Question: Cynops orientalis out of water now.

[rasputin]

Hi,

A couple of weeks ago I got 5 Cynops orientalis from the same place I got my Axies. They all seemed to be fine. I have read that it is common for them to stay on land if stressed but they were never seen on the cork bark I had in with them as a floating platform.

I have done 25% water changes almost daily and sucked out any uneaten food in the process. I do not have a filter in the tank as I have read on here from someone with a lot of reputation that a very highly planted tank will suffice with enough water, which they have! One of the plants went a bit gooey so I taken it out.

Now in the last couple of days I noticed that one or two had their head out of the water, sat on a plant or the bark. I get in just now and three are on the cork bark.

Could they be stressed? Am I worried for no reason? I thought they mainly sit on land at night if at all. Just worried about the sudden change in behaviour.

Any input would be great. Hope it all made sense, panic setting in. I am just going to check the water now so will update.

 

[rasputin]

OK,

Water tested as
pH 7.5
Ammonia 0
Nitrate 5
Nitrite 0/0.1

Is this Ok. It seems fine to me from what it says on the test kit box.

 

[suztor]

I wouldn't be too worried about the guys that just looked their head out of the water, how long has this been going on?

Also a little spongy filter wouldn't hurt, would ease your work load and probably stress them out less with fewer water changes.

 

[Azhael]

If the tank is new and not fully cycled, which could be according to the meassurements, then maybe there is still some fluctuation of parametres and that, plus the animals being stressed, could be the reason why the newts are resting out of the water from time to time. Nevertheless, like Suztor says, poking their heads out of the water is nothing to be worried about, in principle.
The plants make a huge difference, they really do. This species likes to hang out in very densely planted areas, specially if the mass of plants reaches the surface.
Newly imported animals are always stressed, so it´s to be expected that they will take some time to get adjusted. Make sure to keep them cool, that will help reduce stress levels and promote the inmune system.

How big is the tank? 5 adults would be best housed in a 20gallon tank, specially at a sensitive time like this, since that will offer far better water chemistry stability.

Also, i would slow down with the water changes. Maybe once every few days is enough at this stage.

Anyway, if all they are doing is poke their heads out but still go to the bottom and feed normally, there´s no need to panic.

 

[Kribby]

The only downside with relying on plants for the removal of harmful nitrate buildup is that it relies on a few assumptions to work:
1. A suitable bioload to plant ratio
2. Plants that grow at a suitable speed
3. Suitable biofilm in the tank to break down the ammonia and nitrites
4. Good plant health

This of course does not remove the need for water changes and waste removal as plants can only do so much and there is more in the water column then what we can test for. The presence of nitrates on your tests indicates that the plants are not removing all of the nitrates from the system. A heavily planted tank will generally read nitrates as zero and phosphates as zero as well. Simply because the plants are using them all.

Needless to say, relying on plants is a viable method of filtrations, but it is also a complex system which should be well understood by the hobbiest to maximize its effectiveness. Using something as a "black box" can lead to problems if conditions become less than ideal.

The melting plant could have contributed to some poor water quality (maybe in areas your tests aren't measuring such as increased dissolved organic compounds or DOCs in the water). I have found that these can annoy my newts and fish if I am not careful. I would keep up the water changes, read up on planted tanks (plantedtank.net is a great site for this) and keep an eye on the newts. If they are only recently out of the water then I would not be too concerned. However, if they stay out for prolonged periods you may want to look at other factors.

 

[Myeager15y]

I have a set of Cynops orientalis not intended for breeding. They are in a heavily aquatic/terrestrial planted, filtered 55 gallon with some other odds and ends that seem to be working. Ive had them long enough to consider them stable. One of them has taking a liking to climbing some of the branches in the tank. Rarely goes in the water and loves eating crickets. The other one on the other hand loves to stay in the water. Rarely breaks the surface and will not eat crickets but instead eats bloodworms, ghost shrimp, and guppy babies. The water has been tested and water and air temps 65-75F and extremly high hummidity. I believe that sometimes certain idividuals just do things out of the norm. I could be wrong but my 2 dont seem to not mind going in and out of the water at random. They both go out at night it seems like very regularly and generally are in the water in the day time.

 

[rasputin]

Thanks for all the replies!

Azhael, it was you that I was refering to when I mentioned the planted tank. All the plants, apart from the one that went bad (now found out that it was not a true aquatic as sold) are growing well/fast and reach the surface. The tank is 15g and will only house 5 over the summer, as the other 2 are off to school in term time. I am getting a bigger tank soon,that will be ready when they start getting bigger. Can't wait!! I have cut down on the water changes as I thought that it would be removing some of the beneficial bacteria from the tank. The tank is in a cool place, 18-19c so I think that should be fine.

They are not all out of the water today, just one on the bark.

I suspect that I have been worrying about nothing, but with a resource such as this forum, it would be unwise not to ask.

They are eating as normal, tried an amphibian blister cube today but they don't seem to like the green stuff. Will go back to garden worms and the occasional bloodworm.

Thanks again for response!