Do i need to put all firebellys in a tank at the same time?

[david w]

Hi, i have one firebelly newt in a 10 gallon, and i have set up a new 20 gallon long for it, but i was thinking of putting 2 or 3 more in there too.

ive had 2 other newts stop eating when i tried to put them in with my current one, and im not really sure why. the current one had been in the tank for a few months by the time i tried to put a new one in.

 

[Chinadog]

If these are petstore firebellies its vital that you have a strict quarantine period before introducing them to a long term captive. Wild caught Asian newts are notorious for carrying parasites and diseases even if they look ok at first. One of the first signs of illness is often loss of appetite, so I would guess they either picked up something from the existing newt, or they were already sick when you got them.
If you don't already have the other newts I would urge you to look for some healthy captive bred ones rather than get them from a petstore. By the time imported amphibians reach the petstores they are highly stressed and usually sick. They are often too far gone to save, even with expert care.

 

[david w]

i got all the newts ive ever had from a pet store.

im not sure if the aquatics unlimited i go to gets their newts from home breeders or somewhere else though.

how many would you say is the maximum number a 20 can fit? ( under happy newt conditions of course)

i have 2 guppies in there right now, originally for the water, but also because i want the newts to have live food available too... do you think i should take them out after i put the newt(s) in?

and, do you know if it matters if i put the one i have in there now, and get another 1-3 a few weeks later?

 

[Chinadog]

Have a read through the care sheet for Chinese firebellies in the link, also try to use the search function in the green bar at the top of the page, nobody minds answering questions, but there are loads, if not hundreds of threads about the basic care of firebellies, so more often than not the info is already there.

Its a near certainty that Aquatics unlimited get their newts from the tropical fish wholesalers, just like the rest of the industry does. Its impossible to sell captive reared newts for ten or twenty bucks without making a huge loss.

A 20 gallon tank, if its filled to the top with water, will easily house six adult newts.

Generally speaking fish shouldn't be kept with newts, so personally I would remove them. Also, Guppies are tropical fish whereas Chinese firebellies are very intolerant of warm water.

It's your call, but as I said in my other post, there should be a strict quarantine period, I would recommend six weeks, so you can keep an eye on the new newts to make sure they aren't sick before letting them mix with the one you already have.

Caudata Culture Species Entry - Cynops orientalis - Chinese firebelly

 

[david w]

thats interesting. mine is currently in a mid 70 degree F water and he doeesnt really seem unhappy, i rarely see it out of the water.

when i do move it over, should i take the heater out of the 20 gal first, or after? since both tanks are currently the same temp. i was thinking after just so it would be similar for when i put him in.

edit: also, ive got a lot of fake plants int here, but id rather have real ones, the problem is, the last time i tried to get live plants they came with snails, an it became a huge outbreak... how do i "cleanse" the plants without killing them ?

 

[Chinadog]

I would move the newt over while they are the same temperature, then remove the heater and let it cool down naturally. Temps in the mid 70's are too warm for Chinese firebellies apart from the odd day or two in summer and won't have helped the two that died at all.