taking around 3 months from larvae to 1st morph when I raised them last year...(looking at the dates in this thread it appears the ensicauda are almost the same).


I keep them in sweaterboxes or similar with lots of javamoss/duckweed. Food(blackworms, daphnia) is kept in with them almost constantly(I add a squirt of blackworms once or twice a day and daphnia when I feel like it...which has come out to maybe 2x a week). If the larvae are hungry their is usually something wandering around nearby. Keeping lots of plants seems to help keep the water clean but I do do occasional water changes.
 
Only feeding them twice a week, Danny? Is it live food that stays alive in there? Larvae need to eat daily. If they are not well-fed, they morph small and are more prone to problems.
 
Twice as week is when I feed the adults, and right now I have three larvae that are in the tank with them right now. The larvae eat the bloodworms just like the adults and I guess whatever they can find in the tank. I had a large group of 20+ larvae that all hatched and were in separate containers according to age and size. I was feeding them chopped up pieces of whiteworm, mashed up newt pellets, baby fish food. I dont have any 'blackworms' or daphnia that everyone else seems to have around. Everyone talks about these food sources but trying to get some of it to Canada, is another thing. So out of the 25 or so larvae I had, they all lost their yolks, started to grow front and back legs, and I was watching them eat the food so I thought I had no concerns. Then about 2 months ago, I would come home and do the regular feeding and water changing of the larvae's containers, only to find out I had a huge case of sibling eating sibling. I also had some larvae in the parent tank that I never removed as eggs, since I couldnt find them! And they seemed to be eating stuff in the tank mixed in amongst the rocks, java moss, bases of the plants. I must have lots of little things to eat as I have lots of hyrdas and other small things in the tank. Right now when the larvae eat with the adults they load right up on food and eat until they look as if they are about to burst, so I dont want to over feed them. Ive tried doing every day feedings in that tank, but the larvae still eat and eat and eat. Im afraid they will eat themselves to death so I toned down the feedings.
 
I doubt they will burst(if so, mine would have popped already...must be a habit carried over from raising fish fry). They do excellent in tanks with the adults and plants(and critters to eat that live amongst them) if they don't get eaten. I think the ones raised seperate of the parents grow a little faster...and you can see what stage they are in and get them out when you think they are going to morph.
 
Those small naturally-occuring things that they eat in the parents tank seem to be adequate at the beginning (early larvahood). I think the reason that ones raised separately from the parents do a bit better is that they need quite a lot of food during late larvahood, and the microscopic stuff in the tank isn't enough at that point.

Considering the lack of blackworms and daphnia, it sounds like you are doing a good job with what you have, Danny. But I would suggest putting some bloodworms in there every day, or at least every other day. And maybe try to hide some whiteworms in the java moss for the little ones.
 
Yeah. If you are using frozen bloodworms you should be careful about the amount you feed as they could foul the water if uneaten.

You should be able to find daphnia or similar somewhere in Canada. Not necessarily from someone selling them either. The daphnia I'm currently using pretty much fell from the sky(popped up in my ponds/tubs one day). Funny as I put up some money to get ahold of Moina and those barely stick around compared to these ones.

With over half of the larvae out of the water I think a new thread is in order...

(Message edited by fishkeeper on April 29, 2006)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
    There are no messages in the chat. Be the first one to say Hi!
    Back
    Top