JM29
Active member
Hi,
I have some fire belly newts (Hypselotriton orientalis) which were given to me by a friend who bred them successfully.
They are housed in kind of a paludarium, with Anubias nana (which grows a lot when partially emerged), Java moss and Java fern.
I had a hard time to raise some efts with the semi-aquatic method (I left all of the newtlets) and I was rather disappointed.
So I didn't really expected to raise again some and I was surprised to notice some eggs during last August.
Some were fertilized.
I probably was at the end of the spawning season, so I collected only 6 eggs, 4 fertilized and 2 not.
Larvae grew well. Fortunately, a lot of daphnias were available :
One of the problems I met before was the tiny size of the metamorphs. Tiny efts are more difficult tu feed.
So I decided to follow a friend's advice to get the larvae to metamorphose as late (and large) as possible.
The larvae were raised in a micro-aquarium in a fresh room, with not much light. So the only aquatic plants are Java moss and Java fern.
I had a first metamorphosis at 4 cm long. I expect the next one at 3,5 mm.
A pre-metamorphic larva. Unfortunately I didn't manage to photograph the belly, which has got dark patches on a reddish background.
My first eft. It went terrestrial very quickly, climbing on a Java moss ball. I tranferred it in a micro-terrarium with a part of leaf litter and a part of my compost.
There are tiny animals in the substrate. Anyways, I added some springtails and I regularly add fruit flies.
Metamorphosis happened December 9. Now this first eft is going fine. The 2 others will metamorphose soon.
I expect them not to grow as fast as with the semi-aquatic method but the terrestrial method may be more adapted to what I can provide.
In 2025, I will be more vigilant about the spawning period (first good resolution).
I have some fire belly newts (Hypselotriton orientalis) which were given to me by a friend who bred them successfully.
They are housed in kind of a paludarium, with Anubias nana (which grows a lot when partially emerged), Java moss and Java fern.
I had a hard time to raise some efts with the semi-aquatic method (I left all of the newtlets) and I was rather disappointed.
So I didn't really expected to raise again some and I was surprised to notice some eggs during last August.
Some were fertilized.
I probably was at the end of the spawning season, so I collected only 6 eggs, 4 fertilized and 2 not.
Larvae grew well. Fortunately, a lot of daphnias were available :
One of the problems I met before was the tiny size of the metamorphs. Tiny efts are more difficult tu feed.
So I decided to follow a friend's advice to get the larvae to metamorphose as late (and large) as possible.
The larvae were raised in a micro-aquarium in a fresh room, with not much light. So the only aquatic plants are Java moss and Java fern.
I had a first metamorphosis at 4 cm long. I expect the next one at 3,5 mm.
A pre-metamorphic larva. Unfortunately I didn't manage to photograph the belly, which has got dark patches on a reddish background.
My first eft. It went terrestrial very quickly, climbing on a Java moss ball. I tranferred it in a micro-terrarium with a part of leaf litter and a part of my compost.
There are tiny animals in the substrate. Anyways, I added some springtails and I regularly add fruit flies.
Metamorphosis happened December 9. Now this first eft is going fine. The 2 others will metamorphose soon.
I expect them not to grow as fast as with the semi-aquatic method but the terrestrial method may be more adapted to what I can provide.
In 2025, I will be more vigilant about the spawning period (first good resolution).