waltl babies nearing morphing

[fishkeeper]

I suspect some Pleurodeles waltl larvae I am raising will start morphing soon. Does anyone have any tips? Do they need shallow water or plants as other newt larvae do, or will they be fine just treated as they were during the larval stages?

 

[Jake]

I keep my morphing waltl in 10 gallon tanks filled almost to the top with plenty of plants just under the surface for them to rest on. Mine usually morph around 2.5-3.5 inches in length. If they're about to lose their gills, their skin becomes rough, more like an adult waltl, and less like an axolotl.

 

[fishkeeper]

Interesting. No instances of drowning I take it? They have some Elodea in the water with them and I want to raise the waterlevel to give them more water volume as they grow.(currently depth is like 3 inches).

Also, do they swim midwater much at all like Triturus or merely crawl on the bottom?

 

[Jake]

Interesting. No instances of drowning I take it? They have some Elodea in the water with them and I want to raise the waterlevel to give them more water volume as they grow.(currently depth is like 3 inches).

Also, do they swim midwater much at all like Triturus or merely crawl on the bottom?

I've never seen a case of a waltl drowning here. They swim and crawl, mostly I think they stay still, but I haven't watched them for a really long time to know for sure.