Moved thread: T. shanjing aquatic setup, or suggestions for other aquatic species

hi jennewt,

nice to see you here!
Thanks for your help in my P.chineses.

ok i have a few questions about T.shanjing.
just want to check all the info before i get them and to ensure they do not die in my hands.

1) Can T.shanjing be keep in a aquatic setup like P.Chineses? 4 inch water and above?
because i have no way to keep them cool in the 22*C range when newts are on land.
my ambient temp is very high 28*C.
if in the water, i can use my chiller to lower the temp to 22*C.

2) the link on this site says they like arid conditions
http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Tylototriton/T_shanjing.shtml
but according to your own experiences they prefer humid conditions.
will humid conditions develop bactirial and fungus infections in T.shanjing?
so i am a bit confuse here.

3) when building a land area for T.shanjing, do i really need to use soil or coconut fiber?
i do not like soil and coconut fiber which dirty the enclosure and water, difficult to keep clean.

i was thinking if i can use 4-5 Red bricks packed together, the red bricks 5 inch in height and build a large area of land for T.shanjing. on the sides of the red bricks i can have a lot of water plants to provide shelters.
the surrounding area will be water of 4 inch height with a sponge filter to clean and aerate the water. in this case i can easily cleanup the land area and water.

4) regarding temp on land, i was thinking if 22*C water from my chiller will be dispense with a pump through a sprayer bar, the Ehiem type sprayer bar for fish tanks?

opps so many questions!

thanks and have a nice day!

Jennewt said:

From my own experience, I would say that mid-60s in winter to upper-70s in summer works fine. Since this is what most people have in their house, this is fairly easy to provide. Some folks claim that they are quite OK up to temps in the 80s, but I wouldn't really recommend this. They like to be kept somewhat humid.

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Re: Temperature Range for Tylototriton shajing

ksc133 said:

I'll try to answer a few of these for you.
ok i have a few questions about T.shanjing.

i have seen them on a couple of times in my area.
but i am not sure thought if they are T.shanjing or T.Verrucosus? how to really differentiate them?
i actually prefer T.Verrucosus as they seem easier to keep in my area. It can be hard to differentiate the two, however typically verrucosus is more drab in color and has smaller tubercles than shanjing. Also, verrucosus often lacks the brightly colored dorsal stripe that shanjing have.

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just want to check all the info before i get them and to ensure they do not die in my hands.

1) Can T.shanjing be keep in a aquatic setup like P.Chineses? 4 inch water and above?
because i have no way to keep them cool in the 22*C range when newts are on land.
my ambient temp is very high 28*C.
if in the water, i can use my chiller to lower the temp to 22*C.
T.shanjing is a primarily terrestrial species, and so that type of set-up would not really be appropriate. 28 C is definitely too high for them. Would you be able to find a way to keep it even slightly cooler?

2) the link on this site says they like arid conditions
http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Tylototriton/T_shanjing.shtml
but according to your own experiences they prefer humid conditions.
will humid conditions develop bactirial and fungus infections in T.shanjing?
so i am a bit confuse here.
Overly humid conditions may very well cause issues. T.shanjing prefer a dryer substrate, however some moisture is necessary.

3) when building a land area for T.shanjing, do i really need to use soil or coconut fiber?
i do not like soil and coconut fiber which dirty the enclosure and water, difficult to keep clean.

i was thinking if i can use 4-5 Red bricks packed together, the red bricks 5 inch in height and build a large area of land for T.shanjing. on the sides of the red bricks i can have a lot of water plants to provide shelters.
the surrounding area will be water of 4 inch height with a sponge filter to clean and aerate the water. in this case i can easily cleanup the land area and water.
The set-up you suggest sounds great for aquatic species, such as P.chinensis, but as stated above, T.shanjing should really be kept terrestrially on a substrate of soil and/or coco-fiber. A water area besides a small water dish wouldn't really be necessary unless you wished to breed them.

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Good Luck!

Re: Temperature Range for Tylototriton shajing

I completely agree with Nathan! I have a male T. Shanjing that will not go into water for any length of time. Very rarely do I see him in there. He stays on the dry side under a large rock and wanders at night, or when I spray. I think if aquatic is your preference, than T. Shanjing is not your animal of choice! I would recommend Verrucosus, over Shanjing hands down for a semi-aquatic captive.

-jbherpin-

Re: Temperature Range for Tylototriton shajing

hi folks,

i got it. T.shanjing are not for me.
will try to get T.Verrucosus

thanks for your help

Re: Temperature Range for Tylototriton shajing

Glad to help, and in the end provide you perhaps a happier time with herps!

-jbherpin-

Re: Temperature Range for Tylototriton shajing

yeah, we all want the caudates to be heathly and happie!!!

Re: Temperature Range for Tylototriton shajing

What semi/full aquatics are available to you? I can name a great variety, but if they aren't acquirable, what's the use?

-jbherpin-

Re: Temperature Range for Tylototriton shajing

hi jbherpin,

not many spieces i can get here.

most common are

1) Cynops orientalis
2) Pachytriton labiatus
3) Paramesotriton chinensis i got 3 of them
4) Paramesotriton hongkongensis

below are rare i have seen them time to time

5) Tylototriton shanjing not sure if they are Tylototriton verrucosus ?
6) Tylototriton kweichowensis only seen them 1 time.
7) Ambystoma mexicanum still possible to get. :grin:

jbherpin said:

What semi/full aquatics are available to you? I can name a great variety, but if they aren't acquirable, what's the use?

-jbherpin-

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Re: Temperature Range for Tylototriton shajing

I would suggest P. Hongkongensis, over any of the others... They are very hardy, and should be kept aquatic with a large volume of water. This provides you the opportunity to create a very elaborate home, that fits your preferences! I have owned a large male in the past (he is now with a freind), and he was an absolute joy! He ate a wide variety of foods greedily, including: Garden Worms, live Brine Shrimp, "Nutra-Gel" Bloodworms, pelleted foods(Reptomin floating sticks), etc. Let us know what you settle on!

-jbherpin

Re: Temperature Range for Tylototriton shajing

hi jbherpin,

i already have 3 P.chineses which are similar to P.hongkongsis

how about Axolots Ambystoma mexicanum ?

thanks

jbherpin said:

I would suggest P. Hongkongensis, over any of the others... They are very hardy, and should be kept aquatic with a large volume of water. This provides you the opportunity to create a very elaborate home, that fits your preferences! I have owned a large male in the past (he is now with a freind), and he was an absolute joy! He ate a wide variety of foods greedily, including: Garden Worms, live Brine Shrimp, "Nutra-Gel" Bloodworms, pelleted foods(Reptomin floating sticks), etc. Let us know what you settle on!

-jbherpin

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Re: Temperature Range for Tylototriton shajing

ksc133 said:

how about Axolots Ambystoma mexicanum ?

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I was under the impression that it is illegal to keep axolotls in Singapore. Am I mistaken? I'm refering to this thread: http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?p=205558#post205558

Re: Temperature Range for Tylototriton shajing

I have moved this part of the thread here, as it isn't really to do with the initial question about temps for T. shanjing. Its also more generally about obtainable aquatic species, so i've put it in newt and salamander help.

Chris