Aquatic housing of Triturus marmoratus??

B

brian

Guest
hello caudata aficionados!
i consider myself very lucky to have 4 marbled newts. i keep them on land with a large water dish. Because two have small crests protruding already, i am thinking about keeping them in water and am curious as to my chances of having them reproduce. Although i am not certain i believe i may have 2 males and 2 females. If they do not reproduce at least i may see some very cool looking crests. I feel like i should make an attempt to get them to mate because they are so rare in the U.S. I read i should house them in at least 10 inches of water and imagine a 20 gallon tank would be sufficent. Is a whisper filter okay? Most aquariums come with a light/hood rather then a sliding screen top, is this okay? In addition i have read here how i should put lots of plants and provide only a very small floating island. how big should this island be? Would it be shocking for them to switch to mostly water or should i try to get them used to the switch? Because they live on land but do spend alot of time in their water i think they would enjoy the water and also i heard that they do better in an aquatic setup. If they reproduced it would be amazing, however i am not very confident because i do not keep them very cold, just room temperature. Any help is extremely appreciated. thanks.
 
Wel,I would first of all recomend NOT getting the hood, as marbs can climb, they may get out.
I would recomend getting a metal reptile folding lid and I lit strip. Yes 20 gallons is huge for this many newts, I would go for a 10 gall, but 20 gal leaves room for LOTS of expansion.. the island could ba just a small med turttle dock that floats in the aquarium. Yes marbs tend to be a more aquatic creature. I would let them live in the aquatic set up permentaly.

While I may not be a expert thats what I belive u should do..

~John
 
Thanks John. A 10 gallon sounds good. What type of filter would you recommend? Also i imagine their food would change. I would feed them bloodworms, but would they be able to eat small crickets still? Did you mean a light strip, like one to keep live plants alive? I know live plants would be best for them but i always have bad luck with plants. hopefully if the newts can, they still would lay eggs on lifelike plastic plants? Thanks again.
 
Well usually live plants r best because they are more "flexible" and the newts often seem to be more comfortable around them. So I don't know if plastic plants would work. Elodea is a very hardy, good for egg-laying, and is a relativly cheap real plant, (I would put 10 strands in the tank..

Yes I did mean a light strip.

I use a whisper 10i filter( in my 10 gallons) and it works great, tho u have to use the suction cups because if there is any holes ur pinky can fit through the newts can to.

Yes I feed my smaller newts (c.o., triturs to) bloodworms, or very small red worms1.5-2 inches long, and relativly skinny..

Yes they can eat small crickets but u must hand feed them.
 
a couple more questions.. John the i in 10i filter means internal right? I imagine those are much better then the hanging filters because this way you only need to patch up a small hole with the power cord. is that right? i should get an internal filter w/ suction cups. Whisper is made by tetra? i read good reviews of a duetto? filter. i believe they are similar just different manufacturers? Also should i get a light strip and put it on the top of the screen or should i get a light and shine it from the side? what bulb do i want to use again because i dont want to produce heat, only the minimum UV necessary for that Elodea.. Sorry for all the questions, i am nervous about going from mostly land to fully aquatic and dont want to hurt my babies. Can you post a pic? thanks again
 
10i does mean internal, Brian. I would get a regular aquarium light strip that sits on top of the screen. You should be able to buy the flourescent bulb at a pet store and even Wal-Mart has them (in the aquarium section).
 
Ali, would a regular aquarium light with its hood take up all of the screen resulting in poor circulation? If it were a bare light fixture i imagine it would be much better then having a bulky hood on it too. Would the light seperate from the hood? I just dont really want to cover them up so much ya know? Thanks again!
 
A 10 gallon tank is NOT large enough for 4 adult marbled newts. These newts get quite large. I had 4 young adults in a well-designed 10-gallon tank, but had to sell 2 of them because they were just too crowded when they reached full size.

In my opinion, 4 of them will need more than just one small floating island. They all need hiding places. In the summer, they will spend quite a bit of time out of the water.

When it's time for the transition to water, be sure there are plenty of good solid islands (not just floating bark). It is possible for adults to drown if they are completely unaccustomed to water.
 
1. May I suggest a Fluval 1 for a filter? I recently bought one for my 10 gallon tank and it seems great so far. Quiet, not alot of heat generated, and the newts love the vibrations.
2. Try elodea, java ferns and anubius for live plants. They're all common and cheap and the newts will like them better than plastic plants. Elodea seems to grow fast too, so you can start with a few batches and then as they sprout new branches, you can prune them to start new batches. Just check the plants for small snails before you put them in the tank so you dont have to take them out again and rinse them or end up with an infestation problem.
3. When I bought my tank, it came with a light hood, which I use at night to give the plants some UV rays (Make sure you buy fluorescent light and not incandescent lights), but I also bought a screen top which fits my tank. I use this during the day and it helps with keeping the tank cool and allows better circulation of air. Just be careful of any gaps since the newts can climb up and squeeze through.

Good luck with your newties!
 
Brian, this site:

http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Triturus/T_marmoratus.shtml

describes in detail the housing requirements. Before I read that, I knew nothing about marbled newts but now I would NOT put that many in a ten gallon (like Jennifer said) and I would definately go with part water and part land, permanently.
 
thanks for the responses. I agree that a 10 is too small and tonight i was looking at a 15 gallon. it looks similar to the one i have now only this way i can go deep with water and provide a decent land area, making it seem even better. At first, I wanted a 50/50 set-up but i read that for reproduction you should only provide water with a small island. Since it is winter i thought of putting them fully aquatic(besides a turtle dock with bark and stuff for hiding) After winter i would think of fully terrestrial again. I think a 15 gallon w/ decent land might be good w/ elodea and a 10i, but i am scared of introducing them to that deep of a water environment. i read they are an aquatic species so it frightens me to think they can drown. If there was a good amount of plants for them to hang onto would they still drown? , or maybe i should keep the water level lower at first? I am on the verge of making the setup i have described and would love more feedback. thank you.
 
I doubt I would need an Exo Terra Repti Glo 8.0 lamp with my marbled newts? I bought a light strip that included a fluorescent bulb and the guy brought me that lamp as well. The box says it is a dessert lamp with a very high UV Output, and has pictures of reptiles and turtles. I told the salesman i wanted to keep the tank cool and only provide sufficient light to keep the elodea alive and he got me this light. Is he not wrong and i should return this light and just use the regular bulb with it? Thanks..
 
Brian, I'm not sure, I would wait for further advice on this one. My light strip came in a plain white box. I think they have it at Wal-Mart, too.
 
ya, Im pretty sure the extra bulb is not necessary.The tank i got is really cool, i am just nervous because i have to silicone the backing of it. It is a spongy material that has some small fake plants and looks really natural. (Ill put some live plants too) I was told to silicone one side at a time and put weights on it to get it to stick, and allow it to dry.. It will take a few days to fry and get up and running for this reason. The only thing is the filter is inside the material and I cant really see it. I will be running two Elite 801 Air pumps. It has a replacable filter but im not sure which it is. Before i silicon the tank and make it mine i want to check again about the filter. It looks like a a white filter maybe 4" high by 2 1/2" (guessing)that is siting up in the bottom corner. Wish i had a camera to give a better idea, and hope the material will ot cause any problems. I was also wondering if i should cut out an area on the bottom leaving it bear? I read that it is beneficial and easier to clean if you have a bottom like that. thank you
 
brian said:
hello caudata aficionados!
i consider myself very lucky to have 4 marbled newts. i keep them on land with a large water dish. Because two have small crests protruding already, i am thinking about keeping them in water and am curious as to my chances of having them reproduce. Although i am not certain i believe i may have 2 males and 2 females. If they do not reproduce at least i may see some very cool looking crests. I feel like i should make an attempt to get them to mate because they are so rare in the U.S. I read i should house them in at least 10 inches of water and imagine a 20 gallon tank would be sufficent. Is a whisper filter okay? Most aquariums come with a light/hood rather then a sliding screen top, is this okay? In addition i have read here how i should put lots of plants and provide only a very small floating island. how big should this island be? Would it be shocking for them to switch to mostly water or should i try to get them used to the switch? Because they live on land but do spend alot of time in their water i think they would enjoy the water and also i heard that they do better in an aquatic setup. If they reproduced it would be amazing, however i am not very confident because i do not keep them very cold, just room temperature. Any help is extremely appreciated. thanks.
Click to expand...
Woo woo woo! Four marbled Newts? Yes you are and you should feel quite honored or lucky. I will find more to you in a little while I definitely want to share more with you. I am Michelle Octavia. Nice to meet you
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
  • Shane douglas:
    with axolotls would I basically have to keep buying and buying new axolotls to prevent inbred breeding which costs a lot of money??
     +1
    Unlike
  • Thorninmyside:
    Not necessarily but if you’re wanting to continue to grow your breeding capacity then yes. Breeding axolotls isn’t a cheap hobby nor is it a get rich quick scheme. It costs a lot of money and time and deditcation
     +1
    Unlike
  • stanleyc:
    @Thorninmyside, I Lauren chen
     +1
    Unlike
  • Clareclare:
    Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus Japanese . I'm raising them and have abandoned the terrarium at about 5 months old and switched to the aquatic setups you describe. I'm wondering if I could do this as soon as they morph?
     +1
    Unlike
    Clareclare: Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus... +1
    Back
    Top