What Should I do with my newt eggs?

How to take care of Fire Belly Newt eggs?

• Answer:

  Care of eggs until they hatch Many newts will eat their own eggs and larvae, so separation from the adults is a good idea. One approach is to remove the eggs from the adult tank as they are laid. Alternatively, if you already have many eggs and hatched larvae in with the adults, you many want to move the adults to a different tank. Eggs can be kept in an aquarium or a small open container. Filtration is not essential. If the eggs are kept in an aquarium, the tank should have a source of aeration that does not make a strong current. Be sure the eggs are not too close to the airstone, or they will get tumbled around and battered by the bubbles. Alternatively, the eggs may be kept in a small open-topped container, such as the bottom half of a plastic jug. In this case, no aeration is needed (and could be harmful in such a small space). If using a small container, change about 50% of the water daily, and transfer the eggs to a clean container twice per week. The time it takes from egg laying to hatching is species-dependent. A ballpark figure for the three species I have raised is 2 - 3 weeks. For Spanish ribbed newts, the time to hatching can be as short as one week. Some eggs will be duds. You can identify these because they become whitish/opaque and may get fuzzy. These should be removed and thrown away as soon as you see them, as it is risky to have fungus growing right next to good eggs. Hatching! When the larvae emerge from the egg, they will probably not need to eat immediately. You will be able to see a yellow or white stripe of yolk along their belly; this contains enough nourishment to feed them for the first few days. They may lay on their sides at first; this is normal. During those first few days, the larvae will change dramatically. As the yolk disappears, the tail will become broader and flatter, and the front legs may emerge. On about the second or third day after hatching, try to start feeding them. When larvae eat, they make an obvious "hopping" motion as they grab the swimming food. Once you see them hop, you will know they are eating. Also, if you are feeding them brine shrimp, you will see that their bellies become orange. Size matters Do not put small and large larvae in the same tank together. The smaller ones may become dinner for the larger ones. Enough said! [ - King - ]