The straws are just so they don't roll around in the box. I'd rather be OVER cautious with these eggs than not cautious enough. Some of them are not stuck to the others so I just wanted to make sure they stay all together.
As for the water, I thought I had PLENTY before the eggs started to dimple. So I added more then realized it was more than enough. I guess I just use substrate so the water doesn't josh on the eggs. These are my very first eggs and I don't want anything to happen to them. Just call me overly cautious, I guess.