Artemis, Day 14 carrying eggs

[mlakers]

Day Seventeen, Attempt #2

I would swear I have one zoea at stage six today. It can't be, it's way too soon, but he looks completely different than the others, is larger, and has the Superman arms.

I'm going to go back to the breeding threads and do more research, but I checked this guy out numerous times today, and every time I thought the same thing, even when using a magnifying glass and extra light.

And now I'm freaking out, because the only one I saw at stage six last time was a dead one. I don't know what changes I need to make. Reduce the water current? Start feeding frozen brine shrimp? When do I offer shells? Gah!

[GotButterflies]

DON'T PANIC!!! This is awesome news!!!

[mlakers]

Day Nineteen, Attempt #2

Weird day.

1-The one megalopa was dead this morning.

2-I found a lone survivor in the hexagonal 1-gallon tank that I haven't touched or changed the water in or added food to for a week. I caught it just before it got sucked up in the filter. It has a completely straight tail.

3-All remaining survivors are in one jar now because the other jar was losing roughly one zoea a day for whatever reason.

4-I spent 45 minutes creating a special platform to move the entire molt cave in my old 55 so I could finally clean the tank completely and return it to the owner who let me borrow it for two years. I've waited 139 days for that darn crab to resurface. Got nervous and sweaty and worried...moved the whole chunk of sand carefully...and ... there was no crab in there. No shell, no crab, nothing. Doh!

5-Apparently, today is National I Am An Idiot Day.

6-Six survivors total. Hard to imagine I'll get any babies all the way this try with such a small number, but the survivors do have really nice color and good strong gut tracks.

7-I'm officially stressing again. These crabs are going to drive me to drink.

8-Shoot!! That reminds me: I left a beer in the freezer. Oh, well. Beer slushee!

[Sillysheep]

Day Nineteen, Attempt #2

Weird day.

1-The one megalopa was dead this morning.

2-I found a lone survivor in the hexagonal 1-gallon tank that I haven't touched or changed the water in or added food to for a week. I caught it just before it got sucked up in the filter. It has a completely straight tail.

3-All remaining survivors are in one jar now because the other jar was losing roughly one zoea a day for whatever reason.

4-I spent 45 minutes creating a special platform to move the entire molt cave in my old 55 so I could finally clean the tank completely and return it to the owner who let me borrow it for two years. I've waited 139 days for that darn crab to resurface. Got nervous and sweaty and worried...moved the whole chunk of sand carefully...and ... there was no crab in there. No shell, no crab, nothing. Doh!

5-Apparently, today is National I Am An Idiot Day.

6-Six survivors total. Hard to imagine I'll get any babies all the way this try with such a small number, but the survivors do have really nice color and good strong gut tracks.

7-I'm officially stressing again. These crabs are going to drive me to drink.

8-Shoot!! That reminds me: I left a beer in the freezer. Oh, well. Beer slushee!

Bless your heart. Your a trooper!!!

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[Kermie16]

You’re doing an amazing job!!


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[mlakers]

Day Twenty, Attempt#2:

There are only four survivors tonight. Not sure what is going wrong. They have good color, they're much larger now, and they have easily seen gut tracks. I just don't know how to figure out what is changing in terms of their needs. Is it a nutritional deficiency? A water quality issue? More bubbles needed? Less? More sinking food? More live food? It's so frustrating. I so badly want to do right by them, but I just don't know what "right" is in this case.

[Sillysheep]

Day Twenty, Attempt#2:

There are only four survivors tonight. Not sure what is going wrong. They have good color, they're much larger now, and they have easily seen gut tracks. I just don't know how to figure out what is changing in terms of their needs. Is it a nutritional deficiency? A water quality issue? More bubbles needed? Less? More sinking food? More live food? It's so frustrating. I so badly want to do right by them, but I just don't know what "right" is in this case.

Oh I hurt for you. I'm so sorry.

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[aprilmay]

What you are trying to do is very very hard! there are so little data out there. You still have 4 survivors! that's like a miracle already! don't beat yourself up! The best we could all hope get out of this trial is more data for the future trials. It is okay! think how far they've come from being dumped on the sand! you already gave them 20 more days of miracle! sending many virtual hugs your way...

[GotButterflies]

Wow! I know how heartbreaking and frustrated you feel! I'm rooting for you!! I wish I knew what to tell you other than you are in my thoughts!! HUGS!!!

[mlakers]

Day Twenty-one: Attempt #2:

Well, there are still four survivors today, so that's something. I decided to start a separate jar for hatching live brine shrimp. That way, instead of putting the eggs in the jar with the zoeae, I create the mess in a separate jar then shine a light on the brine shrimp and gather a bunch in one spot (they flutter like teensy butterflies) and then suck them up with the medicine dropper and move some over to the zoeae jar. With all the partial water changes, I don't think many brine shrimp eggs were getting a chance to hatch before I sucked them off the bottom as detritus and washed them down the sink. Maybe that change is helping? No clue. Can't tell if the zoeae are eating the hatched brine shrimp or not because they don't look any different from yesterday. Maybe just bigger, if anything. In fact, I know they are bigger because I have to be more careful with the medicine dropper as they can now span the opening and get caught on the sides. I'm being super careful each time I move them--have been ever since the numbers dwindled drastically. Just trying to make sure I don't lose any due to my carelessness.

I am concerned about one of the four surviving zoea, though, as he/she appears to have a fairly good-sized (proportionally good-sized) piece of exo stuck to his tail. At first I thought it was a dead one trailing schmutz, but when I siphoned him up, he was flicking his tail as if trying to get it off, and it's been like that all day. Maybe this is why the others were dying? Trouble with molting that makes it harder to swim and catch food? Again, who knows.

Thanks for all the support and encouragement. We'll just go as long as we can.

[mlakers]

What you are trying to do is very very hard! there are so little data out there. You still have 4 survivors! that's like a miracle already! don't beat yourself up! The best we could all hope get out of this trial is more data for the future trials. It is okay! think how far they've come from being dumped on the sand! you already gave them 20 more days of miracle! sending many virtual hugs your way...

Thank you, @aprilmay! You're right. They had zero chance without that early egg-rescue intervention. I need to remember that when I'm feeling so bad about losing them. That helps. Thanks.

[GotButterflies]

Day Twenty-one: Attempt #2:

Well, there are still four survivors today, so that's something. I decided to start a separate jar for hatching live brine shrimp. That way, instead of putting the eggs in the jar with the zoeae, I create the mess in a separate jar then shine a light on the brine shrimp and gather a bunch in one spot (they flutter like teensy butterflies) and then suck them up with the medicine dropper and move some over to the zoeae jar. With all the partial water changes, I don't think many brine shrimp eggs were getting a chance to hatch before I sucked them off the bottom as detritus and washed them down the sink. Maybe that change is helping? No clue. Can't tell if the zoeae are eating the hatched brine shrimp or not because they don't look any different from yesterday. Maybe just bigger, if anything. In fact, I know they are bigger because I have to be more careful with the medicine dropper as they can now span the opening and get caught on the sides. I'm being super careful each time I move them--have been ever since the numbers dwindled drastically. Just trying to make sure I don't lose any due to my carelessness.

I am concerned about one of the four surviving zoea, though, as he/she appears to have a fairly good-sized (proportionally good-sized) piece of exo stuck to his tail. At first I thought it was a dead one trailing schmutz, but when I siphoned him up, he was flicking his tail as if trying to get it off, and it's been like that all day. Maybe this is why the others were dying? Trouble with molting that makes it harder to swim and catch food? Again, who knows.

Thanks for all the support and encouragement. We'll just go as long as we can.

Okay~ so maybe this is why the fish food could help them...whenever I feed my betta..which does not have moving water in a 5 Gallon tank- there is an oily slick like coating to the surface of the water. Perhaps the fish food helps provide them with the fatty acids they need to shed? That’s my thinking out loud! Lol


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[mlakers]

Interesting. I wonder if that helps. I am feeding betta grains multiple times a day. Well, very finely ground up betta grains, and the smallest sprinkle I can, but betta grains. I'm still giving them everything I've got, just in very small quantities and not all foods at every feeding. I also don't know that all are eating the same things, just that I'm providing it. I wish it was easier to catch them eating!

[mlakers]

Day Twenty-two, Attempt #2

And then there were three.

I've switched to smaller water changes more often, thirty percent every three hours now instead of fifty percent every five to six hours, which is what I was doing before. Since there are only three now, it's fairly easy to avoid them and I don't have to stare at the wastewater for fifteen minutes hoping to pick out survivors. If there are three still in the jar, we're good.

I also wiped down the lid since it was getting a little slimy. My thinking there was to keep drops of slimy water from dropping back down in. Also wiped away the extra salt that dries and builds up--for the same reason.

I added another lamp shining on them, too. I was using two a while back, but then one blew its bulb, and since I had moved them all into one jar, I thought one lamp would suffice, but they do seem to prefer the water to be as bright and illuminated as I can get it.

There may be one moving into stage six. Hard for me to tell, but he does look different from the other two. I'm doing my put-my-head-down-and-do-it routine again. It's just way too easy to be overinvested after three weeks of caring for them round the clock and watching them slowly dwindle in numbers. Just trying not to think about it and keep up my end of the bargain.

[Renroc]

Never followed any other species but do you have shells in there for them? Once they are in shells they are safer from predation. Don’t know how soon your lot get interested in shells. Aussies it is about half way through their time in the water. They need lower water movement then so they can inspect the shells. Also
I found sinking food worked best. They could grab it and then carry it with them while they ate.


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