Illness/Sickness: Triturus Marmoratus larvae

[esnailme]

I have been looking closely at the larvae that I have been working with since the 1st of April 2011. I either need to get more sleep or either some of the smaller larvae are loosing their limbs and part of their tails. I have removed the 2 smaller larvae in questions. Could this be true?

 

[Otterwoman]

Perhaps if there are too many in too small a space they could be cannibalizing each other?

 

[Mark]

Sounds pretty normal for Triturus larvae to snack on their fellow siblings. Like Dawn says you could reduce the larval density but also ensure there's plenty of dense plants for them to take refuge in. If possible, always have live prey available in the tank and feed them very regularly. Larvae that look like barrels spend less time munching on other larvae's appendages.

 

[tmarmoratus]

I would bet a nice chunk of change they're biting on each other. Mark's advise is right on point.

 

[esnailme]

Well I know I was not seeing things.

As a result I have removed the 3 small defenseless ones.

I will then further thin out the bunch.

This now accounts for what I thought was pushing and shoving.

Will the limbs regenerate?

I have noticed that all the tails of the newts have gone from the noticeable pointed end to a blunt end.

It doesn't look like a snip.

Is this a possible sign that morphing is near??

Does anyone have an idea on the average of how long it will be before my babies morph?



Thanks in advance.

 

[tmarmoratus]

Yes, the limbs should regenerate just fine, granted the larvae discontinue nibbling on each other. In my experience, marbled newt larvae will morph in 2-3 months, dependent upon temperature. The lower the temp, the longer it will take them to morph. The changes in tail shape could be a sign they're getting close to morph. Also, look for them to start taking on a mottled look; this is a sure sign they will be morphing soon.

 

[Molch]

definitely these are aggressive munchers. I have 5 in a 5-gallon and another 6 in a 10 gallon with dense plants and plenty of Daphnia. Even so, I found one larva with a whole gill arch missing on one side and another with gills and a leg missing on one side. The former lived, the latter died. I assume sibling munching was the culprit.

one issue is that the Daphnia tend to swarm all in one corner, and then all the larvae hang out there to feed, so I get locally high densities even though the overall tank density is low. When feeding white worms, I spread them out as much as possible.

 

[Otterwoman]

Mine are beginning to morph, but I am trying to keep them aquatic as I did their parents.

 

[esnailme]

When I thin out this bunch, can I use shallow plastic shoebox container without aeration???

 

[esnailme]

Please can somebody help me????

 

[Molch]

When I thin out this bunch, can I use shallow plastic shoebox container without aeration???

I would say if they are not too dense (say, no more than 8 or so per approx. 10X20 inches floor space, which is about the size of a 10-gallon) and the water is shallow, they won't need aeration. All the better if some plants are in there.

 

[Otterwoman]

I think you need a bubbler while they have gills. You can get a cheap rubbermaid tub for a tank if that is the issue. If it's space, it's only for a while. During egg season, you have to hop through my tank area for all the egg tanks going.