officially breeding axolotls!

the lion who ate the sun

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Mar 11, 2014
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georgia
Hey guys! My girlfriend and I inadvertantly got our axolotls to breed! I'm really excited about it!

They are in the 8-10" range, feeding on massivore and shrimp.

We lowered their temperature by about 6 degrees during a water change, dimmed the lights all week, and viola! The male would 'squirt out' patches of sperm, and nudge her to lead her over. She would then squat on it.

It was interesting to watch her laying the eggs. She would straddle a plant and plop them out onto it.

At 48 hours in, she has finished, and the hatchery is now up and running! I'll post some pictures when mfk allows me to--of both the process and the hatchery!

The hatchery was simple to throw together--we transferred the plants she laid her eggs on to a 25 gallon tank, added 15 gallons of tank water, and an air stone. The water flow isn't terribly strong. We are setting up a daphnia and brine shrimp breeding tank over the weekend. I have two established blackworm colonies in my 180 gar/polypterus tank, and 40g Polypterus grow out tank. When they are big enough, I am going to attempt to fish out a large chunk of the colony to add to the (by that point) hatcheries. Could just be easier to buy enough to start another colony :p That's down the line, at any rate. For now we are focusing on the task at hand.

Now that they have bred once, I suspect future breeding will be much easier! We plan on continuing to breed them, and selling their babies to our lfs and others.
 

Quo Vadis

Gambusia
MFK Member
Apr 12, 2014
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[QUOTE/]
I have two established blackworm colonies in my 180 gar/polypterus tank, and 40g Polypterus grow out tank. When they are big enough, I am going to attempt to fish out a large chunk of the colony to add to the (by that point) hatcheries. Could just be easier to buy enough to start another colony :p That's down the line, at any rate. For now we are focusing on the task at hand.[/QUOTE]

That is really cool.
A little off topic but how do you keep your black worm population from being decimated in inhabited tanks? I would like to do that in a tank that has mormyrids, and they need to eat small amounts frequently, so getting a colony established in their tank would really help with that.
 

the lion who ate the sun

Plecostomus
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Mar 11, 2014
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georgia
Leucistic. Both of them. :D
 

the lion who ate the sun

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Mar 11, 2014
1,237
50
51
35
georgia
[QUOTE/]
I have two established blackworm colonies in my 180 gar/polypterus tank, and 40g Polypterus grow out tank. When they are big enough, I am going to attempt to fish out a large chunk of the colony to add to the (by that point) hatcheries. Could just be easier to buy enough to start another colony :p That's down the line, at any rate. For now we are focusing on the task at hand.
That is really cool.
A little off topic but how do you keep your black worm population from being decimated in inhabited tanks? I would like to do that in a tank that has mormyrids, and they need to eat small amounts frequently, so getting a colony established in their tank would really help with that.[/QUOTE]

3-4 inches of substrate works for me. It probably works with less. They set up breeding colonies on their own if they survive the initial onslaught. Just buy a large amount of them and put your arm in the tank with a handful of the little beasts. Cover the pile while they burrow into the substrate so they don't get decimated. For bonus points you can yell things like, "MOVE OUT CADETS," and "GO, GO, GO." as they burrow. It gives the whole operation a stealth recon flavor that you would otherwise have to join the military to experience. Highly advisable.

Once established, they serve as an inconsistent, but renewable snack for your fish.
 

Quo Vadis

Gambusia
MFK Member
Apr 12, 2014
912
21
18
Wisconsin
3-4 inches of substrate works for me. It probably works with less. They set up breeding colonies on their own if they survive the initial onslaught. Just buy a large amount of them and put your arm in the tank with a handful of the little beasts. Cover the pile while they burrow into the substrate so they don't get decimated. For bonus points you can yell things like, "MOVE OUT CADETS," and "GO, GO, GO." as they burrow. It gives the whole operation a stealth recon flavor that you would otherwise have to join the military to experience. Highly advisable.
Once established, they serve as an inconsistent, but renewable snack for your fish.
Haha, That is too funny! So I assume by substrate you mean gravel, since they don't seem to be able to retreat down into sand well? I have this idea of making s pile of substrate protected by mesh, so that they could breed there without being eaten, but anytime they "march to battle" elsewhere in the tank they would become mormyrid food.
 

the lion who ate the sun

Plecostomus
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Mar 11, 2014
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georgia
Haha, That is too funny! So I assume by substrate you mean gravel, since they don't seem to be able to retreat down into sand well? I have this idea of making s pile of substrate protected by mesh, so that they could breed there without being eaten, but anytime they "march to battle" elsewhere in the tank they would become mormyrid food.
Flourite, to be specific. All my tanks are planted, and the red color brings out the best colors in Polypterus. I use black sand in the axolotl tank so that they stand out. The mesh net sounds like a good idea. You could arm them with toothpick slingshots and pebbles so that they have a viable method of defense :p

I've never tried establishing a colony in sand, best of luck!
 

the lion who ate the sun

Plecostomus
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Mar 11, 2014
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georgia
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