Water hardness & pH in natural habitat

[ester]

Does anyone know where to find info on the water hardness and pH of ponds where notophthalmus v. occurs naturally?

Thanks,
Ester

 

[joan]

Ester, it's not that big of a concern with this species. Hard or soft, and as long as the pH isn't drastic, they'll be fine.

 

[ester]

Well, unless you know the cause of the unexpected dying of this species which is mentioned regularly, I'd still like to know more about their natural habitat. Not just how it looks, but the bits you don't see in a picture.
Like how the pH and water hardness vary across its range. Any other info on what might cause their unexpected death in captivity is welcome too of course!

 

[joan]

I remember Jennifer Macke saying something about moving to an area of soft water and losing all of hers. But their habitat is so varied, from southern pine forest to northern hardwood, the pH would run the gamut. I don't think you can tack it down to one exact setting that's ideal.

 

[jennifer]

Mine all died during the first 8 months when I moved to a hard alkaline water area. There is nothing other than the water than I can attribute their deaths to. However, it could certainly be some factor other than the hardness or pH.

I think Ester's question is well-founded. Unfortunately, I don't know of any data. The habitats I have seen have all been surface water which I expect tend to be soft, but I certainly haven't seen enough to make any valid generalizations.

 

[joan]

Sorry Ester! Maybe its time for a trip to the US so you can visit all the ponds and test them? lol.

And sorry for misquoting you Jennifer.

I looked through my field guide, but it doesn't mention anything about hard or soft water. Wish I could be of more help.

 

[ester]

Thanks for all the info!
Especially that 3rd article "Amphibian species richness and distribution in relation to pond water chemistry in south-western Ontario, Canada" seems interesting:
"However, chemical variables may be helpful to distinguish between used and unused sites for some species."
Gotta try and somehow get the entire article

And of course the info on pH. Natural pH in the ponds where the animals were collected ranged from 5.24 - 7.80.