Question: Advice For New Lake Urmia Newts

[aclongette]

Hi! We recently got a Lake Urmia Newt and I was hoping folks might have advice on how to give him the best set up and quality of life possible. We’re fairly experienced with geckos but have never had amphibians so the water aspect is throwing us a bit. I’ve seen the basic care sheets but I’ve seen a bit of conflicting info and we have some additional questions. Any ideas on the following are super appreciated…

- Would he like a tank mate? We’re planning to get one since he seems a little lonely.
- Do they tend to like something in the environment outside their tank? I read they like to be in busier areas so they have a lot to look at, but that’s all I could figure out.
- Suggestions on how to help him feel comfortable with us? We’ve been talking calmly to him and moving slowly to avoid spooking him but he sometimes still seems skittish. To be fair we got him four days ago so that might be normal?
- How often and how much should you feed them? Does it change by age? We’re currently feeding fruit flies.
- I’ve heard mixed info on a filter. We got a super small one to minimize the flow but still help keep it clean. Thoughts?
- Any tips on keeping a clean tank in between cleanings?
- Do you have advice or articles on starting a bioactive aquarium for these guys? We have successful bioactive gecko set ups but haven’t had an aquatic set up. Would love to tailor it to newts specifically.
- Are there particular behaviors that tell us if he’s stressed or bored or content?
- Do you need to remove uneaten fruit flies from the water if they don’t finish a few of them during feeding or would they want to snack on them later? When should you take them out if they don’t go for it right away?
- Any suggestions on how to minimize stress of being put in a temp tank during cleaning. (Of course will dechlorinate any water)
- is there a general guide for size of feeders? With geckos it’s the space between their eyes, but this little guy seemed like a single fruit fly was a lot to swallow.
- Any resources you recommend on learning more in general?

I know that was a ton of questions but thoughts on any of them are super appreciated. Thank you!!

 

[minorhero]

Is this your first aquarium overall? Not sure how much detail to go into the basics.

Answering your questions in order:

1) they are happy with a tank mate, they are social with each other. You do not have to get one though.
2) They don't really care about life outside the tank other then to get food.
3) So when amphibians come into a new setup they tend to be shy, not eat, and generally lethargic looking for a few days to weeks as they adjust to the new experience. You don't need to walk slowly around them or anything like that. Unlike reptiles you won't be building trust with them because you won't be regularly handling them. Ultimately they will come watch you because you are the bringer of food. They will learn this in time and want to hang out near you in hopes of getting fed.
4) With a morphed newt like what you put in your picture feeding every other day is fine. When they are larva, having constant access to food is better.
5) The size of the filter doesn't matter, flow DOES matter. So for instance, I have a pretty good sized canister filter on my two newt tanks but the flow is turned down very low on both so that the newts can easily float if they want to. How you control flow will change based on the filter. Some have adjustments built in, some need some diy effort to make that change.
6) Every week change 50% of the water minimum. Use a gravel vac to clean up mess while this is happening. If you don't have a water change system like a python, seriously consider investing in one to make your life easier. Then again, if this is a small tank and your only one, a siphon and a bucket might not be a big deal.
7) Bioactive is a term in the terrarium world. For an aquatic newt its not used. In terrariums/vivariums you make something bioactive by having plants and adding springtails and isopods to eat poop and turn it into plant food. There is no exact replacement for isopods and springtails in an aquarium (at least not in a way that is sustainable). But shrimp and snails come close. For making a planted tank there are MANY articles and videos on youtube for how to go about setting up a planted tank. Keeping to simple plants like anubias, java fern, pearlweed, guppy grass, and java moss will be best to start off with.
8) If he is healthy that's good. If he exhibits signs of sickness that's bad. If there is a haulout spot in the tank and he refuses to go into the water, that's bad. If he gets bloated that's bad. Otherwise he will very slowly kind of roam the tank and that's pretty normal.
9) You will probably want to switch away from fruit flies. They are not the best food for these guys. Yes remove any that are in the water longer then a few hours. And going forward you can try to get him onto soft salmon pellets, and try feeding cut earth worm.
10) Don't remove him during tank cleaning. You should not be draining the water completely. You should be removing between 50 and 90% ideally (many would tell you 10 to 30% but I am believer in bigger water changes).
11) Similar sized feeders as a gecko, but they can go a bit longer. Some people feed them whole worms which I think is a bit wacky because it will be half out of their body for a LONG time. I feed cut worms 1 to 2 centimeters long depending on the size of the animal.
12) There is not a lot of care information on newts compared to say geckos or dart frogs, or fish. The best resources are going to be experienced keepers. Other then this website there are some very active facebook groups for newts and salamanders that will give you a lot of good information to specific questions. Good luck!

 

[aclongette]

Is this your first aquarium overall? Not sure how much detail to go into the basics.

Answering your questions in order:

1) they are happy with a tank mate, they are social with each other. You do not have to get one though.
2) They don't really care about life outside the tank other then to get food.
3) So when amphibians come into a new setup they tend to be shy, not eat, and generally lethargic looking for a few days to weeks as they adjust to the new experience. You don't need to walk slowly around them or anything like that. Unlike reptiles you won't be building trust with them because you won't be regularly handling them. Ultimately they will come watch you because you are the bringer of food. They will learn this in time and want to hang out near you in hopes of getting fed.
4) With a morphed newt like what you put in your picture feeding every other day is fine. When they are larva, having constant access to food is better.
5) The size of the filter doesn't matter, flow DOES matter. So for instance, I have a pretty good sized canister filter on my two newt tanks but the flow is turned down very low on both so that the newts can easily float if they want to. How you control flow will change based on the filter. Some have adjustments built in, some need some diy effort to make that change.
6) Every week change 50% of the water minimum. Use a gravel vac to clean up mess while this is happening. If you don't have a water change system like a python, seriously consider investing in one to make your life easier. Then again, if this is a small tank and your only one, a siphon and a bucket might not be a big deal.
7) Bioactive is a term in the terrarium world. For an aquatic newt its not used. In terrariums/vivariums you make something bioactive by having plants and adding springtails and isopods to eat poop and turn it into plant food. There is no exact replacement for isopods and springtails in an aquarium (at least not in a way that is sustainable). But shrimp and snails come close. For making a planted tank there are MANY articles and videos on youtube for how to go about setting up a planted tank. Keeping to simple plants like anubias, java fern, pearlweed, guppy grass, and java moss will be best to start off with.
8) If he is healthy that's good. If he exhibits signs of sickness that's bad. If there is a haulout spot in the tank and he refuses to go into the water, that's bad. If he gets bloated that's bad. Otherwise he will very slowly kind of roam the tank and that's pretty normal.
9) You will probably want to switch away from fruit flies. They are not the best food for these guys. Yes remove any that are in the water longer then a few hours. And going forward you can try to get him onto soft salmon pellets, and try feeding cut earth worm.
10) Don't remove him during tank cleaning. You should not be draining the water completely. You should be removing between 50 and 90% ideally (many would tell you 10 to 30% but I am believer in bigger water changes).
11) Similar sized feeders as a gecko, but they can go a bit longer. Some people feed them whole worms which I think is a bit wacky because it will be half out of their body for a LONG time. I feed cut worms 1 to 2 centimeters long depending on the size of the animal.
12) There is not a lot of care information on newts compared to say geckos or dart frogs, or fish. The best resources are going to be experienced keepers. Other then this website there are some very active facebook groups for newts and salamanders that will give you a lot of good information to specific questions. Good luck!

SO helpful! Thank you so much!!

 

[aclongette]

Also yes it’s our first aquarium so truly any advice is super helpful haha

 

[minorhero]

Also yes it’s our first aquarium so truly any advice is super helpful haha

The big things to worry about are water quality, filtration, bacteria, and temperature.

There are a lot of videos on youtube on setting up an aquarium for the first time and more specifically, setting up a planted aquarium. You should check a few out. You will notice that people do things differently in those videos. This is not because one person is wrong and another is right, it's because there are a LOT of ways to have success. What you will figure out in time are ways that work for you. That said, there are some things that are specific to newts.

The main two being temperature and the need for a lid.

Temperature needs to be kept cool compared to many aquatic critters 60 degrees F. You can likely achieve this by use of a fan blowing on the water's surface.

Regarding the lid, most newts can climb glass. Not well, but well enough to escape any hole big enough for their head to fit through. They can not go upside down. So a lip all the way around the tank a few inches wide is sufficient. Most people opt for a full mesh lid though because they are readily available for standard tank sizes. Beyond that, diy and custom options are likely going to be the solution.

Regarding water quality. Doing weekly big water changes will resolve most of that. You will want to know the basic parameters of your water though, both as a baseline and to find out if they change during the year. I'm on city water and my water swings dramatically based on the time of the year going from a ph of 6.8 to a ph of 8.6. I need to account for that in my tanks so I test my water occasionally to see where in my seasonal cycle I am. To figure out what your water parameters are, you should buy the API Master Freshwater Test Kit and the additional API GH/KH test kit and use it to figure out your parameters. This is the cheapest test kit in the USA and is sold at all big box fish stores and most small fish stores as well.

Having plants in your tank will also do a LOT to help water quality as plants will grow from the poop being produced by your critter and thus will be removing those nutrients from the water.

As far as filtration goes, you want something adequate to remove debris from your water and depending on tank setup, you should then clean the filter as often as needed. How often is that? Depends on the filter and the rest of the tank. In my alpine newt tank I have a good sized canister filter, I have a LOT of plants and I have sand substrate. All of that means I have enough surface area in the tank itself to biologically filter my tank. I clean out of my canister filter every 3 to 6 months on average. In some of my fish only tanks where I have a small hang on back filter or a sponge filter, I clean them every week to 3 weeks.

Regarding bacteria, in a fishtank it's something we actively try to cultivate. This is a big change compared to the reptile world where people will tell you the bogeyman 'bacteria' will kill your critter. In fish tanks we care about beneficial bacteria which will eat our critters ammonia and poop nitrite, and then bacteria that eat nitrite and poop nitrate (which is either plant food or removed with water changes). It's thus important that you don't kill all the bacteria in your tank and crash your 'cycle'. How can you kill the bacteria? Well you could drain a tank, and let it dry out completely, that would kill all the bacteria. You could take the filter material and discard it, or clean it in chemicals, that could also do it in a bare bottom tank. Depending on your water, you may also need to treat new water coming into the tank to make it safe. Seachem Prime is essentially the gold standard for water dechlorinator. This might not be needed if you are on well water.

Since you will probably want plants (even if its just a big ol pile of guppy grass, which will basically grow with little effort on your part and take over the whole tank), you should get a light and put it on a timer. What light? There are soooooooooo many options. You could spend thousands on lights or less then 20 dollars. Virtually any white light will grow plants just fine, some though will showcase your critter better by providing a more pleasing spectrum. For a complete beginner, I suggest going to amazon and searching for "Hygger Advanced Full Spectrum LED" which will give you a light that has a nice spectrum and a built in timer and dimmer for a fairly cheap price. Turn the power of the light down to its lowest or second lowest setting until you get a handle on plants and let it run its normal 10 hour cycle. You do not need to do this until you have some plants in the tank.

Hopefully this is helpful, good luck!