Asian newts friendship

[Janusz Wierzbicki]

Hongkongensis adult female and C.e.e. young female feeding

[Ingo]

Hello Janusz,

please take a look to these impressive pictures:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/M...isasters.shtml

Greetings Ingo V.

[AJ]

I dont think that is a safe combination of species. There is quite a size and origin difference.

[Janusz Wierzbicki]

Always same answer...
I kept these animals for some months, this female is not agressive, i have enough knowledge about them. I haven't just bought all my newts in petshop and put them in one tank, i read about them.

[Rodrigo]

I´m sorry, but if you have indeed read about it, why would you still do it?
I know this kind of situations gets a lot of unwanted "don´t do that" messages(and i´m sorry to join the unwanted answer category)....but as one of those people who don´t understand the reasons behind this mixes, i have to say it really makes little sense.
If you know about the risks, what moves you to ignore them?

[Janusz Wierzbicki]

I know my newts, i have tank with lots of hiding places and they are well fed. Never saw my hongkong female showing ANY kind of agression against any creature (other newts, corydoras, snails) instead of food. The ensicaudas are too big for her to swallow, if she would ever try. So what's the problem? They are healthy and doing well.
In that article, listed problems with newts mixing were mostly about eating very small newts by bigger and biting off legs. Here i can't have such problem.

[Rodrigo]

There are many other problems than just the possibility of something eating another...
The fact that the ensicauda are too big to be swallowed doesn´t mean their legs or tails can´t be bitten and harmed.
You´d be amazed at how big a prey they can try to eat (the fact that they can´t eat it doesn´t mean they can´t try).
Also, there´s the frequently ignored issue of illnesses. In your case, probably nothing happened, but when you first mixed them there was a risk of introducing pathogens and parasites.
Anyway it´s prefectly clear that you have your mind made up. I just hope you realize that this situations get this kind of answers because people are actually worried....it´s not just an attack, it´s genuine worry about a less than ideal situation.
I hope you never have any problem!

[Janusz Wierzbicki]

Originally Posted by azhael

You´d be amazed at how big a prey they can try to eat (the fact that they can´t eat it doesn´t mean they can´t try).
Also, there´s the frequently ignored issue of illnesses. In your case, probably nothing happened, but when you first mixed them there was a risk of introducing pathogens and parasites.
Anyway it´s prefectly clear that you have your mind made up. I just hope you realize that this situations get this kind of answers because people are actually worried....it´s not just an attack, it´s genuine worry about a less than ideal situation.
I hope you never have any problem!

I repeat: i mixed them because i know that female would not be agressive towards them, as i know hongkongs reputation and my own newts. I keep newts for over 2 years and i have some experience about their abilities. If i would have normal hongkong newts, like those from other keepers, that attack everything that moves, i would not even mind about mixing. But i have this one, and decided to mix them, without problems for now.

[John Clare]

That large hit to your reputation was from me.

[Janusz Wierzbicki]

Sorry but i don't specially care about reputation points. Your opinion, your choice.

[newtamander]

I sure you think this is a good idea but its not. Mixing amphibians with different species of ANYTHING is almost never going to end well. Some times mixes may stay friendly for a while but newts being very violent animals (for the most part)usually attack small ones eventually.

[Rodrigo]

Eeeer....SOME newts are agressive...other are not...i don´t think it´s fair to generalize.
However, agressive or not, that´s not the only issue with mixing species..people seem to forget that a lot. All you hear is, they don´t attack each other, bla bla bla..but there´s so much more....like for example, do they breed? because if they don´t, something´s definitely wrong even though they don´t tear each other apart.

[Janusz Wierzbicki]

Nice point. But my orientalis did bred, when they were kept together with these ensicaudas (they were not winter cooled and were living together for 6 months). And my friend bred waltls when keeping them together with hongkongs and chinensis (but second species were moved out, because they are agressive).

[Ingo]

Hello Janusz,

2 years are not a long time to make expierences.
There are too many examples that co-housing makes problems sooner or later.
And P. hongkongensis is in generally a agressive species.

Breeding success by oneself is no proof for species-appropriate housing.
A winter cooling period has more reasons than only bring the newts in breeding condition.
Our first bond in keeping newts and salamanders is to simulate the conditions from there natural habitat.
And either the temperatures in the tank are to cold for the Corydoras or to warm for the P. hongkongensis.
Your call that you have knowlegde about the nessecities of P. hongkongensis is not more than a assertion.

Greetings Ingo V.

[Janusz Wierzbicki]

Originally Posted by Ingo

Hello Janusz,

2 years are not a long time to make expierences.
There are too many examples that co-housing makes problems sooner or later.
And P. hongkongensis is in generally a agressive species.

Breeding success by oneself is no proof for species-appropriate housing.
A winter cooling period has more reasons than only bring the newts in breeding condition.
Our first bond in keeping newts and salamanders is to simulate the conditions from there natural habitat.
And either the temperatures in the tank are to cold for the Corydoras or to warm for the P. hongkongensis.
Your call that you have knowlegde about the nessecities of P. hongkongensis is not more than a assertion.

I'm not saying, that i'm an expert keeper, but i'm not newbie in this hobby.
And what do you think shows that animals are in good condition, if not their apetite and breeding? I don't understand, what are another signs of their good thriving.
About Corydoras - temp is 20-22'C. Newts are doing well, Kaysie is also keeping and breeding hongkongensis not-in-basement (she said that aquarium is in the kitchen). And i'm planning to remove the fish, but it's really hard do catch them in heavily planted tank.

I'm ending with this discussion, it makes no sense, you can delete the topic.

[Ingo]

Hello,

I`m sorry, that your behavior to our legitimate critique is like that.

We all learn lifelong.

Greetings Ingo V.

Originally Posted by Yahilles

I'm ending with this discussion, it makes no sense, you can delete the topic.