My 2011 I. a. apuanus crop :)

[Molch]

Ahh, mama is a bit proud: I want to share these pics of my 2011 apuanus crop.

It's the first batch of newts I raised in about 10 yrs and since I re-ignited the hobby, which has lain a bit dormant while I was busy with other adventures

They hatched in Feb and morphed in June; all are morphed now and about 6 cm long. There's about 25 of them in two tanks.

Their maternal grandmom is Jennewt, from whom I got the parents last year

enjoy the pics

one of the fattest:

mass jail break! Actually, they apparently like that spot because there's some very minimal warmth from the fluorescent strip above. Bad newts!

a few are a bit more light-colored bronze like this one, instead of blue-gray like the rest

headin' straight up. They climb mostly in the evening; in the morning they are in the water hunting for food

hangin' out

floater

da gang in tank 1

a light colored one next to a darker (and very small) one (every litter has a runt...)

more pics in my album

 

[Bellabelloo]

Those are lovely pictures.

 

[Green frog]

very nice photos and some fine looking newts.

 

[Mark]

Just out of curiosity, what does a newt breeder in the middle of nowhere do when they want to offload the fruits of their labour? I'm guessing all post goes via the airport and shipping live animals adds some challenges. Or is there a massive newt scene in Nome? I imagine it's strange being a US state but only geographically connected to Canada. Trade laws must be interesting for ground shipments.

Nice photos and newts. In my experience the large lighter coloured individuals often turn out to be females and small dark ones become males. This is by no means an accurate sexing method but I've used it as an indication when selling groups. Mix up the colours and sizes and the buyer is more likely to get a pair.

 

[Azhael]

This species is just too beautiful....
You have done a great job, they look fantastic, fat, large and happy
The second picture brings images to my mind of people shouting and pushing at the shop´s door when the new console comes out.

 

[Molch]

Thanks everybody

Just out of curiosity, what does a newt breeder in the middle of nowhere do when they want to offload the fruits of their labour? I'm guessing all post goes via the airport and shipping live animals adds some challenges. Or is there a massive newt scene in Nome? I imagine it's strange being a US state but only geographically connected to Canada. Trade laws must be interesting for ground shipments.

huaaa huaa, there's no newt scene in Nome Most people here wouldn't know a newt from a moose nugget if one crawled up their pants and bit them on the privates

However, some of my friends are teachers and I might set them up with a classroom tank for their kids, so I will give away a few newts locally. I can go to class and talk to the kids and help them set up and also supply them with food for the newts, and when the school shuts down in summer the newts can go back to me

I'll give about 5 to the schools, will keep about 3-4 myself, and make the rest available on this site in a couple months or so, when they've grown a bit more and temps down south have cooled off.

As for shipping, that's not that complicated. USPS express gets to everywhere in the US in one or two days, barring snowstorms which close the airport, which happens about once a year. It's fast and reliable, just expensive..

Everything ships by air; there's no ground shipping out of Alaska, and certainly not out of Nome, since we're not connected to anywhere by road...

 

[FRANCOIS]

Great newts, great pics, well done!!! What is the name of those small flaoting plants? Remind to me please, forgot!

 

[Azhael]

You mean the duckweed?

 

[FRANCOIS]

You mean the duckweed?

Yeah, but there is different kinds I think (???)

 

[Azhael]

Oh yes, there are quite a few different species. The most common are those in the genus Lemna, which i imagine is what the ones in Molch´s tank are.
I have a complicated relationship with duckweed....i find them botanically fascinating and quite beautiful, but when they get out of control (which is frequently) i fricking hate the day i allowed 3 of those evil things enter my aquariums....they are everywhere....and if you leave even one, they´ll come back....

 

[SludgeMunkey]

<Drooling> Magnificent. Nothing makes me happier than seeing new CB newts.

I too have a love hate relationship with duckweed. I keep goldfish too, so when the duckweed gets out of control, I net the extra up and feed it to the fish.

 

[Azhael]

I tried composting it...not good...it takes aaaaaages to decompose. I think it hates me....

 

[caleb]

if you leave even one, they´ll come back....

...and if they get trapped underwater they can survive for months and then float to the surface to recolonise as if by magic. If you think it's hard removing it from aquaria, try a garden pond...

Ivy-leaved duckweed (Lemna trisulca) is actually rather nice, and isn't invasive.

 

[grius]

They look gorgeous! Awesome colours.

 

[Jennewt]

Those are impressively-robust for this year's babies, nice work!

Looks like the large duckweed. Slightly less irritating that the tiny duckweed, but I still dread cleaning the tanks that have duckweed in them - it gets on everything.

 

[Molch]

thanks all

I think I have Lemna minor I guess? It came with some plants I ordered long ago and since has taken hold in all my tanks.

I love the stuff: great water purifier; the newts like it as cover at the surface, and I can at the very least console myself there's at least ONE plant I can grow successfully.

When it covers too much of the tanks, I just weed it outwith a fishnet, which takes all of 30 seconds. No problem...