# Planted Tanks > Vivariums >  Fire belly newts

## Fei Miao

Hi Guys, anyone have experience with these critters, whats the best way to house them and what do they eat.

Lastly, noe of any place I can get them cheap, Ben's selling at 8 bucks!! anywhere else cheaper :Smile:   :Smile:   :Smile:

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## vinz

8 bucks? Which ones are they?

For long reply I posted before, 
click here.

Any other questions... ask here again.  :Smile:

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## Fei Miao

vinz,
i think it's the same as the one in your avatar... it's for my son, once i found a lfs in bukit panjang selling at 4 bucks... didn't get it the last time, out of stock now :Sad:

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## vinz

I've seen them at $2 before. At $8, it could be something else. My avatar may be too small to identify what you saw. You can check my website gallery for bigger pics of the Chinese Fire Belly and the Paddletail.

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## kgoh88

i went down to halus yesterday,and saw one shop selling.small one is $4 and big one $5....the big ones look like paddletail...they haf ALOT in one bottom tank..its the 1st shop when u see when u come in from pasir ris there

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## Fei Miao

THXS, will probably go down to Lor Halus this weekend :Smile:  

somebody going to be very happy, he's been asking for it for months...ever since he read a book abou keep newt from the library

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## vinz

Cool...

Remember about the climate here though... don't make the mistakes I made when I was a kid... [ :Knockout: ]. Need any help on them, let me know. If you do get paddletails, make sure you get only one or you give them lots of space and/or places to hide. They are solitary and will fight.

Don't mix diff species of newts and frogs... the larger will always try to eat the smaller and all newts have some form of toxin.

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## Fei Miao

About climate, what the temp range, room temp should be ok right? 

As to housing a 1ft tank with plants ok for 2 ??

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## vinz

Room temp is fine. Keep away from direct sunlight!!! Try to avoid closed rooms that heat up in the day.

1 foot with low-light plants for 2 is great! Use a small internal filter and a one tube FL (if you want lights). If you're not using rooted plants, then get pea-sized substrate. They eat by sucking their food in, and sometimes they suck in gravel as well, which could lead to a usually fatal impacted stomach if they swallow too much gravel. If you need fine gravel for plants, then put a 1cm layer of the pea-sized gravel above that.

Create a small piece of 'land' using drift wood. They are mainly aquatic, but they occasionally come out at night.

Remember to cover the tank, they can climb glass walls. Also, if you can create a small water fall with the filter, the moisture buildup in a covered tank will keep things moist and cool for them.

Avoid chemicals like anti-chlorine, better to use aged (1 day) water.

An ex-newt tank.

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## Fei Miao

what do you feed them? I would imagine BW, what about dry pellets??? :Smile:

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## vinz

No, no dry pellets... they tend to look for food on or in the substrate. I'm assuming you're getting Chinese Fire Bellies.

I give mine frozen BW. Occasionally I get them live brineshrimp... it's interesting to watch them hunt for the brineshrimp. Have tried frozen brineshrimp before too.

If you give them live brineshrimp, remember no to add direct to the tank... BS come in brackish water, not suitable for newts. Scoop them out with a fine net and rinse out them before adding to tank.

If you end up with Paddletails... they will take frozen BW. Never tried BS on them. I fed my friends one with baby feeder frogs.

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## kgoh88

hmmm...i tink if possible,use frozen bw better....cleaner...try to avoid feeder fish,as they moz prob will carry diseases tat will harm ur newts....

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## Fei Miao

Hi, bought a pair(male with boarder tail, female with slimmer tail?) at 4 bucks each. Happy Day for the kids!! Set up the tank with gravel small sponge filter and java fern, no lights yet.

Wat's the diff bet Chinese fire belly &amp;amp; paddle tail?
The bellies does look like the one on your avatar, vinz, red with black marks.

BTW, fed them BW, which they ate...I read from the book that you can feed them once every 5 Days...
if I put some ghost shrimps &amp;amp; small fishes, will they hunt for it? Good if we are to go away for holidays[ :Grin: ]

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## vinz

If the red markings are distinct and not marble-effect like then it's most likely the CFB. CFBs have slightly rough skin, and look cuter. Paddletails also have very smooth skin and a rounded tail tip, like a paddle. CFB tails taper to a smaller rounded or pointed tip. The males have a shorter tail in proportion to their body.

I have 7 at home. I feed them one cube of Hikari BW every day. For a pair, feeding them twice a week is fine. They can last very long without food. During the week before you go on holiday, fatten them up with more frequent feedings before you leave. They'll last months. Don't feed them ghost shrimp or fishes... firstly, they are too big, secondly, the CFBs may not be interested (I have yamatos and otos in my newt tank and have not lost one to predation, yet, in the 1 year they've been there) and thirdly, larger ghost shrimps are aggresive and might turn on them.

As they grow, they will shed their skins. It is their habit to eat their own skin... so don't get worried if you see them eating a sheer newt-shaped body suit.

Paddletail, note shape of tail in the foreground.

CFB, tapered tail tip and rougher skin. I believe this is a male.

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## Fei Miao

Thxs vinz, now I noe the ones we bought are definietly CFB! You're right , they are cute fellas :Smile:  

My wife was saying:&amp;quot;What! You're buying lizards!!!&amp;quot;[ :Grin: ]

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## BFG

Hey Vinz, how long have they been with u? Seeing them reminded me of mine the last time I had them. Paddletail are my fav but now no space 4 them though. Favourite part is when they swim from 1 end to the other end of the tank. Mine last only 9-10 months.

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## vinz

The CFBs been with me more than a year.

The paddeltail belongs to a friend and was under my care when we were working in our previous job. He's been around longer than a year.

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## eGGS

I just bought 2 fire belly newts.

Do they eat frozen bloodworms? They don't seem to be going after the worms.  :Sad:  

Will it die if I don't have any thing for it to come onto the surface?

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## BFG

Newt usually breathe through their skin but if there's not enuf o2, it may swam to the surface to gulp in some air. I've never tried feeding them bw but they do take tubifex. Small fishes can be considered in their diet too,eg rasbora size fishes. Lost a shoal of neon when I started keeping newts together. I like how they swim in the tank, just like a crocodile! How big is their tank?

Please wash your hand before handling them as the salts on your palm might irritate their skin. Also do not hold them for too long coz of your body temperature is far higher than their body temperature. They might get shock.

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## eGGS

Both of them are in a 3ft by 2ft by 1.5ft tank. I just turned off the lights and both of them are resting at the top of my CO2 reactor which is slightly above the water.

I have some cardinal tetras, lamp eye and rummy rednose, will the newt hunt them for food?

I'm kinnda worried abt them not eating the BW. When I'm feeding the fishes, they are hiding.

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## eGGS

Is it normal for them to surface after lights off?

They have been on the top of my reactor since lights off, its been a few hrs already.

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## vinz

Yes, please provide them something to climb onto. While they are mainly aquatic and can breathe underwater, they still like to come out once in a while. They can climb glass, so you need to cover the edges of your tank, else they will escape and then dry up and die.

You can feed them forzen bloodworms, but they are very much slower then the fishs and shrimps at finding food. Better to seperate them from the fishes.

Search the forum for newt or newts... I've posted several long posts about them. Not hard to find as there aren't that many posts with the newts in it.

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## BFG

They're do not actually look for the fish per se. Just happen that the fish wants to look closer at the newt face, then......Kinda interesting creature these FB newts are. If they come face to face, both will wag their tail at each other. Since your tank is 3ft, watch for them swimming soon! :Smile:

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## Fei Miao

I feed them with bloodworms and beef heart twice a week they don't need much. Interesting fellas[ :Grin: ] 

It'll be good if you can provide some area to them to rest above water, like a piece of driftwood breaking out of the water surface for example :Smile:

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## hoonming

Can you guys tell me where can I buy Fire Belly Newt?

Also, is this the only species of Newt that I can get in Singapore?

Also, what are the differences between Newt and Salamandar?

Thanks. :Smile:

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## vinz

> ----------------
> On 9/1/2003 11:01:25 PM 
> 
> Can you guys tell me where can I buy Fire Belly Newt?
> 
> Also, is this the only species of Newt that I can get in Singapore?
> 
> Also, what are the differences between Newt and Salamandar?
> 
> ...


CFB are the most commonly available. Haven't seen the other species for the last few years after the AVA crackdown on exotic pets.

Newts and salamanders are about the same. Generally, the more water-loving ones are called newts and the land-loving ones are called salamanders. This is not a strict rule and some species have common names that use either terms.

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## Fei Miao

I'd seen emperor newts before and Ben's but that was quite a while ago.

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## Justikanz

Hi!! I am thinking of adding fire belly newts to my hermit crab vivarium. Also, would they be agressive to small fish? I have a wild betta in the water and it is rather small in size... barely 1" in length at this moment...  :Huh?:  

Can fire belly newts be trained to take prepared food? Couldn't seem to be able to find books on keeping newts... or land hermit crabs, for that matter. Had anyone seen them?

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## BFG

They do consume fishes that can fit in their mouth. I do not recommend adding it to your hermit crab vivarium. They could consume prepared food but you need to place it in front of them. Bloodworm are another option but not for staple diet. You have to give them newts some variety though.

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## Justikanz

Think they will be safe with the hermits but not safe with the small betta? What would be a staple food for the newts then?

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## Terryz_

> Think they will be safe with the hermits but not safe with the small betta? What would be a staple food for the newts then?


 insects????

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## Justikanz

Great! Cos I just realised that a population of flying insects that look like fruit flies established themselves in my tank!! *Yikes!* *Yucks!* They dun fly out *Heng ah!!* of the covered tank but it would be great if I can find a newt or frog, for that matter, to control them...

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## vinz

Newts will have a hard time catching insects. They don't have sticky long tongues like frogs. Frogs would be a better choice as flying insect control.

Newts have a hard time in Singapore's climate... it's too warm. Most that can take it are those that prefer water (which is cooler and more tolerable). They won't bother with or are to slow to tackle airborne insects. Newts that prefer land (i.e. salamanders) do not tolerate Singapore weather well, becoming inactive and stop feeding... most succumb after months.

Frogs would be a better idea. If you put on a cover and add a few more plants, maybe you can put in one of the local tree frogs.

Most frogs and newts secrete toxins when under threat. Should they feel threathen by the hermits or perhaps even by you, they may secrete toxins that could potentially kill your hermits (residue on surfaces, water, etc).

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## vinz

Oh, I remember hermit crabs being scavengers primarily (let me know if I'm wrong), but I'm wondering if they might try to attack the newts. Frogs can jump, but newts are slow on land, and have limited space to swim in.

On the other hand, I've read about larger newts biting off and eating the claws of juvenile crayfish.

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## Franz

Sigh!!

Firebelly Newts are pretty things to look at but I think they are too troublesome.
1nd) They must be the most retarded feeder in the water kingdom. I've place some food on the water and they like miss it all the time. They move so slowly towards the food and it's amazing how they manage to eat anything in the wild.
2nd) Mine just stop feeding now, now it became so tiny, i think it's just a matter of time before it dies. It must have stop eating for 3 weeks now. I try to give it slice pea, just in case it has consipation :P but it doesn't eat as well. Tried dried shrimps as well.  :Sad: 
3rd) My newts now spend more time on land then in water. Think they have identity crisis, thinking they are salamander...

Maybe it is like what vinz said, it's too warm, it just becomes inactive and stop feeding  :Sad: 

Any idea how to get it to eat now? Feed it live worms? Or just try to lower the temperature?  :Sad:

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## vinz

Are you talking about chinese firebelly newts?

What food do you feed it? Mine take frozen blood worms readily. IME, they never feed outside water. They hunt with smell and movement. I've had a few that will take live brine shrimp. But you must rinse the brine shrimp thoroughly in freshwater before dumping them into the newts tank. The shrimp will last a number of hours in freshwater, plenty of time for the newts to feed.

You can try live blood worms too.

Newts need cool, fresh, clean water. Change their water with aged water. Never use chemicals like anti-chlorine and other water treatments. Fertiliser is fine, but avoid pouring it over them. If you have lights on their tank, find ways to cool it. One way is to lift them higher, or reduce the intensity. If you need the light for plants, then consider removing the plants altogether and throw in moss instead. Then get rid of the light. Moss will do ok with ambient light.

Having a waterfall also helps encourage cooling and keeps the tank air moist (provided the tank is mostly covered). They might be staying out of the water because they don't like it. You should filter the water.

Shift the tank to a deeper/cooler part of the house (toilet?). No direct sunlight.

Try freezing bottles of water in your freezer and pop them in the tank water every morning. Get a few bottles so you can freeze one bottle while the other is in the tank. I imagine the tank would be small. Maybe a 1.5 or 1.25 litre softdrink bottle completely full can last long enough. Make it stand in the water instead of on it's side. Just bringing the temp down 2 or 3 degrees will make life much better for the newts. Fans are not good if they insist on staying out of water. The fan will dry their skin, and make them feel worse.

Were they feeding before? If you have gravel, they may have accidentally ingested too much gravel and suffering from an impacted stomach. I cover my gravel with a layer of pea sized gravel.

The larger "firebelly" newts, like the paddletail will take baby frogs too. If it can fit in they mouth, they can eat it. Hold the frog by the hind legs and put it in front of their face. Kinda cruel for the frog though.

I've had newts that refuse to enter the water before. IME, taking them out of the tank for a 5 to 10 mins walk usually convince them to get back in the water. I'm not sure why, but maybe the dryer and warmer air outside the tank convinces them the water is a better idea. I cannot think of any scientific or logical explanation for this.

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## vinz

> Sigh!!
> 
> Firebelly Newts are pretty things to look at but I think they are too troublesome.
> ...


Not really, IME. I have them in a filtered tank with moss, anubias, some crypts, S. subulata, small (or stunted) unidentified echinodorus, rocks, driftwood, gravel and JBL base fert. The tank is neglected and they do fine... or at least are active and feed well. The tank is 1.5' tall, but only 6 inches or less of water. The one 3' FL light is more then a feet from the water surface.

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## Wild Ginger

Just to add to what Vinz has mentioned earlier, all amphibians in general require cooler temperatures and that includes frogs, toads, caecilians, salamanders etc. 

Depending on the native location they come from, these animals live in shaded forests on the bottom floor wherelse some live in high altitude where the temperature is generally 20 degrees plus. 

So in order to have them thriving well, have them in a location where there's good ventilation and a distance away form hot places such as windows, and big electrical equipements, to avoid hazard. 

Another point to take into consideration is a well covered top to lock in the humidity as well as a few holes to encourage proper ventilation of the exchange of gases within and external of the tank. 

As for crabs or hermit crabs, these in nature are scavengers meaning they're omnivorous and will eat almost everything and anything. These include live vegetation or discarded cuttings or simply fish. It's not advisable to have decorations such as plants included in the setup as they'll tear them apart. Best would be an all dry setup consisting of wood and sand as well as coral chips. These would buffer the water to a level of hardness which is good for the crabs. 

Lastly, filtration is important for a crab enclosure as ya need to have a good waterflow in between the sand to have it oxygenated and not have them anerobic. Crabs love to burrow into the sand so proper water movement in between the sand granules is very much important. 

Regards,
Phillip.  :Jump for joy:

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## Franz

My tank is not covered but the soil is always moist. I do have a 55w pl light tho. The newt have ample places to hide from the light. Under the stones or under the plants.

I have a small filter in the tank. The yamatoes and cories are doing fine in the tank, so I don't think the water is dirty, I clean it regularly as well. I even have a small water feature where water flow into the tank leh. I covered the top of the fine gravel with bigger pebbles.

Furthermore, the tank is under the shade. Problem is, the newts are always out of the water, it's like for hours. One of the newts is still feeding on the dry food. That one is growing fat.

For some reason, it just seem afraid of the water. Even when i put it in clean aged water, it just wanna get out of it. Its skin become dry n leathery already  :Sad:

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## vinz

Ok, I've read that some go through a stage where they prefer land. Though that's unusual. If it's feeding, then I wouldn't worry.

My worry about the light is that it is heating up the air in the tank. It does not matter much that they have rocks to hide under, they are not afraid of brightness but heat. Besides PL does not burn the skin like MH/sun do.

Your setup seems fine. Just put on a cover to keep the air inside moist. Make sure the cover has holes or leave a gap for ventilation.

As for the water, maybe it's the pH or other parameters. Read this and this.

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## vinz

Is the one that is not eating on land too? If it is, thaw some frozen blood worms, pick up some with a small tweezer or pipette, wet it and let the water drop on the nostrils of the newt. If it is still interested in eating, the smell should rouse it to start looking for the worms. Let the worms touch it's snout and mouth. It should try to eat.

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## Franz

Yes, now both of the newt are on land. I tried wetting some shrimps n place it on its snout n mouth a week ago. All it did was run away......

But amazingly, if it stop eating for 3 weeks, wouldnt it be dead by now? Maybe it is eating something. There's some small spider and ants running around my tank. Any idea whether the newt will eat them?

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## vinz

> Yes, now both of the newt are on land. I tried wetting some shrimps n place it on its snout n mouth a week ago. All it did was run away......
> 
> But amazingly, if it stop eating for 3 weeks, wouldnt it be dead by now? Maybe it is eating something. There's some small spider and ants running around my tank. Any idea whether the newt will eat them?


Nope. Newts can last very long without food.

Try frozen blood worms. IME, that usually works. I don't normally see newts eating pellets or dried shrimp.

If it takes frozen blood worms, feed it on land manually a few times until it's recovered somewhat. Then dump the FBW in the water and place the newt in the water. It might go for the worms by itself once it can smell it in the water.

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## XnSdVd

Adopted a newt a few weeks ago. Thing is, he doesn't seem to be eating at all. I've been feeding him frozen bloodworms but I seriously haven't seen him so much as shit since he's gotten here. But it's been about 3 weeks so I'm wondering why he's still alive. Ideas? I don't need a heater do I? I read they're from japan so I'm pretty sure if temprature's the problem he's probably too warm over here...

Anyway, advice would be appreciated.

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## Fei Miao

Yes newts prefers cooler temperature, if the tank gets too warm, it could be detrimental to them. How are they housed? make sure the tank is covered.

Try feeding some tubifex worms, they could go without food for more than ten days... so i won't worry too much. I had one that escaped for weeks, when i found him, he's quite skinny and in no time he's back in health again.

Btw there are 3 types that looks quite similar, the oriental fire belly, the japanese fire belly(which I haven't seen any in S'pore yet) and the paddle tails(which is quite large and the tail is quite broad). all of these are dark brown to black on the top and red-orange with black markings on the belly.

Vinz knows quite a bit on newts, you can check with him.

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## BFG

How do you house the newt? Is it mixed with other fishes?

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## vinz

Someone called?

Chinese fire belly is the one in my avatar. Japanese fire bellies are not available anymore. The Jap govt. has banned capture and sale of JFBs. Paddletails... you can take a look in my website for pictures of them.

Temperature is a big issue for them. Are you filtering the tank? Water movement helps the water cooldown. Try to create a water fall or lots of surface movement, but the water current should not be too strong.

Make sure you have a rock or wood for the newt to climb on if it wants. Cover the tank to create a moist environment. Also helps to keep the water from evaporating away too quickly

Move the tank into a cooler part of your home. Some part of the house that heats up the least during the day. I think they require pretty clean water, so do set up some good filtration. Throwing in some plants will help too. Avoid frequent water changes (set up good filtration and top up the evaporated water as required). Also try to use aged water. The porous skin of amphibians don't take too kindly to chemicals. Nowadays it's hard to tell what the PUB does to our water to make it safe for human consumption.

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## vinz

If it's not eating, it could be stressed. So improving it's living conditions will help.

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## Fei Miao

The newt man is arrived!  :Laughing:

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## Justikanz

I adopted 2 cuties 1-2 months ago. 1 fella dislike water and always stays on land. I tried to move it to the water area and it will find its way out asap. Is this normal? The other one almost always stay in water... (Could they be of different species?) Somehow I am scared that the hydrophobic fella is not eating at all!

I had started to slowly flood the tank that they are in and the tubifex worm population starts to move into the pockets of land depression that is now water logged. Hopefully that will entice that fella to eat... 

Also, heard they like black water... I added a piece of bogwood and the water is now brownish... Is it ok?

Pictures can be found on my blog...

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## XnSdVd

Hmm... that's gonna be a problem since I don't have any space left in my room for a new tank. I don't have a filter but the temperature of the water's about 23-25 degrees. Is that enough?

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## vinz

23-25 is pretty good for singapore standards. But do get a filter in there, and some plants. Driftwood with lots of moss will be fine. You can get those small filters or powerheads from Eden brand.

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## XnSdVd

Thanks I'll let you know how things go... I'll have to juggle my fish around though =)

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## Emg

I have 2 firebellied newts in a river tank setup. Neither one of the newts ever go in the water. They like to climb up on the plants at night...it looks pretty silly...lol...

I feed them freeze dried tubifex worms and live black worms. I do this by soaking the tubifex and sticking it onto a chopstick and hold it right in front of the newts. They usually snap it right up, but not always. One of them is generally more inclined to eat more often than the other one, but both are very healthy looking. I also wind a good amount of live black worms on the tip of the chop stick and do the same thing. 

I moved them both to a different terrerium setup once and they stopped eating. Since I put them back in the river tank they're both happily chowing down again.

I would make sure that the newts can get up out of the water if they want to....and that there is cover for them when they do come out.

Here's a good pic of the underbellies of these cuties...


This is the tank I keep them in...there is a female betta in the water section...

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## XnSdVd

Oh my god! that's a beautiful setup  :Shocked:  
I suddenly feel like i should offer my newt for adoption... he'd be so much happier in your tank... gah! I'm a horrible owner!  :Sad:

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## Emg

Lol XN...I'm sure it's not that bad...lol.....

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## Franz

Ahem. Interesting. I have not seen my newt eat anything for 3++ months already. Amazingly, after disappearing in my vivarium for a few weeks, I saw them again a few days back.

One of them was reduced to 1/2 its original size  :Sad:  Very sad, but it just doesnt wanna eat anything i give it. Any idea wat else I can feed it? Chicken?

The other one seem to be about the original size, but it's turning into brown...

Think most of the time, they hidding in some hole in the soil. Dunno what they have been eating or doing.

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## Justikanz

One of mine still refuses to enter into the water! It went straight into a wet area of my vivarium after I placed it inside. As I was afraid it might disappear or get trapped and die inside, I took it out into the open. Now it stays on the floating water lettuce all day long... Never swim, never eat! Placed worms and brine shrimps near its mouth also no use. Sometimes didn't even bother to run away... But the belly area seems fat when it is just 'sitting' around... Its been a month liao... The other 2 now practically lives IN the water... and LOVES worms and brine shrimps... Hmm...  :Confused: 

Btw, have 1 more big one that loves to take guppies and bettas as food... Anyone interested in having it (should be a her...I think so) can let me know... Just take good care of it(her)...

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## Franz

Mine completely "disappeared". I can't find them for weeks sometimes. That's y i suspect they dig a hole n went in to hide :P

You sure they eat guppies? My molly just gave birth to about 14 fries. I will be very pissed if they eat a few of them :P

But they such clumsy and slow eater, u sure they can even catch a fish at all?

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## Justikanz

Oh you'll be surprised how fast some of the bigger ones can get! The big one (think 6" long and rather fat) ate 3 wild bettas and 1 male double sword guppy before it(she) was being removed... Oh, I tot it is a she cos literature reports that such big ones are usually females as males remain small... She was a terror... defending terrritory some more leh... Now she is residing in a cold water unfiltered tank with a Yamato shrimp... Poor thing, so looking for responsible owner for her...

The 2 smaller ones IN the water tries to ambush my baby guppies... But they were too afst for the newts...  :Grin:  Only the brine shrimps are slower...

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## Emg

I realize this is an old thread...but thought I'd share a bit about the 2 red bellied newts that I have.

I have them in a river tank setup. There's a platform with moss and plants and a section with about 2 or 3 gallons of water. I have a sponge filter in the water and a male betta and two ADFs (african dwarf frogs).

The newts are always on the platform and never go into the water. They are healthy and fine and eat very well. I feed them freeze dried tubifex worms and live black worms, which they both gobble up pretty readily. I feed them by moistening a piece of the tubifex worms and sticking it to the end of a chopstick. I hold it in front of their faces and they snatch it up. I do the same with the live black worms, (I add a liquid vitemin supliment to the water that the worms are kept in).

I've had these newts for about a year now and they are both doing just fine. Way cool critter to have IMO. They love to climb up in the plants to sleep at night. Here's a pic of them just to so you can see that they are indeed the redbellied newt.....you can click on the pics to enlarge them.....

  

This is the tank I keep them in. It's an older pic and the plants have grown in quite a bit and I have a different betta in there now.  

I like these guys so much I may just pick up a few more....lol....to add to my collection of fish, dart frogs and other critters....  :Roll Eyes:

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## aquatic777

reali regret never read this thread till too late. my 4 newts went to heaven 1 by 1...this thread very informative with all the tips

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## Justikanz

My CFB hunting brineshrimp...  :Smile:

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## andrewtyr

very interesting animals, I will be having a hard time convincing my parents about keeping them!

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## zhiz22

bring your newt to the office

i think they make great office pets and a talking point. provided you find a place in freezer to hide the frozen worms  :Smile:

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## Justikanz

Office would be good, as the newts will appreciate the cooler water temperature too.  :Smile:  But they will still prefer life food... If they dun eat, they can only be enticed by moving, wriggling bloodworms or tubifex. 

I had mine sometimes eating right out of my finger.  :Razz:  Now they dive into the water when they see brine shrimp swimming inside...  :Razz: 

Very attraction grabbing...  :Smile:  Your colleagues will be visiting you often.... Haha...  :Laughing:

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## zhiz22

The problem is that its hard to keep live food in office :P

also i have only one newt. now feasible to buy a pack of live mealworms just to feed that bugger. Any solution?

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## Justikanz

Oh no.... Not mealworms! They won't eat mealworms... Which are usually too big for them, anyway. I only had a paddletail eat 1 mealworm... And it doesn't even touch it ever again... Think they are not very tasty...  :Razz: 

They love BLOODWORMS, tubifex and brineshrimp.  :Smile:  

You just need the live food only initially to make sure they eat and know what is food. Subsequently, they can take frozen bloodworms and brineshrimp.  :Smile: 

Maybe Vinz can provide more suggestions, if he is reading this. He keeps newts too.  :Smile:

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## zhiz22

yeah i can handfeed it frozen worms now. 

jsut thinikign of what other variety

live brineshrimp can be quite a waste if its just to feed one newt. perhaps i mght go get frozen oens.

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## semota

where can i buy newts?

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## XnSdVd

You can have mine if justikanz doesn't want them. I've been looking for someone to adopt them.

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## Justikanz

Hi, Shannon! I would like to have them but timing is an issue... Sorry for that  :Opps: ... If you need to get them out urgently, then perhaps Semota can have them, since he is looking for them. It is ok with me.  :Smile:  As long as they are being properly taken care of.  :Smile:

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## semota

Hhaa..thanks shannon, but then, my question still not answered leh..where do you get them in the first place? Are they legal? So uncle at LFS say its illegal..

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## XnSdVd

You can get them at pasir ris farmway. There is no law on them here but japan has banned the capture and export of Japanese firebellied newts. They pop up occasionally at shops but more as an odity than an actual sales item. The second one I found was actually kept with a betta. Well, she had a foot bitten off by the fish so I just bought her.

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## zhiz22

they are banned

only reptile/amphibian allowed is red ear slider

haha based on this rule, feeder frogs and bullfrogs are illegal too

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## XnSdVd

I stand corrected then.

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## Justikanz

Yes, it is illegal to buy and sell the newts. Please do not advertise the place to buy them.  :Smile:

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## stormhawk

Oddly enough, one of the Science Centre guidebooks, I think the one on Reptiles and Amphibians, says that the small Oriental Firebelly is allowed in SG? I don't know where my copy went but the info is in that guidebook itself.

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## Justikanz

Well, according to AVA's website... No reptiles or amphibians allowed for trade in Singapore.  :Razz:   :Grin:

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## stormhawk

Yes yes AVA has the final word.  :Razz:  

I'll restrict myself to my Zoids.. at least those aren't banned in anyway.  :Evil:

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## Justikanz

Haha... Then some smart aleck government body say small plastic parts are harmful and can cause death by choking and ban them...  :Razz:  Haha...  :Laughing:  Oops, better stick to topic...  :Wink: 

Oh, think I heard from some LFS that they are intending to ban the red ear slider too...

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## stormhawk

Well, most toys do have a safety rating to tell parents that they're not meant for small children below a certain age. Almost everything has a safety seal for the items that have cleared testing. Just like how our filters and lights are certified safe, when they have the testing sticker by our own government body like PSB.

As for the red-eared sliders, I'd definitely want to see them banned for sale. Too many kids buy them without actually taking care of them. I wonder how many hundreds or thousands of innocent baby sliders are killed by neglect or pure malice.  :Sad:

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## zhiz22

are japanese fire belly newts or chinses fire belly newt more attractive to you guys?

saw some chinese fire belley newts but they are too small compared to the japs.

mandarin are the nicest though

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## Justikanz

Chinese... Cuter...  :Razz: 

Mandarin? Got pic?

But seeing that I like the paddletails, which look similar to the Japanese... Think I'll find them both attractive...  :Razz:

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## zhiz22

> Chinese... Cuter... 
> 
> Mandarin? Got pic?
> 
> But seeing that I like the paddletails, which look similar to the Japanese... Think I'll find them both attractive...



mandarin
http://www.aqualandpetsplus.com/Amph...20Mandarin.htm

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## Justikanz

Hey! Those Mandarins look SO good...  :Razz:  Got colours!  :Smile:  Wow... If only we can get them here... Thanks for the link, zhiz22...

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## zhiz22

> Hey! Those Mandarins look SO good...  Got colours!  Wow... If only we can get them here... Thanks for the link, zhiz22...


if you are lucky you may come by them  :Smile:

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## zhiz22

I just tried to use sinking pellet for my japanese FB newt

Surprisingly he went for it, and has consumed about 3-4 pieces already. They are small cylilndrical ones. Quite smelly type of pellet so probably very high protein food

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## Justikanz

My paddletails also go for pellets... They eat Hikari Crab Cruisine and will also try to eat the root monster fert pieces that they dug loose... Of course they spat those out...  :Razz: 

I might be giving up on those paddletails soon... I will sure miss them...

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## zhiz22

> My paddletails also go for pellets... They eat Hikari Crab Cruisine and will also try to eat the root monster fert pieces that they dug loose... Of course they spat those out... 
> 
> I might be giving up on those paddletails soon... I will sure miss them...



oh thats a pity. hope you can find good homes for them.

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## Justikanz

My paddletail... Not a firebelly, even though it has one...  :Smile:

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## XnSdVd

Heya, how're my luke and ling doing?

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## Justikanz

They are befriending the other 3... Do you hand feed them?

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## XnSdVd

They are out of chopsticks... but yeah, they're used to me feeding them. Hikari frozen bloodworms mostly. the occasional bug.

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## Justikanz

No wonder... Cos when I opened the tank lid and want to place the brine shrimp in the water, one of them actually tried to eat from my finger... My other newts would be like, *bo chap*...

Anyway, dunno who is this out of the 5...

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## XnSdVd

:Crying:  my little hand fed babies!
That reminds me, i've got a whole shitload of frozen bloodworms. Want some? like 5 packets...

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## ranmasatome

> Hey! Those Mandarins look SO good...  Got colours!  Wow... If only we can get them here... Thanks for the link, zhiz22...


those round things that colour up at the side of the mandarin newt are actually noxious sacs. When a predator bites into the newt.. a mechanism at the back of the sac burst it against the closing jaws of the predator and release the bad tasting and noxious chemicals.. thus the predator hopefully releases it. dont go bursting them if you have one.. they dont use it unless they have to...its not that good for them either..but if they have to use it to survive..they will.

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## Justikanz

Justin, dun think most of us will ever get our hands on the mandarins in Singapore.

Shannon, would they survive travelling 40km?  :Huh?:  You can use it to feed your other fish?  :Huh?:

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## zhiz22

The flesh on the bottom lip of my newt seems to be injured, like being eaten away. No other fish in the same tank other than a cory. Just did water change. Any other advise?

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## Justikanz

Ask a vet? Keep the water clean and observe...

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## Justikanz

Heh heh... Took more pics...  :Razz: 



Cute, right? Can see the 'fingers'... Bigsmile:


This one looks a little pissed...


This one's must be wondering what I was doing... Keke...  :Smile: 


See what see?


Wonder why some of my female friends scream when they see them... They are SOooooo cute... Heh heh...  :Grin:

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## XnSdVd

do my two babies still eat from your hand? haha, kinda miss them. But it's good that someone's taking care of them  :Grin:

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## Justikanz

Yes... They will try to bite my hand when it is feeding time... They will be the ones that will actually look out of the water and aim for my finger! Cute!  :Grin:

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## XnSdVd

Haha, I get the feeling they're fatter than yours too.... Haha. Well at least they're having fun.

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## Justikanz

Only 1 fella is fatter than my original other 3... One is a tad small... Ling?  :Razz: 

Anyway, I cannot differenciate any one of them... Except during feeding times when yours would be more actively hunting my finger!  :Smile:

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## Fei Miao

Hi guys any sighting of fire belly newts in the lfs recently, I find paddle tails too agressive  :Evil:

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## zhiz22

i saw some but in that tank, one was upside down, the other had one limb gone with fungus.

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## XnSdVd

Ask thomas to breed his(gotta stop refering to them as mine =p) Think they start getting it on once the temp goes below 20 or something... That and the fat one would be luke, ling's older, smaller and she seems to be more grey than black.

Interesting thing about newts, they can actually regenerate lost limbs.  :Opps:

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## Justikanz

Below 20C? That's almost not possible... Think I'll be happy they live happy lifes with me... If they do breed, then it would just be something extra.  :Smile: 

That, and it seems you might have gotten it opposite (or maybe I'd gotten it opposite). Read somewhere that females are bigger and fatter... Anyone can confirm? Too tired and lazy to check for info these days...  :Opps:   :Razz:

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## XnSdVd

well the little one's ling  :Wink:  no idea if it's female .

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## Fei Miao

here's a link to sexing newts:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/sexing.shtml

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## zhiz22

mouth more rotten but no fungal
any med i can use?

salt?

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## Justikanz

Oh dear... I really have no idea... Have you tried searching the net? There is a Newt and Salamander forum... Let me check tonight using my laptop and post the URL. You can post there for help...

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## Justikanz

Try this forum... I had not had the time to read thoroughly but they seem quite good... 

http://www.caudata.org/

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## zhiz22

realised mym newt isnt shedding
hasnt shed since i got it

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## zhiz22

update of my newt

the lower jaw had an ulcer and its quite bad but it has stopped since. testing various med such as applying yellow powder, PP, methylene blue to wound. 

Also testing methyelen blue, yellow powder in water. 

There are small fluffy stuff growing on its body but it is shedding adequately to overcome that. it not those cottonly fungus but like little plantlets/mushroom growth on the body.

pic of lester

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## XnSdVd

Hmm... I'd suggest distilled water for water changes. In cases like this i believe it's best to reduce stress as much as possible and let Lesters' own immune system handle the problem. 

Try to stick to 1 form of medication, keep the dosage constant and continue untill a week after the last signs have disappeared. Meth blue seems to be the safest option. Newts are very similar to frogs except they can regenerate severed limbs(really! a whole arm!) so anything too toxic might cause increased levels of stress and a loss of appetite. So for now... fatten him up. Good luck, I know how attached you can get to these little critters  :Grin:

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## Justikanz

A not so good news for the 6th day of CNY... One of my newts died...  :Sad: 

The tank water had started to become cloudy 3 days ago for no specific reason that I can think of, except for crypt melt...  :Opps: 

I changed almost 50% of water for the first and second day. All seems well. Forgot to change water last night. Came back late tonight and saw 1 fella floating... 

Immediately did an almost 100% water change...

I hope the remaining 4 are ok. NO idea which died...  :Opps:

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