Taricha or Notophthalmus?

[Herpo vulgaris]

Hi everyone,

as mentioned in the introduction area, I'm planning to get some North American newts. However, I am in conflict with myself to decide which species...

I have seen both Taricha granulosa and Notophthalmus viridescens in captivity and I like Taricha's for their personality and genuine interest for the person at the other side of the glass. Notophthalmus has some kind of x-factor, especially males with their clumsy big hindlegs in breeding mode. But these are based on 1 Taricha individual and a male and female Notophthalmus so maybe not representative...

In short, what are your experiences, thoughts, opinions... on this matter (maintenance, feeding, breeding, rearing,...) to help me decide. I know everyone's opinion is different, but still :happy:

Maybe not unimportant, the tank they will be housed in is 85x45x35, currently housing some constantly breeding convict cichlids, but they will move.

And no I'm not trying to start a riot between Notophthalmus and Taricha people

Gwij

 

[Azhael]

Both species are fascinating and beautiful, although arguably, Notophthalmus are more visually striking because their coloration is richer and more complex. However, the main issue that to me would solve the dilemma is simply that Notophthalmus generally don´t do well in captivity (in europe). And not only that, there doesn´t seem to be much of a difference between wild-caught and captive bred animals. Fatalities are very common and few people manage to keep adults alive for long. They seem to be strangely prone to recursive fungal infections.
Taricha on the other hand seem to adapt quite well and captive bred animals are not difficult to come by these days. People who keep them usually report that they are easy to keep and hardy. The only drawback is that reproduction is somewhat tricky and not as easily achieved as with other newts.

I would therefore suggest Taricha as a superior choice, all other considerations aside, because the lifespan of Notophthalmus is likely to be short.

 

[Herpo vulgaris]

Hi Rodrigo,

Thanks a lot for your very informative answer. I must say that I was already slightly baised towards Taricha...

I guess the next step is converting my fish tank to a newt tank (which means finally getting rid of that noisy filter), keep my eyes and ears open and find some Taricha.

Gwij