Question: Newt ID. Care and setup

[Spudsy]

I got this newt thinking it is a fire belly newt..? this is my first newt.

Is the setup ok? Its been running for a few months now.. it was previously a ADF tank.
Its a 10gal tank. (40L)
The temp is 20 (68)
I made an island out of bogwood
Im going to feed him every 3-4 days... Chopped prawn, blood worms, pellets ect..
I do 40% weekly water change.

Also if its a fire belly can i add another one?

Thanks.

 

[Mark]

Hi Spudsy,

It’s a paddled tailed newt, Pachytriton labiatus.

The tank looks OK although check for places the newt can get stuck. They tend to search out nooks and crannies which can lead to problems when wedged amongst equipment/furnishings. The boxing around the filter looks a little overkill. They're highly aquatic newts and are unlikely to use the projecting wood. They're also very territorial so you need to be careful about adding another. Your temperature is OK. Newts like it cool so temps above 20 C could be a problem.

If you replace the chopped prawn with earthworm you will be providing a decent diet.

For excellent care information see here: Caudata Culture Species Entry - Pachytriton - Paddletail

- Mark

 

[Spudsy]

Thanks mark,
I removed lots of the bog wood from the top and just turned down the heater to 18 c..
I think ill stick to one as they would probably be pretty territorial in a small tank... He is eating frozen foods but ill try give him some worms every now and then as a treat.

 

[Azhael]

Earthworms should be the staple, not the treat. They are very nutritious and complete. Prawn on the other hand is an unnatural food, and i wouldn´t use it at all (it´s a salt water animal..the chemistry is entirely different..too much iodine, etc, etc...).

As Mark said, they are VERY aquatic (in fact if you see one on land, something is very wrong) so terrestrial areas are a complete waste of space. Get rid of them, and use the space for mor water. More water equals a happier newt and a happier keeper xD

Reduce the amount of water you take out in the weekly water changes. A 10-20% is more than enough. Big water changes upset the chemistry of the water and can lead to the death of the bacterial colony that keeps your tank cycled.

 

[Spudsy]

10-20% is more than enough

I presume they don't create much of a bioload then? Iv added duckweed so that should help. I cant really agree that a 40% water change would effect the bacteria in bio filter... Iv been doing weekly 35-50% water changes on my fishtanks for years....

But are large waterchanges not good for newts??? ill stick to 20% then since its got quite alot of duck weed and moss in the tank.


Iv been reading articles about frozen foods ect on this site and its very interesting.. Ill be feeding him twice a week so i could switch between bloodworms and live worms..

Here is a pic of the setup now... The bog wood is too big to be fully submerged.. iv taken the others away. His tail doesnt seem as big as the pics iv seen of paddle tails on this site....??

Thanks

 

[Azhael]

Looks like it´s a rather smallish animal. The paddle shape of the tail becomes more pronounced with maturity.

One thing that i fail to find in the tank is a filter. Although not strictly necessary for water quality purposes, this species requires one because they inhabit streams, they LOVE a strongish current.

 

[Spudsy]

Yeah iv noticed he like to hang around under the current... I tiled the tank myself so i had to create a filter box... Its the square box to the left where the heater and water pump is... Its stuffed with bio balls.. bio rings.. bio sponges, filter floss ect... no carbon.

 

[Azhael]

Heater? You most definitely don´t need a heater. Even if the temps plummeted to 4ºC the newt would love it!!!! You absolutely don´t need anything to control the temperature except to keep it cool.

 

[Spudsy]

Its a built in heater and i dont know how to remove it..... I suppose i could cut the wire...

Its turned down to 18c... Ill try figure out a way to remove it without breaking it.

 

[Spudsy]

I just cut the wire... hopefully ill be keeping the newt for a long time!!

What snails can i put in with him... im not really familiar with cold water snails... Can Assasin snails go in coldwater..? have loads in my other tank. Iv just put in pond snails for now to keep algae in check.

 

[mduros]

Spuds,
I keep assassins in my t.granulosa tank but the tank got infested with mts and spixis, so I introduced the assassins for a reason. Assassins tend to do best in clean, hard water. I think the hardness is the main thing. The water in my newt tank tends to be on the softer side because of all of the snails in there that leach the calcium from the water, but the assassins are doing their job and multiplying in spite of the soft water, so I'd say go for it. Temps don't seem to matter too much to them.
Take care,
Mary.

 

[dipsydoodle]

Be careful he doesn't get stuck behind the tiles (towards the right I see a slight gap in the tiling) - they WILL get into every nook and cranny if possible.

 

[Spudsy]

Iv made sure there airnt any openings, hopefully i got them all! I put 5 Assassin snails in there.. They eat up any leftover meaty foods which is good!!

Thanks everyone for the help!!

 

[dipsydoodle]

Iv made sure there airnt any openings, hopefully i got them all! I put 5 Assassin snails in there.. They eat up any leftover meaty foods which is good!!

Thanks everyone for the help!!

Well done.