Chinese Fire Belly Newt Eggs

[jennamae93]

So, recently I asked for some help with sexing my C. orientalis', and came to the conclusion of one female and two males. My female has been laying a few batches of eggs every other week or so for the past couple months. All of them have gotten moldy. I have read that some of the eggs that aren't fertilized will get moldy because they aren't viable, but I'm not sure why none of mine are hatching. I keep each batch in a small, open container and do water changes daily on them, but after about 5-7 days they get moldy. Any suggestions as to what I am doing wrong, or what is happening? Thanks!

 

[UnstuckinTime]

I'm not sure what you could be doing wrong, unless it is with water quality (are you using tap water? Did you condition it or let it age at all? That kind of thing).

Have you thought about letting the eggs mature in the tank they are laid in? I recently had a lot of success with that.

I suppose that, if the males are immature, they could not be fertilizing them. Additionally, I have heard that if it is a female's first time laying eggs, they can have a pretty low viability rate.

I realize I just gave you a lot to consider, but I hope some of it helps.

All the best,
CJ

 

[Azhael]

It´s common for the first eggs in a season to be duds, but it could also be a problem with the water changes. The best results are achieved with aged, stable tanks and very few, small water changes, if any at all. I would recommend trying that environment and see if the eggs keep going moldy.

 

[wargar]

Hi,

I leave mine in the same tank as the adults, right through to when they morph. I keep the adults well fed and have never seen any form of canabalisation.

Dave

 

[jennamae93]

Thanks everyone so much!

CJ- Since I am at college, I do use tap water, but I condition it and let it sit out for a few days before using it.

CJ and Dave- I have tried leaving the eggs in the tank with the two adults and the female (even though she is fat as can be) always goes after them! She'll even rip off a whole piece of the plant to eat an egg! But, I could always just try leaving a few in, maybe in an inconspicuous spot!

Rodrigo- I will try that method of keeping the eggs now and see if that helps.

Again, thanks for your input guys; I'll try anything and everything! I'll let you know if any hatch!

 

[UnstuckinTime]

CJ and Dave- I have tried leaving the eggs in the tank with the two adults and the female (even though she is fat as can be) always goes after them! She'll even rip off a whole piece of the plant to eat an egg! But, I could always just try leaving a few in, maybe in an inconspicuous spot!

My female seemed as if she had changing opinion about which plant she liked to lay her eggs on best. So she'd lay maybe ten on the Java fern, change her mind and eat most of them, but then the next day try the Elodea, change her mind again, and so on. But she always missed a few, and I snuck a few into a shallow spot that they don't really go to in order to watch them develop.


Good luck!
CJ

 

[jennamae93]

My female seemed as if she had changing opinion about which plant she liked to lay her eggs on best. So she'd lay maybe ten on the Java fern, change her mind and eat most of them, but then the next day try the Elodea, change her mind again, and so on. But she always missed a few, and I snuck a few into a shallow spot that they don't really go to in order to watch them develop.


Good luck!
CJ

Yeah, mine seems to like the Java Moss one day and then the Borneo Fern the next day. Just today I bought a floating breeder tank and I grabbed a handful of the moss with eggs on it and put it in there. So the eggs are in the tank with the adults, but the girl can't eat them! I'm hoping I'll have some luck with this method. Thank you so much!