Question: What kind of newt or salamader might live by a backyard pond in Edmonton, Albarta

I have a 320 gallon outdoor pond in my back yard with some small koi and gold fish in it already. I am looking to find out if it would be possible to introduce some other creatures into the habitat. I'm looking for sugestions as to specific types or even about feasibility, ie, what would have to be done to keep a pet with legs around our pond and if there is a type that would be able to winter properly. pretty much I'm looking for as much information as i can get about this subject.

thanks for any help in advance;

Brad

In normal situations like this I would suggest not adding animals yourself. Any non-native animal, or even native animals not collected locally, could cause considerable damage to local populations. There are many diseases that are currently threatening amphibians and by adding your own animals it is definitely possible to contribute to the spread of those diseases and the decline of local animals.

The best solution for amphibians in man made ponds is to make the pond a suitable habitat so that local species move in and use the pond. Man made ponds are normally perfect for this if they don't contain fish and have some suitable shoreline vegetation.

Unfortunately, the fact that your pond is stocked with fish basically will keep you from adding any amphibian or many other animals. Amphibians prefer to live and breed in fishless waters as the fish are excellent predators of larvae and eggs.

If you want amphibians in your backyard you would have to either remove the fish or create a second pond that has no fish. Encouraging the local amphibians to colonize your pond is the way of choice here. Stocking the pond with amphibians, be they native or non-native, is a bad idea ecologically and may be illegal.

"Build it and they will come". If your pond is suitable to frogs or salamanders, they will find it, sooner or later. As Abrahm mentioned, it may not be suitable due to the fish. And I completely agree with him on the reasons why it's not a good idea to release non-local amphibs into the pond.

I am from Edmonton too. And as A recommendation, If you want frogs and salamanders in your pond, you may need to remove the fish. As for the Salamander, a tiger salamander would probably be happy there. they can be found right here in the city. People often find them burried in their gardens. and you could possibly collect salamander larvae and tadpoles from small ponds just out side of the city. However the presence of koi and goldfish would make it undesirable for salamanders and frogs to breed in. Hope I have helped.

tiger salamanders can be overwintered in a shoreline or woodland vivarium. Try to keep it on the cool side, near a window.