Triturus dobrogicus breeding question

[Deekay]

Hello,

My dobrogicus group have been laying eggs nonstop for the past month. So far every single egg has been infertile.

The males began cresting back around October/November, full cresting up during December and January. Temps during the coldest part have been between 52-53 daytime average, with many nights dipping to 48 F. They are kept fully aquatic, with their tank in my basement by an exterior wall with a window open 24/7 during winter.

Things warmed the past week and temps have been around 58-60 F, and I noticed one of my males has almost no crest anymore. My other 2 still have fairly large crests and are still actively breeding. My females are 2020 animals and my males are 2021 animals.

Now, to my question…have temps not been consistently low enough for positive fertility? Is my one male losing his crest a sign of suboptimal breeding conditions for my group/young animals not being experienced?

I continue to pull eggs and monitor as long as they keep laying them.

Thanks in advance, apologies for the novel.

 

[andrew_taricha]

In my experience, your temps should be low enough to trigger breeding, which seems to have happened. I would guess it is an age/experience issue. I have 2021 males that are in breeding condition. I suppose I don't know if they are the ones fertilizing the females as there are other/older males in the group who I know are fertilizing females. And I have males that come in and out of breeding condition independent of each other sometimes so I wouldn't worry too much about that. I think everything you are doing is fine, I would just be patient. I pull most of the eggs that get laid but do notice that eggs are less likely to fungus if left alone in the adult tank. So you could give that a try as well, monitor the eggs while still in the parent tank to see if they are developing.

 

[Deekay]

In my experience, your temps should be low enough to trigger breeding, which seems to have happened. I would guess it is an age/experience issue. I have 2021 males that are in breeding condition. I suppose I don't know if they are the ones fertilizing the females as there are other/older males in the group who I know are fertilizing females. And I have males that come in and out of breeding condition independent of each other sometimes so I wouldn't worry too much about that. I think everything you are doing is fine, I would just be patient. I pull most of the eggs that get laid but do notice that eggs are less likely to fungus if left alone in the adult tank. So you could give that a try as well, monitor the eggs while still in the parent tank to see if they are developing.

Thank you! I guess I just need to relax and experience the season. I appreciate your insight.

 

[michael]

Infertile eggs are not unusual. Sometimes boosting the quality of the food helps. Triturus do throw lots of infertile eggs in captivity.

 

[Deekay]

Collected 15-20 on Friday and they are all in the process of developing. Looks like the males and females got it done.

 

[Bishop.69]

How cold do they need to get? Mine are kept in a water temp in the low 60's consistently, and I have yet to see any signs of breeding activity or real cresting in my male.

 

[Deekay]

How cold do they need to get? Mine are kept in a water temp in the low 60's consistently, and I have yet to see any signs of breeding activity or real cresting in my male.

I only know from my limited experience that mine got to 42 F at the lowest, and on average 48-52 F. Placed on an exterior wall in my basement by an open window.