African Dwarf Frog and Eastern newts

[caudatadude28]

I was wondering if I can have one or two african dwarf frogs and four eastern newts together in an 20 gallon long aquarium. I looked at the mixing species disasters and found NO problems with mixing these two species. I was hopeing that the a.d.f.'s would eat uneaten food.

 

[grunsven]

Maybe this exact combination was not mentioned in the mixing disaster page but did you get the general message?
DON'T MIX!

 

[Azhael]

No way, Hymenochirus boettgeri need different conditions than newts.

 

[Abrahm]

No way, Hymenochirus boettgeri need different conditions than newts.

Have to agree with the others; this is a bad mix. H. boettgeri, the African dwarf frog is tropical and needs water temperatures of 76-78F. Newts of course are temperate and require temperatures below 70F.

That's not mentioning the fact that these animals are from different continents and may pass diseases between themselves to which they have no resistance. Dwarf frogs are also known carriers of the deadly fungal disease, chytridiomycosis. Considering both animals will likely be wild caught, the risks increase significantly.

 

[caudatadude28]

I forgot about introducing disease. How high is the risk?

 

[Nathan050793]

It isn't even how high the risk is that matters. The fact that there is risk and that the two species make bad tank mates should alone be enough to convince you that keeping the two together is a bad idea. Seeing as the animals would probably be wild caught, I'd guess that the risk of disease should be at least a point of concern.

 

[Abrahm]

Habitat and temperature are the main issue here. It is impossible to keep both animals in their optimum conditions within the same enclosure. For the well being of both species, they should not be mixed under any circumstances. While 6 degrees may not sound like a lot, it can cause stress with fatal consequences.

One research group lost 20 frogs to chytridiomycosis. Everyone they purchased was infected and this was from a regular wholesaler like your pet store would use. I would say the risk is not insignificant.

 

[caudatadude28]

I am not going to mix the species.