What to feed newly hatched N.v.v. larvae?

[otolith]

Hello there, my trio of Notos has begun to eggs (so far only 6 that i have found but they are developing) and I am wondering what foods would be appropriate for the larvae when they hatch. The first eggs were found 2 weeks ago so I am not expecting them to hatch for at least another week. I have read the caresheets on raising larvae on CC but am wondering which foods would be best. Are they large enough upon hatching that I can start them off with chopped blackworms or would baby brine shrimp be better? Are they larvae so small that culturing infusoria would be necessary? The eggs are in a 5 gal tank half fulll with clumps of java moss and a 1/4 inch of gravel/sand mixture in one corner. Any help would be much appeciated!

 

[caudatadude28]

I have raised noto larvae with great success. I used baby brine shrimp when they first hatched for about 1-2.5 weeks. They soon were ready for bigger food so I fed them whiteworms. Chopped blackworms may work but I think baby brine shrimp are the best newly hatched larvae food.

 

[Jennewt]

They will take the BBS very readily. However, it is possible to start them off with finely-chopped blackworms. It really depends on your preference and what you have available. Infusoria are on the small side for newt larvae, though they will take them for the first few weeks.

 

[Eft Lover]

Let us know how it goes - my own N.v.v. started laying in the last day, and I am wanting to try and raise any hatchlings as well.

 

[otolith]

I lost most of the larvae to an ammonia spike that I did not catch in time a couple of weeks ago. Only one of the females was laying and the other did a good job of eating most of the eggs within a few days. I think I may have ended up with 15 viable eggs over the course of the past month and a half. I have seen a few larvae in the tank but have for now given up on removing them and rearing them separately as they seem to be doing better in the tank with their parents. The female who was laying still looks to be gravid so I would not be surprised if she lays another batch of eggs as the temperature gets a bit warmer, hopefully I will have more success with round two.

The best advice for larvae I have is to be very aware of your water quality, feeding them is the easy part. There are a lot of small things for them to eat in my tank so i just supplement that with very small pieces of chopped blackworm. Best of luck Eft Lover!