Need help for German Notos

[Olli]

Hello,
in Germany Notaphthalmus viridescens isn´t easy to hold and get to reproduction.
They were often imported in the 80´s and 90´s, but we don´t have success in reproduction.
Now i´m searching for the reasons.
It begins with the bad constitution they arrive. Most of them die very fast. Some don´t want the food, some adults don´t want to stay in the water, they get smaller and die.
There are nearly no German- reproduced individuals.
What can be the reasons?
Can it be parasites?
Do they come from special Farms with special food and they can´t use normal food?
Or can it be the chemical Type of Water?

What types of parasites are often known?
Are there special Farms?
What´s the chemical type of water in there home habitats?
Do you have other ideas?

Thanks Olli

 

[slowfoot]

Hi Olli,

I don't think it's just a European problem - people here in the US have trouble breeding and raising this species too. I assume that most of them are at the eft stage when they're imported, right? It's probably the hardest time for this species (besides during metamorphosis), so I'm not surprised they do badly. However, I've found that aquatic adults are pretty easy to keep once they go in the water, so it's strange that they don't eat well for you.

I don't know about any specific diseases that we have here. There were a couple of posts recently from European keepers who both reported weird lumps on their Notophthalmus that seem to spread to other individuals. I've never seen something like that in Notos here.

The questions you ask are good ones, but I don't know if anyone has the answers: most people keeping Notos here have caught them in the wild so they don't come from farms. The species has a big range, so they probably live in all types of water, but Ph of the water might be important. And almost no one breeds them, so it's hard to know how to keep this species long-term.

Sorry I can't be much help, but maybe others here can help you out with their experiences too.

 

[Azhael]

The problem is definitely importation. All N.viridescens found in pet-shops across europe are WC. These are imported in big numbers, with no care....which means they arrive to the shops extremely stressed(and therefore with a vulnerable inmune system), and carrying a variety of illnesses that they picked up from one another during the journey.

Unlike other species, that sometimes recover to become easy, rewarding pets, Notophthalmus seems to get worse and worse over the time...
I´ve heard of so many cases of pet-shop red efts invariably dying after a period of time...

There are people breeding them though (i can tell). The problem with morphs is that they are very tiny and difficult to raise, but it seems that CB animals addapt pretty well to captivity. I have a group of grown on juveniles that eat well, and two very small morphs that are a little pain...but still eat well and are growing(in fact the two little ones are german).

I think the key here is...WC no...CB yes...

Seems like an underground campaign for my evil plans of CB domination...but i really think in the case of this species it´s been proved that WC just doesn´t work....at least a surprisingly high percentage of times....

 

[Olli]

Thanks for your answers.
I only read about the difficulties, i´ve got my 5 Notos jesterday, they seem to be healthy.
I just don´t want to make mistakes.
How much individuals do you have in which constelation(male/female) in which type of tank?
My Tank is 80x35x40 cm and there ar 2.3 adult notos in it.
Do you have a special way to make them breeding, like cold or warm rain ect?
Greetings Olli

 

[Jennewt]

I agree with Erin and Rodrigo: they are difficult to breed/raise everywhere in the world.

The male/female ratio is not important. They breed in spring, probably triggered by temperature changes. But at this moment it's more important that you consider all factors important to their health, it's too soon to think about breeding. Good luck with your Notos!

 

[Ralf]

AW: Need help for German Notos

Hi Olli,
I am aware of the fact that wildcaught adult Notophthalmus are available over here again at rather low prices. However, these animals generally are in a very bad shape when they reach European wholesalers and petstores. Even if they look healthy at first sight, groups of these animals often tend to "crash" after a while. I keep my fingers crossed that this will not happen to your group and that you will be successful in breeding them.

I keep a group of Notophthalmus viridescens dorsalis which I have raised from eggs I received from a fellow hobbyist from the U.S. and the animals have bred for me in consecutive years. Although these animals are quite common within their distribution ranges a lot of their needs are still unknown and I agree with Erin, Azhael and Jen that they are definitely not an easy or beginner species.

Here are some basic guidelines that have worked for my animals so far:

1. Keep the water clean. Remove any leftover food as soon as possible and conduct frequent partial water changes (aged tap water in Germany should be okay).

2. Provide a varying diet for the animals. They seem to loose their interest in some food organisms if fed too often (e.g. white worms or frozen bloodworms). Mine will go crazy over live black mosquito larvae and pupae (the stinging kind) and Daphnia.

3. I keep my group rather cool with water temperature going down to roundabout 8° C in winter and generally not exceeding 20° C in summer.

4. Give the females a chance to hide from the males or keep them separate outside of breeding season. In my tanks the females keep to themselves in dense aquatic vegetation as the males will notoriously force them into amplexus which can seriously stress them. Especially when there are no retreating areas and many more males than females in the tank.

One final remark without wanting to offend or patronize. The issue of obtaining wildcaught vs. captive bred animals has been discussed a lot of times on this forum. Even if it takes some waiting time to get hold of captive bred animals of a specific species it is still worth it. The animals will be much healthier, better adapted to a captive environment and you will have a breeder with whom you can discuss husbandry issues. Furthermore, you will no longer support the mass collection respectively elimination of thousands of animals.

 

[Djin13]

Hi,

Since this is a thread about notos in germany I figured it will be a good start to post my question here: how and from where can I buy notophthalamus viridescens in Germany? I am living currently in Dresden. I have 1 male Noto who is happy but.... quite "prolific". He has layed spermatophores on all leaves. And I figured it won't be bad to get him some company (not just for mating). So if you can help me out it would be fantastic!

THX!