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Question: FBN metamorphosis

Larry85

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Hi all, been a while since I posted as my newts are doing well. All my hatchlings from the summer died apart from one but its been doing well for the last 4 months and has just crawled out onto my floating shelf.

I could do with some advice on how best to look after it, should I move to a new tank or will it cope on the floating shelf? I've got a large aquarium (150 litres) and 3 big turtle dock shelves floating together (total area about 30cm x 30cm), will it be happy on there? I'm concerned the water under the shelves is about 35cm deep.

Now that's it's terrestrial what's the best food? It was eating frozen brine shrimp and frozen bloodworm off the aquarium floor previously.

I've got 4 other FBN in the tank, 3 never come out of the water but the smaller one occasionally pops out.

Thanks!
L
 

Larry85

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Not a great photo but should give an idea about floating shelves and aquarium set up.

Thanks,
L
 

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jewett

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Hi Larry,

Congrats on your little morph! Seeing these little guys leave the water is one of the best parts of the hobby in my opinion :)

I have always reared my Cynops and Hypselotriton juveniles terrestrial in simple set ups with damp paper towels for substrate and simple hides such as cork bark and clumps of java moss. I feed them fruit flies and blackworms, and hand feed f/t blood worms and tiny bits of chopped earthworm. I have had good success with this method.

I have read others' accounts of raising these guys aquatically, though, but have never tried it myself. You can read about their methods and experiences here: http://www.caudata.org/forum/f1173-...423-raising-c-pyrrhogaster-fully-aquatic.html and here: http://www.caudata.org/forum/f1173-.../94022-raising-h-orientalis-efts-aquatic.html

I think to be truly successful with the aquatic method you need tons of floating / emergent plants, like enough that you literally can't see the back of the tank. This is because the morphs of fire belly species tend to be so hydrophobic and are prone to drowning. I think the really tricky part is providing a good resting place while not providing a place where they can completely haul out and become truly terrestrial.

I think if set up right the aquatic method can be very successful, but it may not be very easy to actually do right.

Regardless of the method you use I wish you the best of luck! Sounds silly but I have total regrets over not keeping the first morphs I raised from the various species I have!

HJ
 

Larry85

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Awesome - thank you so much Heather! Think I will move it to a mainly terrestrial tank with shallow bit of water, put in plenty of hiding places and attempt to hand feed. Fingers crossed that will do the trick.

Thanks again
L
 
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