paddle tail or japanese FB

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moonstream

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I got Zeke from the LFS labeled as a fire belly, after getting him home I noticed he looked like a paddle tail and decided that was what he was, after seeing some pics of japenese fire belly newts I am almost certain he is one of them. AHHHH so confusing!

his bodey, head, and eyes look exactly the same as these C. pyrrhogaster newts
http://www.caudata.org/cc/images/articles/misc/C_pyrrhogaster_skin.jpg

his stomach is very dark brown (almost black) w/ many bright orange spots, and his tail is the only thing that I cant figure out. it is wide and flat like a paddle tail, but the tip is pointed. also, he has the same ridges as the newts in above photo. any ideas? how many FB (assuming that is what he is) could live in a 15g (would be mostly water, w/ a male betta and some small, fast little schooling fish) could I keep him, 2 females, and some of their offspring? what should I feed him?
 
could he be a paddle tail/ FB hybrid? could he be a japanese/ chinese FB hybrid?
 
Paddletails and Cynops don't interbreed (they're not closely related). It's doubtable that it's a hybrid between chinese and japanese firebellies.
 
hmm... would it be okay to house him in the previously mentioned housing arrangment? I think that he is a japanese FB because he didnt seem to display any aggression towads the male he was kept w/ at the store. he also looks moe like a FB then a paddletail after looking at pictures.
 
thank you, that was very, vey helpful! I am now getting ready to setup a more permanent enclosure for Zeke, he will live in it until the spring, when I plan to make a 29g his permanent home (and maybe keep him w/ several females and some fire belly toads). I will be busy planning his new home until then!
 
Compare the photos of JFB with paddletails:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Pachytriton/Pachytriton.shtml
Is the tail tip rounded or pointed?

If they are really JFB, you could keep about 3 in that size tank. However, in the long run I'd recommend keeping them separately from the fishes. I had a bad experience with a betta fish that was with my newts for a long time and then suddenly decided that pecking on the newts' eyes was a fun sport. Not good. Also, the temperature requirements of the fish are likely to cause you to keep the newts warmer than what they'd prefer.
 
okay, no other species! I would hate for Zeke to get hurt because I was stupid! so only 3 newts in a 29g o in a 15g? on a fish foum someone recomended 8 FBN for a 10g?????
 
You might be able to keep 8 CFB in a 10-gallon, if the tank is carefully maintained and has plenty of water volume (though I'd recommend 4 as a more sensible number). But JFB are significantly larger. I would only recommend 2 JFB for a 10-gallon tank, or 3 in a 15-gallon. For a 29-gallon, 4-6 would be a comfortable number.

Are you sure now that you have the species ID correct? As you can see, the exact species has a big impact on how they should be housed.
 
I am 99% sure that Zeke is a JFB and not a CFB and 100% sue he isnt a paddle tail.
 
Any chance of a photo? We can give you a definite ID. To an untrained eye they can all look similar.
 
I will try my best to get a photo, but I am now 100% sure he is a JFB.
 
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