Hi. I'm new and I have a few questions

After interrogating the store assistants on the Fire-belly Newt (at least that's what the label said), I purchased one.

Things I've been told:
- "You take care of them like fish"
- "They eat bloodworms but can feed tortoise or fish pellets"
- "This tank (11 x 7 cm) is sufficient" [Which I've purchased]
- "Feed everyday"

What I've found out:
- There are a few other species of Fire-bellies and I'm not sure which one's mine.
- They need bigger floor space. 1/3 land and 2/3 water
- Fish food may contain too much protein or fat
- I musn't feed more than one small pellet a day AND I must feed twice a day
- They need shaded are but they also need sunlight and sun-warmth. They require some plants, a filter and running water.

My questions:
- My newt is about 4 inches from nose to tail. What species is it?

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...m/IMG_0508.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...m/IMG_0505.jpg

- I've put in 1cm gravel (washed with filtered water until the water is no longer cloudy) and 1.5cm water (R.O. drinking water) and a rock that has an area of 3cm x 4cm so that the newt can climb on in an 11 x 7 cm tank. Is that sufficient for one newt? What do I have to improve on?

- Can I actually feed the newt fish pellets or is blood worms preferable. Can I use pellets for times when I don't have worms? How much do I feed it? How often must I feed it and for how many days can it go without food?

- How often must I clean the tank if I don't have a filter?

- How do I monitor the newt's behavior? Are there any particular behaviour that I should be aware of like stress, threatened, etc.?

Sorry for the excessive questions. Thanks so much.

Welcome to the site, take a look at this,
http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Cy...ientalis.shtml

...and this.http://www.caudata.org/cc/faq/faq.shtml

thanks. I'm not sure if it'd be Chinese though seeing how it's quite big unless it's not going to grow any bigger.

the FAQ helped alot. thanks.

(Message edited by smellyocheese on October 08, 2005)

Most likely a Chinese firebelly...and a beautiful one at that.

Keep it cool. They don't really need a land area but provide a small island in case it wants to. Try feeding live earthworms or frozen bloodworms. They may eat pellets but the first two are much preferred .

Thanks

I might have trouble keeping it cool. The average room temperature here is around 26 degrees celcius. what do i do?

I'm gonna get bloodworms tomorrow. It doesn't seem to care for the pellets.

I agree, chinese firebelly. You are lucky to get such a large, healthy-looking one.

The FAQ linked above contain some suggestions for keeping tank water cooler than the surrounding air, for example, a screen lid, putting the tank low to the ground, moving the tank to the coolest part of the house, etc.

Pure RO water is NOT suitable for keeping aquatic animals. See:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/Spring_water.shtml

A tank of 11x7 cm is too small for long-term care. For a tank that small, you should be cleaning out debris (out from under the gravel) and changing part of the water every day.

thanks.

I use the RO water that I drink. sigh. I can't afford spring water. What about mineral water?

I'll get a bigger tank although not too soon. My mom's already complaining that I brought back a newt.

Is there a problem with your local tap water? If it's reasonably safe to drink, it should be OK, as long as you add an aquarium product to detoxify the chlorine. When you say mineral water, you mean the non-fizzy kind? That MIGHT be OK, but I wouldn't use it without testing it for pH. Maybe you could ask at the pet shop? Even if they are clueless about newts, they should be able to give good advice on what kind of water to use for fish (which would be the same deal for newts).

the tap water here is definitely not safe. I don't even use it to wash vegetables. It has an odour and a brownish tint.

yeah, I meant the non-fizzy type.

The pet stores here just use regular water. I guess they don't really care.

I might want to add that you shouldn't feed it twice a day, infact it's probably best to feed it twice a week.

thanks. That way it's easier for me too. And more economical. It's worrisome how the people at pet stores can give the wrong information.

I don't think I can use mineral water. I compared it with Poland spring water and the mineral content is too high where as the mineral content in RO water is too low. But both have the suitable pH.

(Message edited by smellyocheese on October 09, 2005)

I just placed 1/4 of a frozen bloodworm cube in the tank. My newt didn't entertain them. I tried feeding with forceps but it only ate one. should I try again tomorrow? and how many days without food should I start worrying?

When i first got my CFB he ate one worm the second day i had him and wouldnt eat for about a week. I started dangling the worm in front of its face with tweezers and he started to eat like that. I would try to be persistent, if he wont eat clean up the mess from the water and try again a little later.

ok. thanks. I don't think I can leave the bloodworms in the water for too long. The water becomes all slimy... I just sucked out all the debris I can and replaced half the water. still seems a little slimy to me but I didn't want to change the water entirely.

The average temperature here is 28*C. Is there any way inexpensive way to bring down the temperature? Can I perhaps use crystal bits (I have a whole bowl of them) at the bottom of the tank to keep the water cool? Or maybe put the tank in a basin of water? I am yet to look for a thermometer to check the temperature.

Perhaps it would work well to add just a bit of mineral water to the RO water.

Adding cool stones, like glass or marble, will NOT have any effect in lowering water temperature (I think this is what you are thinking with the "crystal bits"??) Many of the ideas listed in the CC FAQ are fairly inexpensive:

"How can I keep my newt/salamander cool enough during the summer?

*Increase evaporation. Use a screen top instead of a hood (this alone will lower the temperature 2°F or more). Use a small airstone or other bubbling device (one that does not create a current in the whole tank).
*Move the tank. Put it in the basement or other cool area. The floor of the room is a couple of degrees cooler than up higher. Move the tank out of any direct sunlight. Put it in front of the outflow from your AC unit.
*Remove or reduce appliances. If you have an incandescent light, replace it with a fluorescent light - incandescent generates too much heat. If you have a fluorescent light, use it for fewer hours per day.
*Use a bubble-driven filter instead of a powerhead or submersible filter. All motor-driven filters produce some heat.
*Bottles and jugs. Fill with water, put one in the freezer and one in the tank. Switch back and forth.
*Ice cubes. Remove some water and replace with ice cubes made with dechlorinated water. It is best to do this in the evening, to replicate the natural cycle of warm day/ cool night that the animal would have outdoors.
*Run a duct directly from your AC outlet to the side of the tank. It will still cool the rest of the room, and it will keep the tank cooler than the room."

thanks so much! I should be able to do that. Where I'm keeping the newt now is well-shaded so it's quite cooling but I'm gonna get a thermometer to check the temperature now and then.
I'll also be getting a bigger tank for a better set-up later.

only problem I have now is the water quality. I can't afford a filter. I've read in one of the threads that having a feeding dish would help so I shall try that.

tried feeding newt again but it wouldn't (I think it's female) eat. I tried the feeding dish but the blood worms just went all over the place. I only left some floating ones and I put in two of my home-bred baby guppies. Hopefully tomorrow morning, one of the guppies would go missing.

any other way to urge it to eat?

In such a small tank, be VERY careful about not letting any food rot in there. Even a small amount of dead food can turn the water foul quickly.

Most newts are too slow to catch guppies, but it's possible. Do your pet shops have any kind of live worms or live brine shrimp? Can you get earthworms somewhere?