Red-spotted newt not happy

[waterbabys]

Hello
I have had a red-spotted newt now for 3 weeks but i don’t think he is happy, he never goes in the water dont move much at all and he has not eat much. I use bottle water not tap and I have a Superfish Aqua Flow 50 Dual Action Internal Filter,
what is wrong with him? can someone help?

 

[Bellabelloo]

Have a look at the link below, hopefully it will give you some idea what might be wrong.

Caudata Culture Species Entry - Notophthalmus viridescens - Eastern Newt

 

[slowfoot]

A picture of the newt and habitat might also help us figure out your problem

 

[waterbabys]

Thank you, the Filter that I have has a bit of a waterfall so the water is not still but with out the waterfall the current is too strong. What filters are best?
I have tried chopped earthworms & frozen bloodworms, in the time his been with me all he has eaten is 3 bloodworms & his skin. Should I put food on the rock next to him or in the water?
Are red-spotted newts mostly active at night?
Sorry I have a lot of questions I just don’t want him to get sick because of me.

 

[merk199]

Did you cycle the water? Was he aquatic when you bought him? As a personal side note I would add a lot more plants and skip the filter.

 

[Azhael]

I agree with Merk.

You should probably know that petshop bought Notophthalmus viridescens usually adapt pretty badly. This is a tricky species and sudden deaths are surprisingly common. This is amplified with petshop animals since they are wild caught.
I´m only saying this so that you know (which i think is important).

In one of the pictures it kind of looks like the animal is still quite reddish and is certainly on land, which might mean that it´s not yet an adult. If it´s still an eft, then it CAN actually drown. They are hydrophobic and require a terrestrial tank (woodland type or a more simple option).

Once the animal is an adult and decides it´s time for water, there should be a significant change in coloration, and it will seek water as long as it is cycled, still, heavily planted and at the right temp.

 

[deliriah]

I currently have 2 that rarely enter the water, while my other 3 rarely leave the water. My tank is roughly 60% water, 40% land. I don't use a filter because they just don't seem to like the motion it causes no mater how I try to minimize the flow, so I opted for a filterless setup and frequent water changes. (about20-30% daily, or if I'm slacking 50-75% weekly) My N. viridensis seem happy with this. They all happily eat chopped earthworms placed near them, and the 2 that stay on land go crazy for wingless fruitflies. I think my 2 terrestrial guys just preffer land.

 

[deliriah]

I also agree with merk. Another thing is to look at his skin. if it is very smooth he should preffer water, if more rough, then he may still be in the eft phase, therefore terrestrial and would preffer more land. And yes, more plants will make him happy.

 

[waterbabys]

What are the best tests to use to check the water is ok?
At the pet shop he was in a tank with fire belly newts all were sat on a rock.
I don’t want to stress him out can’t really tell if his got smooth or rough skin his a bit of both, sorry I know not helpful. But if he is still a eft should I take some water away?
I will get more plants see if that help should I get real ones?

 

[slowfoot]

It's really hard for me to tell from that picture if you have an older eft who is just not ready to go into the water, or an adult who refuses for some other reason. Others may have an easier time figuring it out.

A picture of the whole body plus tail would be really helpful, but I understand if you don't want to stress your animal out. I would definitely err on the side of caution and move him to a habitat where there is a larger land area that contains hiding areas. The filter and water movement could also be causing stress.

 

[achiinto]

Well, at least we know that it is not a red eft, but indeed can't tell if this is a young adult preferring a terrestrial setup.

You should get a water test kit to test for ammonia and nitrite and nitrate. If you are not familiar with these yet, I think you should start reading more about nitrogen cycle. Have you also checked the temperature?

 

[waterbabys]

The Ammonia level is about 0.25
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
General hardness 16
Carbonate hardness 6
PH 7.6
Chlorine 0.8
Temp at 20 C Is this all ok?

I have got more plants and he has eater about 3 bloodworms today,

 

[Azhael]

Try to find waxworms, they will help in getting it to gain some weight, and they are fantastic for picky eaters, no newt can resist them.

 

[waterbabys]

I think he is ok, just don’t like the water I’m going to take some away to give him more land maybe then he will move around more.
Thank you all for your help.

 

[achiinto]

The Ammonia level is about 0.25
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0

This suggest to me that the water is not cycled. The Ammonia Level should be zero and and Nitrite at zero. I think you should have the nitrogen cycle started and help the ammonia level go to zero all time.

When I got my first newt, an adult Cynops Orientalis, she didn't go to water for a month as well. I figured that has to do with the water chemistry. I must have ammonia in my water and that stressed her out. Until my tank water is cycled, the newt finally headed to water and she has seldom, if ever, stay of land since.

It was possible that the water has even higher ammonia level before you changed the water, and your newt was already stressed by the water.