How many?

[chris]

I have a 3ftx1ftx1.5ft tank which is between 2/3&1/2 water:1/3&1/2 land. I am going to get some t. alpestris and was wondering how many to get (I was thinking 2-3 pairs). I am getting them next Friday, so plenty of time to decide.
Chris

 

[caleb]

2-3 pairs sound OK to me- I currently have a group of 8 in a fully aquatic 45x30x30cm setup.

 

[chris]

Caleb, thanks.
How about in a 2ft tank with space under the land area - it's a slab of slate resting on 3 bricks on their end.
Thanks, Chris

 

[caleb]

Again, you'd have no problem with 2-3 pairs, or a few more, while they were aquatic.

A slab of slate doesn't sound like it'd be much good for terrestrial newts, though. You can keep adult alpines aquatic all year round (and they will still breed if you do). If you do this, you might be better off not bothering with the slate.

 

[chris]

The slate is just as a precaution - if the newts suddenly all went onto the slate, I would convert the tank to a terrestrial setup. Do you have to keep temps below a certain level to keep the newts aquatic, or do anything else special?
Thanks, Chris

 

[caleb]

I don't keep the temperatures particularly low, but they're in a fairly cool room, so I doubt it goes over low 20s C.

My alpines don't have any access to land at all, I used to use a floating polystyrene island, but they never used it anyway.

 

[chris]

Yep, I took out the land area. There's much more room now in the aquarium. The females are all laying eggs after being corted by the males. They were pond reared, so I am finding it hard to get them to eat bloodworms. It may be because the males are too busy courting. I have seen the females eat. Is there a good type of filter to use, or should I not filter it and do weekly water changes. Currently I have no filter.
Thanks,
Chris