Question: Aquarium salamander for high temp waters

[suberip]

Greetings,

I am living in a hot country with summers that can heat my aquarium to 30oC.

I have bought ( by bad information that gave me the pet store ) a Japanese Fire-Bellied Newt.

Was eating great and i think was happy on winters. On summers was nervous.
Afters 3 years died.

Is there any kind of newt that is fully aquarium and can live comfortable in these temperatures?


Thank you.

 

[Chamaeleo]

You can try to keep Spanish ribbed newts (Pleurodeles waltl) or sword-tailed newts (Cynops ensicauda), these species live in Mediterranean (former) and subtropical (latter) regions and they tolerate higher temperatures better than most other species.

 

[Azhael]

P.waltl does indeed tolerate temps higher than the vast majority of species, but 30ºC is still a high enough temperature to be somewhat concerned. Healthy animals may not even show signs of stress, particularly if night temps fall to more moderate levels, but there is no actual guarantee that keeping them in those conditions will be problem free. you also need to consider the age and developmental stage of the animals, as those temps have been demonstrated to cause sex reversal in female larvae (which then develop as males) and are also associated with skeletal abnormalities. The effects on adults may or may not be problematic.
There are ways to lower the temperature of a tank, like using fans or insulating the tank and using small amounts of ice or chilled water, coolers, location, etc. Perhaps just by using fans you could maintain the tank at 27-28ºC during the day which is far less likely to cause any trouble for this species.

Tylototriton verrucosus would be another candidate, but it´s pretty much the same scenario. The same goes for C.ensicauda. Sustained high temps are always a concern.

I would advice you to test temperatures around your house during the worst of the summer. Try also to test the effectiveness of using fans in the conditions of your home. With that data you´ll be able to make an informed decission and prevent making mistakes.

 

[Niels D]

You can also look fot the coolest places in your house. Warm air rises and warmth gets in your house through windows. My S.i.infraimmaculata and P.ruber are in the hall at this moment, because the temps remain cool throughout the summer there. They're enclosures are on the ground.

 

[suberip]

!
Now i think that i had this specie "Cynops ensicauda"
all this years i thought that i had Cynops pyrrhogaster..

Maybe my pet shop manager was right then.

My aquarium reaches 30oC only for 1-2 days. I already have fans that chill my water at 28


the last photo is my newt stressed. Was trying to hide. I saw and two wounds on his tail.

I will wait a little to cover with moss the terrestrial side of the aquarium so the new salamander will be more comfortable.

Thank you very much for your answers

 

[Mark]

Are both photos the same newt?

That looks like Paramesotriton chinensis to me. It has vey different requirements to Cynops species. In the wild this species lives in cool mountain streams and needs to be kept below 20C.

 

[Niels D]

I'm guessing it's P.chinensis as well, definitely Paramesotriton.

 

[suberip]

These are bad news

I hope was not very stressed theses years.


Is there any shop i can buy eggs of newts and post them? In my country are few pet shops that know about newts!!


thank you for yours information.

 

[Chamaeleo]

In my country are few pet shops that know about newts!!

This is true for many other countries (including Hungary).
You should contact some of the not so many breeders of the species you want to keep. It's worth watching advertisements on the web (terraristik.com for example), and try to visit terraristic fairs in other countries (Austria, Germany) from autumn to early spring, then low temperature reduce the level of stress during the long shipment (in the hot summer months even shorter transportation can be fatal for newts!). Or if you can't do it, find a reliable person, who will bring home the animals safe and sound. These are the only ways if you want the newts arrive alive at your home.
But before you start thinking of acquiring your newts, try some of the cooling methods as it was mentioned above (read this if you haven't done it yet)!

 

[Azhael]

There are many, many breeders of a large variety of species distributed throughout europe who can ship animals safely to any european country. The species mentioned above are all quite common and finding CB offspring shouldn´t be a challenge.
I would recommend staying away from terraristik or most fairs as WC animals are offered in abundance. Ethical issues aside, they are not the your option as a consumer.

As well as the temperature tests, i strongly recommend you to inform yourself thoroughly before even thinking of acquiring any other animals. There is much you need to learn in order to provide as optimal care as possible. Take your time and read until your eyes bleed.