Question: New to newts!!!

[si]

Hi, im new to newt keeping. It's also my 1st post on caudata! I have one or two questions if anyone could help.

Im looking at getting some newts (hopefully a colourfull species like eastern, but if not probably firebellies) and have a tank (2 feet X 1 foot X 1 foot) and was wondering if four newts would be a good number? Ive currently got aquarium pebbles whichcould possibly be swallowed, should i use sand instead?

Ive been reading up on keeping newts and can't find any ways of keeping the tank cool (other than attaching a frozen bottle inside the tank.) Does anyone know any other method or equipent i could use?

Finaly, im wanting to keep eastern newts, but i can't seem to find any breeders or exotic pet stores (pet stores being a last resort) that sell them! Im from Halifax in West Yorkshire (England) but would be prepared to travel!!

Any help would be much appreciated!! Thankyou.

 

[ItzChow]

England huh? Im pretty sure in the damp forest or some pond area would have. But i wouldnt recommend you to catch one thats WC( wild caught) Try looking at the sale section or post a thread on the wanted section. Im sure theres alot of people in england that have these pets. Or ask someone to ship you some CB( captive breed) =) Good luck!

 

[Azhael]

First off let me congratulate you for researching and setting things up before acquiring the animals, that´s the way to go.
I recomend sand over gravel, not just because of the risk of impaction, but also because gravel traps dirt in huge quantities.

In this forum and Caudata Culture, you will find most if not all the information you will need to take good care of your future newts, including tank maintenance.

About the newts...if you are patient you will be able to find both Notophthalmus and Cynops from UK breeders. Keep in mind that in the vast majority of cases, CB animals are sold as juveniles, which means they will be terrestrial for a length of time before becoming mature and going aquatic.
Notophthalmus viridescens is considered a bit on the harder side(WC animals do badly, and CB juveniles are a bit tricky). Cynops orientalis is also rather complicated when you deal with juveniles, although adults are incredibly easy. I strongly recomend you to acquire your newts from a breeder, as WC pet-shop animals are usually ill and weak, and always incredibly stressed(not the best choice for a beginner as you can imagine).


About cooling, there is a an article at Caudata Culture dedicated to that matter(you can find a link to CC in my signature).

Your tank is aprox a 60l, which means you could keep 4 newts(of a small species such as both you mentioned) in there.

Welcome to the forum, i hope that we can help you get a good start!

PS: Although some species are legal to catch in England, others are not, and given the global situation of caudates nowadays, i´d like to suggest that wild animals are best in the wild...

 

[Nathan050793]

England huh? Im pretty sure in the damp forest or some pond area would have.

Additionally, if this is referring to catching Eastern newts (N.viridescens) in England, then that's entirely off as they are found wild only in eastern North America.

 

[si]

Brilliant! thanks for the advice. Ill get hold of some aquarium sand then!

I was going to ask about mixing with other types of fish or invertabrates, but after reading the voting discussions it seems more trouble than its worth!

Ive had a look at the for sale side but can't find anyone breeding eastern newts near or in Yorkshire but im sure ill find some in the near future.

Am i right in thinking the water in my tank should be treated with a chroine neautraliser and left for three days before introducing newts?? Also is there anything else you recomend i should do before introducing them?? Thanks again!!

 

[Azhael]

The tank needs to be cycled before the newts go in. Again, you can find information on the process of cycling in this forum and the CC articles.

The other thing you need to do before you buy the newts is READ. Read as much information as you can because the well being of the newts will depend entirely on you, and the knowledge you accumulate. A lot of people buy and then make research, which is far from ideal because if something happens, they simply don´t have a clue what to do. But if you learn all you need before you get them, then i´m sure you will do great.

Be patient, it may take some time before you find CB animals of the species of your choice, specially because it´s a bad time of the year. Since you need to cycle the tank, and have lots to learn, you have a lot of time hehe.

 

[Jennewt]

First off, welcome.:happy:

I think you should reconsider your desire to keep eastern newts. Part of the reason that there are no breeders is that they are really difficult to raise to adulthood. Wanting them may tempt you to buy WC imported adults. But this species often arrives in poor condition and doesn't live long. While they are a lovely newt, they aren't a practical choice.

However, there are other species being bred in England, and if you stick around you are likely to meet some possible sources on this forum.

 

[si]

Yeah, ive been researching them for a few weeks now, i think ill go for chfb's after getting advice from both of you. :blob:

P.s The cycling article, and setting up aquarium corner have been a big help.

Im in the process of setting the tank up at the minute, the filter i have is one that needs to be fully submerged, earlier forum posts advise it may be too strong, i do have a large rock formation that would help to disperse it but i think ill post a photo to see if anyone could identify my filter, and if i should get a weaker one or not so the current isn't too strong.

Once again thanks a lot for all your advice.

 

[si]

Right, hopefully there are two photos, one of my tank, another of my filter, it would be great if anyone can help with the filter as i think it may be too strong, also it has to be fully submerged, should the tube coming out of the top be outside of the water? Thankyou!

Simon

 

[xMIDNIGHTx]

To be honest Simon I don't know anything about that filter you have but its size alone has me a worried. If I were you, I would invest in some live plants. Java moss and pothos are easy to get and hardy as they come. I would also add more water and ditch the filter all together. Even if you add some sand, changing the water and removing the large waste with a turkey baster will be more than enough if you have live plants.

Seeing that you are only (I assume) looking at a couple of smaller newts (Cynops), once the tank is established the waste will be minimal. This will also save you from the heat that filter will emit into the water when running.

I applaud you for doing all this before getting the newts and going with CB. Welcome to the forum!

Mitch

 

[Azhael]

Cynops orientalis is not your best choice either... As i said, the juveniles are quite difficult, because they are tiny. It takes them 1-3 years to reach maturity and go aquatic. Until then they won´t touch water with a stick....

The are several species that are a lot easier than N.viridescens and C.orientalis, and that you will have no problem finding in the UK. The genus Triturus (T.carnifex, T.dobrogicus, T.karelinii, T.marmoratus) has some very easy species, very easy to find CB, and quite cheap. Other species like Tylototriton verrucosus are also considered somewhat easy.

I would consider some of those as it will make your life so much easier....

About the filter, i agree, you would probably be better off by substituing it with live plants and a good cleaning schedule.
Also, raise the water almost to the top, change the lid for a screen, scape-proof one, etc etc....

 

[si]

Ive come across the turkey baster idea on the site, but the tank will be jointly owned by me and my girlfriend, and she hates the idea of removing waste with a baster when im not around (as you can imagine.) Also, we will be putting sand in the bottom and possibly constructing some sort of beach with layered smooth stones (removing the current rock formation). Surely manual cleaning would be much more difficult with this setup. Again it's a fairly small tank so would the turkey baster method and changing 10-15% of water weekly be enough to avoid waste buildup and murkey tank problems?? (We will be getting 4 newts if all goes well)

Thankyou for your support, Simon

 

[Azhael]

Don´t expect a filter to "clean" your tank.....it will trap SOME of the debris. Filter or no filter, you still need to do manual cleaning every now and then. Depending on the species you end up buying, a filter may be best avoided(still water species prefer no movement). The turkey baster method is the easiest...although i personally siphon out the debris.
Water changes should be more or less 20% of the volume.

4 newts should be fine dependoing on the species. Larger specie smay be a bit crowded in there...in that case 2-3 would be better. Before you go any further with the construction of the tank, i would first choose a species. That way you can prepare everything based on the particular needs of the species.

 

[si]

Oh yea, i know a filter won't do all the work on it's own! I have noticed a few people complaining about murky tanks on here and wanted to avoid the problem building up and affecting the tanks chemistry.

Looks like ill be doing all the dirty work then!!