My Straw (Perlatus) baby thread

[kuza]

I now present the straw megalopa!!



I'm freaking out again, when should I put the shells in? And I have a bunch to choose from but I'm not sure which ones to use, I'll post a picture of my shells.

And my transition tank is not ready!!! It came too soon, only 16 days in!!

He molted right in my turkey baster, I noticed a crab on the floor having trouble but he was just trying to get his skin off, he finished right before my eyes and I almost couldn't believe it.

[Nat_addicted to HC's]

Wahoo!

[Rocky]

Nice!!
I think they start checking out the shells pretty early, it couldn't hurt to put a couple in now and see what happens I'm not sure if they'll take shells quite yet

[aussieJJDude]

WOW! congrats
can;t wait to see them on land wonder what they will look like, if they get there straw colours from a young age , or when they older??
@ naalide: that site was awesome, read all of it! it rocked

[naalide]

I now present the straw megalopa!!

Congrats!!!

And my transition tank is not ready!!!

Don't panic! It will need some days, till it's interested in shells and some more days till it realises, there is more than water.

It came too soon, only 16 days in!!

Soon? Do you known how fast they should develop?
As far as I known:
C. variabilis only need 6-7 form larvae to megalopa, C. rugosus and C. purpureus need at last 16 or 17 days, C. compressus and C. violascens need 20 or 21, C. cavipes and C. clypeatus need 25 or 26 days an Birgus latro not less than 27 days.
But I have no data about C. perlatus.


@aussieJJDude: TXS

[kuza]

thanks, and I meant "too soon" as in, I just wasn't ready.

Also, in your kreisel tank, is only the air bubbles moving the water or do you or curls also have a water tube pushing water too?

[hermilove]

I now present the straw megalopa!!

WOOOO! Congrats!

Are all megalopa red/orange like that, or is that only because it's a straw...or is it just from the food?

[naalide]

Also, in your kreisel tank, is only the air bubbles moving the water or do you or curls also have a water tube pushing water too?

Only the bubbles move the water.

[Careyenz]

This is amazing. There is somuch unknown info out there about straws early development. I love that you are able to share this with us all!


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[kuza]

Thanks everyone!

I think the coloring is mainly the food because I feed them baby brine and decapsulated brine shrimp eggs which are that same super orange. Either way, they are such a beautiful color! Maybe it is because they are straws but I expect the young straws to be white and then they get the red stripes after a few months/years and then become red in adulthood.

[kuza]

Only the bubbles move the water.

Perfect thanks. And did you use just normal hot glue or is there a special kind to use that's more safe?

[kuza]

I count at least 4 megalopa now and one of them has a death grip on a zoea and is making a meal of him, and it wasn't even a zoea from the floor he grabbed one mid stream, the hunger games have begun!! Good thing I still have hundreds (maybe 500 still) between the 4 jars.

[naalide]

And did you use just normal hot glue or is there a special kind to use that's more safe?

I used 'normal' hot glue. But it has to fit with the material of the kreisel tank. You can not use each glue together with every plastics.
If you are worried because of poison passing out of plastic or glue: The glue itself is plastic after its cold.
For the short time you use the kreisel tank (a few weeks maybe), it should be save, cause you are regular changing some water.

edit: Without clue: Just use a fitting lid. Then you better should use salt water for the surrounding water.

[wodesorel]

Awesome!

Where you able to count how many stages they went through?

[kuza]

naalide that's true, I could just use multiple containers and keep the lids on sealed tight. I like having multiple containers in case I mess up one. I was lucky this time to get all 4 jars still with many many zoea and now every jar has megalopa, I count 6-8 now. They are easy to spot since they always have another zoea in their arms eating, lol.

Thanks Wode! I think it was 4 stages total, maybe 3, but no more than 4 zoea stages for sure. And I believe the 4rth stage is very fast like 1-2 days.

I believe just based on when I would clean up a bunch of molted skin it went:

day 1-5, stage 1
Day 5-10, stage 2
Day 10-15 stage 3
Day 15 stage 4
Day 16+ megalopa.

But of course my camera isn't great for taking pictures through 2 layers of glass, 2 layers of water and then focus on the zoea, so I can't be sure. Maybe the next set of eggs I'll figure out a way to get better pictures. Or get a better camera