Fire bellied newt setup

[kiathepooch]

Im contemplating getting a couple of fire bellied newts and have a couple of questions.
If where they are now theyre being kept fully aquatic does that mean i should set up a full aquatic tank,or should i err to the side of caution and have a half and half for starters?or maybe 70-30(70 aquatic).
Also they appear to be about 2-3 inches in length (this is a guess,and im not good at guessing lengths but it sounds about right looking at the ruler in front of me)so does this mean theyre adults?
Their tank will be housed either next to or under my axolotl tank(on a unit) where it will get natural daylight-i can always cover part of the tank like i do with my axolotl tank.

I think that's it question wise?

 

[Azhael]

Hi,
Before you get any animals you obviously need to cycle the tank and all, so go with a fully aquatic tank, and for land, use a piece of cork bark. If the animals start refusing the water fter you purchase them, then you might need to move them to a temporary terrestrial set-up, but if the water quality is good and the conditions correct, they´ll most likely remain aquatic.
At that size, they are adults. Imports are almost always adults. They are also highly stressed and much more likely to develop problems after purchase. I´d suggest captive bred as a better alternative, both for you and for the newts. They are not always easy to find, but occasionally they are offered. You may even want to talk to other uk keepers and maybe start out with eggs, even. Of course it´s up to you, but it´s something to consider.

How direct is the light? Exposure to direct sunlight is not recommended. If it´s a bright area with no direct sun, you´d benefit from having lots of plants and a few hides, the newts prefer shady areas.

 

[kiathepooch]

Thanks for your reply!
According to the guy they're bred ones(I'm going to ask someone else if this is true though,if not I might just wait and hope someone sells some on here).
Tank cycling wise shouldn't be too much problem,I can steal some things out my axolotl tank and might set up a sponge filter in the axolotl tank for the bacteria.ive started hoarding plants which the majority of can go in a newt setup the rest will go to replace my trashed axolotl plants.
Sunlight wise I have voils?over the windows and have the curtains only open a touch so some light does come in,with my 4ft ax tank I cover half with a towel just in case.best way to describe the lighting in my house is you know when you turn one of those energy saving lightbulbs on at first and it's dim?its like that all the time in my room!

 

[Azhael]

It wouldn´t be the first time a pet-shop lied about the origin of their newts, so i´d be very skeptical of the claim. If they are adults, have the normal red coloration and aren´t worth less than 10 bucks, i´d say there´s no chance in the seventh hells they are CB.
If you find out they are indeed WC or can´t seem to tell for sure and would prefer to avoid the risk, i could probably send you some eggs, supossing you´d be interested in raising them from larvae. I have some small juveniles but nobody seems to want them at that stage. On very rare occasions people offer CB adults (very, very rare). Morg had some lovely ones some time ago, he might have more available in the future.

I suposse if you haven´t had any issues with the location of your axolotls, there shouldn´t be any trouble with the orientalis. Bare in mind, though, that a winter cooling will be advisable, so make sure the location will allow for it, or plan where to move them during that time.

 

[kiathepooch]

I know the axolotls they sell are CB,newt wise though they have about 50? if not more in one 4ft tank and they definately don't have the parents,they have the normal red and are £10/12 each.
I don't mind larvae or juveniles,over here i've yet to see anything newt/sal adult being sold(not including this site,maybe its just the area im from or something).
I think for winter cooling the kitchen might be better for them,same lighting as the living room just colder.
Im going to have to investigate the fbn further at the store.
Thankyou for your offer of eggs!

 

[Azhael]

Sure, the axolotls are CB, no doubt about that. I don´t buy the claim for the H.orientalis, though, not in the slightest.
The chances that they would be producing large numbers of offspring, raising them to adulthood with an excellent diet and then selling them for 10 quid, are so tiny that they are almost inexistent. Any pet-shop that would be capable or even willing to go through all the trouble that raising this species can be, would most definitely be making a bigger profit of their efforts. To me it is clear that this is yet another case of pet-shops lying, either by ignorance or purposeful deceit....it drives me mad...
Still, ask them and see what you can find out.

If you are ok raising them from larvae or getting juveniles, then you shouldn´t have any trouble finding some. Sooner or later, people in the uk are going to have eggs, and i bet some will be willing to send you some, no problem. In the unlikely event that they proved impossible to find, let me know, i´m always looking forward to getting rid of a few xD Still, it should be very easy to find them with a little patience, and something local is obviously preferable. They breed very easily, so anybody keeping them in good conditions is bound to have them breeding eventually. Even if they don´t raise them, they probably would send you eggs, gladly.

 

[evut]

Have you seen this?
http://www.caudata.org/forum/f49-ad...ops-orientalis-chinese-fire-bellied-newt.html

 

[kiathepooch]

Azhael-after thinking about what you said I decided to pass on the fire bellies from the pet store,your most recent comment compounds it!they have enough problems properly caring for the axolotls(and the shrimp of all things),so I scoured this site looking for possible babies,messaged a few people and located Penthea selling Italian alpines!
So was considering getting those instead,but now Evut has linked me to Penthea's fire belly ad!
Now I don't know which to go for,leaning towards the alpines as their colouring is amazing!

 

[Azhael]

They really are a fantastic species. One of my males has recently started courting again and i´m just amazed at how surreally beautiful he is. And the females are gorgeous too!
However, the link Eva provided is a good opportunity, either to get the CB offspring, or the WC adults. You wouldn´t be participating of the WC market or making someone a profit for those WC animals, so it´s a nice opportunity.

Either species is a great choice. Both are easy to keep, do well (generally) in british weather and are fascinating in their own right. It´s entirely up to you which ones you like best, although i don´t envy your position, i think both are brilliant

One little thing that may make a difference is that I.alpestris will prefer colder temps. They thrive in very cold waters and are generally regarded as less tolerant to high temps than others, although this varies greatly depending on conditions and a healthy adult can potentially be as tolerating as most other species. Still, always safer to keep them nice and cold.