Danys ?-Coenobita-breeding-thread

[Curlz]

yes

"LEK" is a short form for the german word for Land Hermit Crab (singular). The german word is: ""Landeinsiedlerkrebs". It's very long. It's easier to use the short form.

"Landeinsiedlerkrebse" = "LEKs" = Land hermit crabs (plural)

[aussieJJDude]

Wow, I learnt a new word!
How to say (Land) hermit crab in german!
Haha, can tick off:
- English
- Indonesian
- German
Whats next??
Thanks curlz!

[naalide]

Can I write in German now?
OK, better not.^^ So what have I learnt at school about English? ...?

New report!!

On the 31.08 I received approx. 500 larvae from Curlz which her hermits had dismissed overnight.
Unfortunately, many passed away within the first two days. And it's too sad, but all larvae Curlz tried to rise, are already dead. 'Mine' are doing better.

Day 1: Saltwater, 4-litre Kreiseltank with Nannochloropsis and some Artemia.
From day 2 on I added much more Nannochloropsis. Then it looked like this:



Because I did not have so much time the everyday cleaning was very short. I sucked off once daily the whole water with a big tube and filtered the larvae though an Artemia-sieve.



I have counted the larvae from day 7 (nearly every day).

Day 7, 9/6/2013: 236 living larvae
Day 8, 9/7/2013: (~20 dead larvae)
Day 9, 9/8/2013: 194 living larvae
Day 10, 9/9/2013: 180 living larvae
Day 11, 9/10/2013: 180 living larvae
Day 12, 9/11/2013: 179 living larvae
Day 13, 9/12/2013: 179 living larvae
Day 14, 9/13/2013: 175 living larvae
Day 15, 9/14/2013: (no counting)
Day 16, 9/15/2013: 170 living larvae
Day 17, 9/16/2013: 129 living larvae, 17 Megalopa

(today)
Day 18, 9/17/2013:
in the morning: 52 living larvae, +71 Megalopa
in the afternoon: 44 living larvae, +5 Megalopa

Well, that's how it looked this morning:



Yesterday I had put the Megalopa in some round plastic containers, which I had put up two days before.
One container with some sand and coral rock, one with clear sea water and two with sea water and Nannochloropsis.
Today I quickly put four glasses into the surrounding container:



The containers are heated with the surrounding water. The big containers are aired, the glasses not. In each glass is only one Megalopa. In the containers are since this morning 21 Megalopa - in each one!



Today between my daily work I bought some glass bowls in a cheap market (capacity approx. 150ml). I'll buy some more tomorrow and exchange them with the glasses!
At the moment in each of the glasses and bowls is one Megalopa with some food.
I'll chance the water daily. In some of the studies about hermit-larvae the larvae only lived in culture dishes.
So I hope this works out.



During the next days, I will put some houses into the containers and bowls.
That's all for today, I will report on.

93 Megalopa since now,... and still so many larvae left,...

[kuza]

sweet!!

[Curlz]

Sweet?? that's GREAT!

seems to be a worldwide record. 93 megalopa larvae.
She needs all "fingers crossed" she can get.

[naalide]

Total all of larvae changed to megalopa is up to 110 now!

But a lot of the megalopa died today.

[kuza]

That's too bad

Do you know if the losses were in a specific container? I'd like to know which of your megalopa containers has the best results.

[aussieJJDude]

Wow, awesome update!
Keep those pics coming!

[naalide]

That's too bad

Do you know if the losses were in a specific container? I'd like to know which of your megalopa containers has the best results.

It's not one container, it's cannibalism! Only 32 megalopa leftover.
11 are separated in the glass bowls - that seems to work!
21 now are together in the white flat container (only this container, with salt water, a heater and a tiny pump). They got al lot off food!!! I hope they don't eat each other, till one is left. :roll:

[kuza]

I guess we all have the same problem, as soon as the come into contact with each other they grab on and one dies. I hope the separated glasses works, I'll try to separate my next ones like this as well.

[HerMattCrab]

It's not one container, it's cannibalism! Only 32 megalopa leftover.
11 are separated in the glass bowls - that seems to work!
21 now are together in the white flat container (only this container, with salt water, a heater and a tiny pump). They got al lot off food!!! I hope they don't eat each other, till one is left. :roll:

I wonder in the wild how much they rely on feeding off each other, i would assume some of this happens in the wild as well, survival of the fittest etc.

[naalide]

I wonder in the wild how much they rely on feeding off each other, i would assume some of this happens in the wild as well, survival of the fittest etc.

Right. But in the wild, the ocean is 'a little bit' bigger, than a jar, a bowl or a dish.

[Nat_addicted to HC's]

The variabilis are horrifically cannibalistic & it appears that all species are too. how are the individually separated megalopa going Naalide?

[naalide]

how are the individually separated megalopa going Naalide?

Very good! No loses!
The last larvae changed to megalopa last night. We have just day 24 of this breeding. They develop very quickly.
Now I have 14 separated and about 20 in one group.

[Nia]

So excited for you! Do you have any new pictures to share? How are your babies doing?