Question: Fire-Bellied Newts Eggs???

[Fretterz]

Hi Guys,

Im new to this forum ans have so far found it very interesting,

I am a new owner of two fabulous chinese Fire-Bellied Newts. I have had them for 2 weeks. A few days ago i noticed that one of them was on the botom of the tank with its tail in the air, basically i thought that it was about to go 'to the toilet', but nothing came out. A few hours later after looking into the tank i noticed two little clear bubble like things stuck to a leaf on one of the plants, they are symetrical to eachother and are filled with little whitey cream dots.

I am a bit mythed as to what these could be. i have taken pictures of them.

Would anyone be able to shed any light? Newts seem fine, eating and swimming around as per usual.

Thanks

Sami

 

[Kaysie]

Those look like snail eggs.

 

[Azhael]

Yeah, those are snail eggs, probably Physa/Physella or a similar species.
It´s very possible for a newly acquired H.orientalis female to start laying eggs soon after being purchased. They are often caught already gravid, during the importation the laying behaviour is inhibited because of the stress and when they arrive to their new home and stress levels go down, their bodies pick up with the production and deposition of eggs. However, given the stress they´ve been through, they tend to produce smaller clutches and the breeding behaviour lasts for a shorter time. It´s when they are settled in and properly cared for that they trully thrive and they can breed like rabbits!!
The tail lifting behaviour you describe could be associated with laying. However, you should witness the animal tightly graving a leaf with its hind legs at the time. They can end up in pretty weird possitions when they are laying, upside-down, bent in a weird way, with the tails held out of the way, etc. It can be quite humorous

Keep observing the female´s behaviour for signs of laying as it is possible that she is gravid, but don´t be discouraged if she isn´t. It´s enough that she has survived the ordeal, and if you take good care of them they will eventually breed every year. Make sure to read this article:
Caudata Culture Species Entry - Cynops orientalis - Chinese firebelly
When you have the time, there are lots of other very interesting and informative articles that you can read there that will help you learn what you need to know to provide excelent care for your new newts. I´d really advice you to make an effort now, in these first stages of your new experience, because those newts will require good conditions to be able to fully recover. They´ll need an stress free environment and it´s your job to learn how to provide it for them. For any doubts or questions that you have that the articles don´t cover, we are here to help! Welcome to the hobby

 

[rebel]

Can i ask, does anyone have a picture of fire bellied newt eggs, i heard that they normal lay them on leaves, this this always the case?

 

[Azhael]

There are pictures of eggs in the article i linked above.
The norm is for them to lay eggs on folded leaves, but it can happen differently. We had a case in this forum, rather recently of a guy who had no plants in the tank and the female laid eggs on the surface of some plastic thing. Also, they can lay eggs on java moss which technically doesn´t have leaves xD they can lay on plastic strips too, although in that case, the folding behaviour is still present.
Most females are quite picky as to what they will use for laying, having preferences for certain plants with just the perfect kind of leaves that are bendable but broad enough to offer protection.

 

[Fretterz]

Thanks for the info guys. they are indeed snail eggs
I got a bit excited for a minute thinking i was going to be a grandma ha!

took them out the tank anyways? unless anyone has any reason for me to leave them in there??

 

[Azhael]

You can leave them in the tank. Personally i think having snails in your tank is benefitial. They pose no danger to your animals, but they do perfrom certain services for the well-being of the tank itself. Snails will eat certain types of algae, they will eat uneaten foods the newts can´t access or are not interested in, preventing that organic matter from simply decaying and affecting water quality. Also, some may occasionally be eaten by the newts, which is a nice bonus.

Be prepared for the possibility of an explossion of snails if you decide to leave them be. It´s normal for the population to become very large and then naturally crash into much more moderate and stable numbers. Some people freak out when they see over a hundred snails in their tanks, but there´s nothing to fear, if you leave them be, it will all work out naturally.