Reptile & Amphibian Forums

1st off Happy New Year. Now I have a question for ya. I got up this morning to find a clutch in my immitator tank with 2 eggs in it. My question is, should I remove them and rear them myself or should I let them do it? I would rather do it myself but not sure exctly what to do. As you know these are my 1st egg feeders. Help from any one would be appreciated. I just know Mark has been down this road with great success.

Thanks
TonyT

If you are more concerned with quality and quanitity, I suggest rearing them yourself. The froglets when reared artificially seem to morph much larger as aposed to those that morph on their own. The ones you raise yourself will be large enough to take on melanogaster's as well as anyother microfauna that they can find such as springtails. It can be difficult to work with a froglet that is not big enough for ff's. Just my 2cents.

-Bill J
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>>If you are more concerned with quality and quanitity, I suggest rearing them yourself. The froglets when reared artificially seem to morph much larger as aposed to those that morph on their own. The ones you raise yourself will be large enough to take on melanogaster's as well as anyother microfauna that they can find such as springtails.

Hmm. All that I've heard and read on care sheets and web sites and in books suggests that egg feeders should be allowed to rear the tadpoles themselves. The reason given that the tads will accept few other food items besides unfertile eggs.

This is true with the obligate eggfeeders such as pumilio and histrionicus as their offspring will feed from nothing other than the mothers egg. D. imitator, like other members of the D. quinquevitatus family are faculative eggfeeders. Their offspring are capable of feeding from other protein sources such as algae with no or very little time loss in their development. I don't keep D. imitators yet (will have some very soon) but can speak on these based on my experience with D. amazonicus (still having a hard time getting used to not calling them vents anymore) which are also faculative feeders. Rearing this group of frogs artificially has proved to be productive and the neonates are much larger than they would be if they are fed by their parents. I also feel that this is why D. pumilio offspring ar so tiny and also feel that they would be larger neonates if they could be fed by alternate means. This is just my obersvation and theory.

-Bill J.
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I think I am going to pull them and raise them myself. I have talked to several people and I think they will do better.

Thanks
TonyT

1.1 Azureus
1.2 Imitators M Wilson line
0.1 Mint Terribillis
1.0 Citronella
3.2 G&B Auratus C/R
2.2 Luecs
0.0.4 Oyapoks
0.0.5 Alanis
0.0.3 Yellow backs
0.0.4 Red Vitattus

Hi Tony, good to hear you are having success with your imitators...or at least a start! Dont be surprised if it takes them a little while to get it right. As far as them being eggfeeders, Bill, you hit it right on the head, but, I would disagree with you on the issue of the neonate size. The fattest thumbnails ever come out of the water after being fed the mothers eggs, in my experience, however it often completely stops the pair from breeding while they raise the tadpoles, where as if you pull the eggs/tadpoles from the tank, the female will continue to lay fertile eggs.
Imitators in particular like to hide the eggs, and will keep moving around the tank after they catch on that you are taking their eggs, so I try to keep the bromeliads in their tank loosely mounted, so I can pull them and dump them if I suspect they are feeding a tadpole or two.
Best regards, and Happy New Year!!

Found a second clutch off 3 eggs in a film canister. Can they lay twice in the same day? Anyway thanks for the help everyone.

TonyT

Dude,
Want to sell them back to me,LOL.What did I tell ya,they will try and hide those eggs from ya.Getting them out of a film canister may be a project, mine never did that before.Do you just have a pair in there or more then one female? It's nice to see them taking off for you.I answered most of your questions earlier when we chatted.For this one I'd say they may have laid them in the film canister first so I'd check on their development and see which ones are further along.If you have 2 females in the tank I'd get one out, you know the stuff I went through when I had a 1.2 in my tank.Good luck you DOG!!!!!!!!
Mark W.