I'll try to take some better pics. The female is really guarding them and gets in the way whenever I try to get a good shot. Feel free to use any pics.
This tank has 1.1 animals in it. I usually start out with a big group and thin it down to a compatible 1.1, 1.2, or 2.1. This tank sits right next to another tank with other P.labiatus in it. The males can see each other.
This year my room got down to the mid to low 40's F and I keep the temperature under 71 F in the summer. The eggs were laid in the last 3 or 4 days (I was out of town) with a water temp of 61F. This pair courted very seriously all winter and the male is still in "full dress". So far I count 15 eggs but I can't see inside real well.
Those temperatures are very similar to the "magic numbers" that work for breeding Neurergus strauchii: overwinter at 5-10C (41-50F), then egg-laying at 12-16C (54-61F). I suppose this is no coincidence, since both species live in cold mountain streams.
Congratulations! I am truly thrilled to see this! I wish you the best of luck with your eggs and larvae. Make sure you keep us up to date on all the reproductive activities.
Could we possibly see some pictures of the enclosure?
Thanks everyone- I really appreciate all the comments. The eggs still look perfect and she is still guarding them. I will get more pics in the days to come of both the enclosure and the male and female. As you can see from the first pic-the eggs will be hard to get a good shot of.
The tank is nothing special-just a 15 gallon tank with an air driven sponge filter. I have had this pair since 2004 but they have only been kept as a single pair since early 2005. I originally had 1.2 in there, but removed one female. Diet is nothing special-chopped earthworms and raw shrimp mostly.
Hi Erik..i too after years of trying seem to have two females that are gravid ,enormous in fact, not just well fed fat, did you notice your female had piled on the pounds before she laid. The problem i have is the only places they can lay are underneath two large pieces of drift wood which are now difficult to remove. Would you advise moving the females to a separate tank with a plant pot or something like yours ...ian
My females (labiatus, brevipes, "d" and "b") usually plump up with eggs every year, but never lay. For some reason this year was different for one pair.
I wouldn't make any big changes. Maybe add some additional hiding/egg laying areas to the current tank?
Didn't someone in Europe have a female P.labiatus lay eggs under a half coconut?
Hi Erik..this year the male seemed to be showing a lot of interest ,more than normal, in fact he's still at it. Anyway i'll do what you suggest, just a bit wary of adding hiding places to the tank ,new territory to fight over...ian
Erik
I thought I had bred P. labiatus ... that was in the (very emabrassing now!) early days of my involvement in the hobby. I don't know what the 'eggs' were, but they certainly were not P. labiatus eggs...
I would like to try pachytriton again some day - I gave my pair away about a year ago
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