Why won't they go in the water?

[teddyballgame15]

I have two Chinese fire belly newts and have had them since the end of August. I spent two months before getting them googling stuff and finding care sheets and what not. Just recently (within the last two weeks or so) they haven't been going in the water. I do I've in northeastern USA, so winter is around the corner. Is this natural? They don't seem stressed or ill. They will go in the water for a little bit after they eat and a few other times. This is obviously my first winter with them so I just don't know if this is something I should expect to happen every year or if something is wrong right now

 

[Azhael]

Leaving the water IS a sign of stress. Since temprature doesn´t appear to be the issue the most likely candidate is water chemistry. You should check ammonia, nitrite and nitrate values and it wouldn´t hurt to check pH and hardness.
In the mean time the surest bet to fix water quality issues is having huge amounts of live plants.

 

[teddyballgame15]

Just got live plants this past weekend hoping that would help, so I just have to wait for them to grow! I know it is a sign of stress, but they don't seem stressed. So I'll check the water and stuff. Thanks!

 

[AeonMapa]

Usually when my newts are hanging outside the water that means they "seem stressed" no matter how healthy or active they seem otherwise. Either the water is too warm (a common problem for me in the Philippines) or isn't clean enough. Although I haven't seen this behavior in months. Good job on getting the live plants, if this is your first time to use them, they'll really go a long way at providing optimal conditions!

 

[teddyballgame15]

I sure hope so! Do you know if it is better to buy the plants live or as bulbs?

Newts are people too

 

[AeonMapa]

Newts are people too

I like that, you should make it your signature

I'm not sure about bulb plants since I've never used them, but I assume that means you throw in the bulb and wait for it to grow? I'm sure these will work great in the long run, but if you want more instant results try looking into already grown live plants, ESPECIALLY stem plants. Basically a stem plant is a fast growing plant that consists of one long stem with leaves at intervals. Cabomba, water sprite and elodea are examples of these. The reason I say instant results is that the fast growth rate of these plants mean they use nutrients from the water very quickly, and also reach the top and create thick foliage that the newts love. And once these plants get long enough, you can easily chop off the top third and plant them and they will become new plants, meaning money saved and thicker vegetation

Best of luck to you and your planted tank! Pls be aware that aquatic plants have their own set of needs that you should research or you might get frustrated as you just drop them in and watch them die Go over to the enclosure section of caudate as it's got a lot of nice planting tips! And if you really get into it, I suggest researching the Walstad method as it's a nice way to grow good plants without all the costly high-tech equipment

 

[teddyballgame15]

I would but i have no idea how to set a signature