ID help and some questions about warty newt.

[Foggyfogg27]

Well to start ill say hello, this is my first post. I'm more of a fish guy and have been successful in that so trying my hand at newts or newt actually. I have what I'm pretty sure is a paddle tail just not sure what kind. Also he is not eating have tried newt pellets, meal worms, frozen blood worms right in front of him, it's like crack for fish but nothing from him. I even have a black neon in the tank that I pulled from my loach tank to see if he would eat it. Tetra is still going! Not even a bite. So I'm curious in favorite foods and such. His tank is around 70 degrees F I'm trying to figure a way to drop it without buying a chiller which I'm sure I will cave on eventually. Hope the pic uploads and any help would be great, he's a very social little guy and would definatly like him to stick around.

 

[Foggyfogg27]

Guess ill try photo bucket for a pic of my newt to be id'd

 

[jane1187]

Looks like a Paramesotriton chinensis to me.

Regarding feeding... How long have you had him/her? Don't forget to leave up to two weeks for them to settle in. Lots of hiding places and keep that aquarium light off until he/she is settled.

In general I find the species won't take pellets right away unless previously fed them. Pellets are something you have to train them onto. This species likes bloodworm, earthworms, and I presume they will take black worm too (black worm not really available in the UK so never tried it personally). If you find him/her reluctant to feed even after settling in try these foods live. You can then switch relatively easily to frozen versions if you wish. I can't say for sure but I doubt he'll take live fish (though again I may be wrong).

Be careful of that gravelly substrate. Research on this forum and you'll see that generally people don't use it in case of swallowing. I'm not going to tell you to remove it but just be aware and do some research and make a decision.