It aint easy finding Newts...

[ravenous]

Well for those who saw my first thread I have since got my entire tank up and running. All it needs are some fish, snail, shrimp, live plants and of course NEWTS! Everything else is already cycling and it actually looks nice.

I remember when I first got Newts 10 yrs ago these things were easy to find. Every pet shop had them. Now, I cant find <font color="ff0000">&#149;</font><font color="ff0000">&#149;</font><font color="ff0000">&#149;</font><font color="ff0000">&#149;</font>. The Petco I went to sold out or they died and they dont know when theyll get some in, every pet shop I went too seems to give me the run around as far as them getting some or even special ordering them. And the forum here doesnt seem to have an abundance that I thought it would with people selling them or willing to help a guy out(dont get me started on prices lol).

Anyway this is almost a rant already. Im almost regretting starting up an aquarium again with actual dedication since I cant find what Im even after. Sigh...

 

[mike]

Well if you are patient you will no doubt find some healthy captive bred newts from this site.

Whether the breeder would supply you is a different matter, what with the hotchpotch of inhabitants that you intend to keep together.

Newts generally do not do well when forced to share a tank with other occupants.

 

[ravenous]

So youre saying some would be biased since I want to have those other animals in the tank? Bummer. From what I read on the site is was all good to have guppies and ghost shrimp in there. Its not like Im throwing in a turtle or frogs.

 

[abrahm]

Ghost shrimp and guppies, from what I have heard, are not horrible tank mates but they will make it even more important for you to be up to date with tank maintenance.

I think a breeder would supply you but you have to be patient. These people are hobbyists and are not trying to make money. They breed them to continue the species and to help out other hobbyists and they don't have a constant supply.

I think you will find that local pet shops won't be selling many newts as they are not common with Petco's distributors (at least their midwest one) and that they have a very high mortality rate. That doesn't make for a good profit.

Just be patient and keep your eyes open. If you want the guppies, putting them in now will help your tank cycle which will make your newt's transition to its new home much easier.

(Message edited by magustrate on October 10, 2006)

 

[joseph]

Guppies/ghost shrimp are fine but IME even relatively harmless fish will begin picking at a wound on a newt making it worse. Something to keep in mind. If it were me I would use them to cycle the tank(if possible, get them from a fishkeeper in your area as the ones at pet stores are often delicate due to treatment beforehand...esp. the feeder guppies) then remove them and add the newts. If you'd like later and your newts have settled in you can then add them back in. While this does increase the chances of some getting eaten guppies breed like...well...guppies anyway.

If you are not able to pay the prices many people ask(and I can totally understand that myself), you may want to consider raising newts from eggs. With some species you will have your newts in a few months this way with relatively little trouble. While others are more tricky and their are no guarantees of success, eggs are a smaller investment than juveniles or adults. Plus, larvae are fun for their own sake. All this being said, compared to similar hobbies, prices charged for CB newts are quite economical.

(Message edited by fishkeeper on October 10, 2006)

(Message edited by fishkeeper on October 10, 2006)

 

[ravenous]

I can do that with fish. A faster cycle is always good. And if they get eaten thats cool too cause thats kinda what theyre for; I just want the newt to be healthy and eating well.

Ive been reading the raising newts from eggs faqs as well as breeding faqs and it seems very doable. I was thinking this would be a last resort but petshops here are turning up empty with shops telling me theyre dying on them (Petco) or getting eaten up (local shop had them with frogs and turtles). Frankly Im tired of dealing with the shops already.

Looks like I'll have to make a post on the wanted board... again. I guess posting a pic of the tank I already have going for them might help since according to a post; most would be unwilling to help me out. But I already contacted 2 people so I'll see if they can throw me a bone. Man, when is this suppose to be 'fun' or at the very least, cool?

 

[ali]

Dan, please don't take this as being rude, but if you're already frustrated with keeping newts, obtaining them is only the beginning.

Guppies are probably okay to keep with newts if you have a pretty good sized tank, but please keep in mind that they are a poor food source.

There have been several types of newts in the for sale section. I wish I had room for more, there are some excellent choices available.

 

[patrick]

well i keep my two newts with 2 rainbow sharks 2 ghost shrimp 3 snails 7 neon tetras 2 african dwarf frogs 3 green cory fish n 1 other cory (not sure exact name) and 2 other bigger colorful fish the name starts with a c they look alot like the fish in this pic click the link

http://www.pet-warehouse.co.uk/tmp/fish_tank.jpeg


and i dunno but iv never had a problem and i know there is risk with new mixing but if u do it right with lots of room they should all be fine and if u notice one thing being to aggressive or picking on other species then take it out but so far they all get along great the frogs like hanging out with the newts and the rest of the fish just mind their own buisness or the albino rainbow shark will stop them if they get agressive cuz he is dominate when ever he/she wants to be so i wouldn't say don't mix but 1 thing at a time and make sure they all can get along

 

[jennifer]

Patrick, they may all appear to get along for some period of time, but you never know when it will go wrong. I know of cases of both an axolotl and a firebelly newt that died when they tried to ingest a cory cat. They had gotten along fine up until that point. In my opinion, this community won't last long, at least not for the newts.

How big is the tank? And how long have the newts lived at this constantly warm temperature? (I know it must be in the 70s, or those fish wouldn't be alive.)

 

[patrick]

its a 46 gallon the temp is 21 celcius so ahh about 70 and a year in november at that temp and about a 2 months in the new tank but the only thing thats different from the old tank is siz is a bigger and 3 neon tetras added and 1 rainbow to go with the other n one snail the rest are about 6 months id say the 1 snail n the two newts will be a year in november tho

o and the two big colorful fish are fairly new iv been watching them like i said u need to watch and make sure they arn't to agressive and if so remove, they are my current project to see how they will do

i did have to remove the tiger barbs i once had they were picking on the rainbow shark n neon tetras

 

[joseph]

The fish that start with a C are likely some kind of cichlid(your photo shows some that appear to be some kind of Malawian Mbuna...perhaps Psuedotropheus, though I am not a cichlid person). Chances are they are just scoping things out now and will cause problems later, especially if the breed. I kept a pair of kribensis in a 46 gallon(which are not all that aggressive compared to many rift lake species) and when they bred things went downhill pretty fast as they took over half the tank. I lost a female golden wonder who had her eye removed despite that she was quite fast and spent most of her time at the surface. A newt would have been finished off pretty quickly if it somehow pissed the kribensis off. Not quite a perfect analogy but I would never try keeping any cichlids with newts. Also, most cichlids prefer warm temperatures compared to what newts like.

 

[ali]

That's absolutely unbelievable. Patrick, you don't think anyone is stressed? Unfortunately, they can't tell you if they're happy or not.

 

[patrick]

u all are making it way to out of hand lol the fish are fine, yea they are chichilds or whatever, thanx for the proper name it was bugging me trying to remember. but yea there new thanx for the info ill keep that in mind and the rest of my fish/ anphibians are good trust me well u don't have to but they have been together a while a bunch of them and all get along fairly nice, the temp ... well it may not be the best for everyone sure it could be higher for some of the fish n a bit lower for the anphibians but they are all very active and don't seem to mind all that much but hey u can think all the bad things u want ..

and thanx for the info joseph its very good to know

 

[patrick]

sorry for double posting but i wanted to also point out to jennifers comment that the cory's i have are way to big for the newt to eat so i can't see them attemting it they seem to like the ghost shrimp and ocassionally a neon tetra but yea thats what they seem to eat live but other then that bloodworms and newt pellets is what i feed them they seem to like fish food also


and dan i still would like to point out if u really want to try mixing don't be to discouraged just remember the newt comes 1st lol


(Message edited by atgpat on October 13, 2006)

 

[ravenous]

Nahh Ali I wouldnt take anything as rude. I get fruurated getting them becuase Im impatient. I want the world and I want it now kinda thing.

My tank is 10 gal, and fish would not be their food source. Im just saying if they get eaten by the newts oh well. THe fish I was looking at were those real small assorted guppy tetra things you see at petsmart. Theyre about as big as half your thumb and real colorful. Good community fish.

I got you beat Joseph. My cichlids are crazy. I had a few of these and ONE killed all the others slowly (I would see them one day missing eyes, fins, even a hole in thier side. It took over the tank, had babies (I dont know how) and got huge, about fist size. He was mean too, get too close to the glass and hed charge you! Smash his head on the glass. sHe was sick.

Hey Patrick, you have a pic of the tank? Im real curious on how it looks. I was going to post one of mine but its too big and I forgot how to resize

A good note, looks like some eggs me coming my way soon! And from one of my favorite species! Sweet! Cross fingers it works out well!

 

[ali]

Good luck Dan. Some things can be mixed, I think some guppies would be fine and I re-stock my ghost shrimp once I notice that most of them have been fed.

Unfortunately, though, many people seem to mix species and not realize that their animals are stressed. It's sad, really. I'd be curious to know if "a while" pans out to be 20 or so years for the newts, Patrick. Keep us posted.

 

[rachel]

Just a word on Cichlids. they can be VERY aggressive, and it only takes one attack to cause injuries.

In terms of Dan's setup, just make sure that there are a lot of good hiding spaces and variable levels in such a small tank, this will reduce stress.

Good Luck.

 

[patrick]

yea i removed the chichilds or whatever one was not hurting anmy of the others but being territorial by swiming close and scaring the other fish that came near the cave so i got rid of them due to that n the recent post n research on them they seem alot like the tiger barbs in aggression wise to me , umm ill try n get a pic of my tank for u soon.. its pretty nice but i only have a web cam ill try n borrow my friends digi cam for it
it sounds like i have alot cramed in but for the size it looks like there is nothing in their really just some ordaments and the newts and the odd fish but yea its pretty big for what i have in it right now ... i think anyway

 

[ravenous]

Thanks for the good luck wishes. Unfortunaltey the eggs will have to wait a bit for good ones.

My tank has some real good hiding places. I want to make it as sort of sunken jungle kinda thing. As soon as I read how to resize a pic for the forum, I'll post them here.

 

[jeff]

Dan- your tank is only 10 gallons?? And you want to mix species in that? Did anyone else see that? you would hard enough time mixing worms and newts in something that small. Really, what is going on, you want to get in this whole newt thing right or half-<font color="ff0000">&#149;</font><font color="ff0000">&#149;</font><font color="ff0000">&#149;</font> it and end up with dead newts and fish and post a bunch of help help messages?