Escape attempts?

[Abed el Rahman]

So my paddletail keeps trying to (rather violently) escape from its aquarium! It has an aquatic setup which for some reason it tries to escape from by swimming to the surface and above it all the time. Thankfully, it can't escape, but can someone tell me what is causing this?

 

[Otterwoman]

Mine would do this too sometimes and the water was fine. It was just something he did.

 

[Chinadog]

I would start by checking the water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. If you don't have any water test kits you can usually get the tests done at an aquarium shop or a good petstore for a small fee. If everything seems ok and the temperature isn't excessively high it may just be as Dawn says, something he does from time to time. Although Paddletails are one of the most common types of newt sold as pets, there are still parts of their life cycle that are a mystery, so providing the correct care can involve some guesswork.

Here's the CC care sheet.

Caudata Culture Species Entry - Pachytriton - Paddletail

 

[Abed el Rahman]

Thanks for the help!