My acf laid eggs

[Jenste]

So excited! my ACF have laid their first batch! Unfortunately, I did not wake up early enough (was up at 445 am!) because they were nibbling at them when I checked the tank, but got the parents out of their breeding tank and into their original tank with my other female...and i have eggs! on driftwood, glass, mossballs...lol

here is a picture of some of the eggs on the drift wood...about the size of an * on the keyboard (symbol on number 8 for those of you who don't know!)

here is a picture of the eggs and a recording i took of the male acf "Phantom"s mating call. the splashing in the background is other female Kirby.




YouTube - Phantom the ACF mating call

[bshmerlie]

That's so cool. Have you had babies before?

[tgampper]

Congratulations!

If the eggs are fertilized. the will hatch in about 3 days. It is important to remove any eggs that are not fertilized (usually they will be covered with fungus). The hatchlings will have an “egg sac” which they feed upon during their first 3 days or so. After the egg sac disappears, the tadpoles can be fed a solution of strained baby food (green beans or peas), mix one drop to 3 ounces of water. Make sure you siphon off any leftovers.

[Ebony]

Congratulations. I would love to see their progress if you dont mind keeping us updated.

[Kurt]

Congratulations! From what I understand, they lays quite a few eggs, so maybe your frogs did you a favor by eating some.

[Jenste]

sorry it took me so long to come back to the computer! Thank you for the congrats

yes, they definitely did eat some if not most - - by the time i woke up and removed the parents, the male had one stuck to his head (sigh)

just did a partial water change. Eggs are all looking great. tank is a stable 79*F.
once water change is completed in the am I will try and get an official egg count and hopefully more pictures!

[Kurt]

When they hatch out, expect to see the weirdest tadpole you have ever seen.

[Jenste]

yea, everywhere i have read said they look like tiny catfish-like creatures. lol.

did a partial water change this morning, all eggs look the same - - little white orbs with a clear membrane - - have found 1 that is now forming a "c" shape - - hope they all start doing this throughout the day!

anyone have any tips/things i should be looking for?
i have the temp hovering right around 80 with a heater, and an air stone in the tank near the heater to disperse the heat.

i just performed one of the most nerve wracking water changes ever - - petrified of disrupting/hurting an egg!!!
but my tank just doesn't LOOK clean enough. i am kicking myself - the night before they laid i was out at a graduation party, came home late and skipped the waterchange for the evening while the parents were in the tank. now it still just looks too dirty
( i am probably just being a nervous mama but i am so worried i will do something wrong considering this is my first batch)


any help? lol

[Jenste]

earlier I took a picture of an egg with a wii remote to use as scale - - figured it was something universal to use to US and UK members (money seemed like a poor choice!)


also took a picture at an angle so you can see the "c" shape forming





after taking the pictures, i went out to breakfast and picked up worms from a bait shop - - wasn't even gone two hours. I came home and the egg in the picture that was becoming "c" shaped is gone? i used a flashlight to try and check the walls and floors, but can't seem to find the little guy....i didnt move anything around in the tank for fear of accidentally crushing it....

so the two possibilities are...
1) it detached and is somewhere in the tank as a tadpole, clinging to a surface i can't see
2) its dead


any one with an idea?

[Kurt]

You could always use an air hose to siphon water out, that way you would be less likely to suck up any eggs.

[Jenste]

I was using airline tubing...slow and tedious but i was still nervous.

unable to find that one that disappeared...
when should I write off the eggs as unfertilized?
none are making a "c" shape yet and they all still have a clear flimy sac around them

[Kurt]

I would give it a week, but I am just guessing. Terry is the one you want to talk to.

[Jenste]

Thanks Kurt. I send Terry a message asking that they give my thread another look over to see if they can offer me any more advice!

If this batch is unsuccessful (I am starting to think that my male may have not fertilized the eggs properly) then I will try setting him up with my other adult female Kirby.

If at first you don't succeed....? difference is - if this first batch fails and the second batch fails, I will keep Phantom separated from the females for a few months. I read that ACF females should not be breed more than a few times a year - I would not want to risk their health for my learning curve!

[Jenste]

Picture of egg - - is this what a healthy, viable egg or an unfertilized egg?

I heard that eggs would have a membrane around them - or has this passed membrane and gone on to fungus?

[tgampper]

Hi Jen:

The pix is quite blurry, but I am allmost sure that the egg is unfertilized. It look like there is a fungal growth covering the egg (look for a cotton-like fuzz). I would remove any fuzzy eggs, if they aren't, keep them for another week or so. You are correct, females should only mate 3-4 times a year to remain healthy and vibrant frogs. It is possible that the female may be too young (usually females mature in 9 months). I would separate them for three months and try again. When you are ready to try again, lower the water to 5 inches and raise the temperature to about 85(F). This will stimulate the production of eggs. Then raise the water level to at least 8 inches and lower the temperature by adding ice cubes to the water. The higher water level and lowering the temperature will drive the male crazy and hopefully successful breeding will begin. In Africa, these frogs breed during the cooler months and during periods of flooding. It just might work.

Good luck

[Jenste]

I have owned all three since august/september so they are atleast 10 - 11 months old.

It feels like maybe the male missed (poor guy!)

I will go through the tank and remove any that look bad....

If laid 72+ hrs ago...should they at least be "c" or tadpoles?

[tgampper]

I have owned all three since august/september so they are atleast 10 - 11 months old.

It feels like maybe the male missed (poor guy!)

It takes a little longer for the males to become sexually mature, 12-13 months.

I will go through the tank and remove any that look bad....

If laid 72+ hrs ago...should they at least be "c" or tadpoles?

Usually eggs hatch within 72 hours, if not, they are most likely unfertilized. I am not sure if you have seen Xenopus tadpoles, but they are somewhat bizarre compared with taddies of other species.

[Jenste]

thanks - - have no idea what happened to that one that looked promising - will gently take out bad eggs and see if anything can be seen in the tank--- if that one itty bitty egg was becoming a tadpole i hope i can find it!

[Jenste]

Spent over an hour going over the tank centimeter by centimeter - - found nothing but eggs covered in fungus...except for one teeny dead tadpole (looks like a itty bitty guppy fry almost with nothing but eyes, stomach, and tail).

I am going to assume that this was the one that had started turning into a "c" that detached from the wall and disappeared.

so, phantom obviously had TRIED to fertilize them, but he either started too early or too late and only manage to fertilize this one.

[tgampper]

Sorry to hear that the first try didn't work out. It sounds like the male tried but wasn't ready. Looks like a case of poor timing.