Question: Is there any way to stop newts from breeding?

My newts breed profusely and I can't raise another hundred tadpoles... My guy is 10 and his son is 9... then there are 5 females.
I hate having them in separate tanks, it's so much harder to deal with since money is tight. Resources can't be spread evenly enough.
I wish they could all be together in the big tank... BUT TADPOLES!
I could focus on making life great in the big tank if they could stay together.
I know methylene blue prevents fertilization in fish, but would it work in Newts, and also would it hurt them? I can't do that... It looks like they have to be in 2 tanks... but he seems sad and doesn't do anything alone... he used to sit on land with his wife with his arm around her every morning when the sun came up looking out the window.
Anyone heard of anything?
Thanks!

And really, they never ever ever stop laying eggs... fertile nice eggs... :violent:

What type of newts are they?
Maybe you could sell the eggs?

PowerNewt said:

My newts breed profusely and I can't raise another hundred tadpoles... My guy is 10 and his son is 9... then there are 5 females.
I hate having them in separate tanks, it's so much harder to deal with since money is tight. Resources can't be spread evenly enough.
I wish they could all be together in the big tank... BUT TADPOLES!
I could focus on making life great in the big tank if they could stay together.
I know methylene blue prevents fertilization in fish, but would it work in Newts, and also would it hurt them? I can't do that... It looks like they have to be in 2 tanks... but he seems sad and doesn't do anything alone... he used to sit on land with his wife with his arm around her every morning when the sun came up looking out the window.
Anyone heard of anything?
Thanks!

And really, they never ever ever stop laying eggs... fertile nice eggs... :violent:

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take off the males and females in the tank separate them only choice,

Yeah, they've been apart for the last almost 5 years.
I wish there was something I could add to the water!!

Firebelly
and I'd never sell any of them or eggs around here. They'd probably be bought for cat toys. Stupid bad people...

I've had the oldest for 10 years now.

I´m sure you could find responsible people in Canada that would love to take those eggs or larvae from you.
I would just let them do their thing and if you are not interested in raising the larvae, leave them to fend for themselves with the parents. It´s possible that a few might survive (the probability varies depending on the characteristics of your tank) and you could perhaps keep those or give them away. They´d raise themselves with no effort from your part. That´s pretty much what i do and as a bonus, it provides a degree of selection which weeds out the unfit. These newts are explosive breeders, their strategy is producing hundreds of offspring of which only a tiny, tiny fraction will survive. You are not obligated to raise all the offspring they produce, but you won´t be able to prevent your adults from breeding.
If it bothers you too much, just get rid of the males or the females. If you wish to keep them all, then you have to deal with the results.

Why not just leave the eggs in the tank? You're not obligated to raise them. If the adults eat them, circle of life. If they survive, name them something epic and cage match.

Azhael said:

I´m sure you could find responsible people in Canada that would love to take those eggs or larvae from you.
I would just let them do their thing and if you are not interested in raising the larvae, leave them to fend for themselves with the parents. It´s possible that a few might survive (the probability varies depending on the characteristics of your tank) and you could perhaps keep those or give them away. They´d raise themselves with no effort from your part. That´s pretty much what i do and as a bonus, it provides a degree of selection which weeds out the unfit. These newts are explosive breeders, their strategy is producing hundreds of offspring of which only a tiny, tiny fraction will survive. You are not obligated to raise all the offspring they produce, but you won´t be able to prevent your adults from breeding.
If it bothers you too much, just get rid of the males or the females. If you wish to keep them all, then you have to deal with the results.

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My Newts don't eat the babies or eggs and they all or almost all survive nicely. Canada is 3000 miles across, but I mean in my area I have never found anyone that took care of anything. I once gave 14 to a retired pet store manager with a reptile obsessed daughter. She loved newts and wanted some... I had so many and was in a really bad situation with money and life... sooo.....They left them in an unheated room over the winter and never fed them even once in 6mo. or so. Half starved to death, the young one never once got a meal and died, and another 2 died of swelling up after I got them back... from starvation related issues. They had maybe 1/2" of filthy water when I took them back.
I gave them everything and a big bag of frozen bloodworms... they never even plugged in the light... anyway. I'm traumatized and will never get over that and I will never ever again give any newt away no matter what. They've been through too much.
Even the pet stores here have heat lamps and most look starving... it's sad they can't do better than that.

Kaysie said:

Why not just leave the eggs in the tank? You're not obligated to raise them. If the adults eat them, circle of life. If they survive, name them something epic and cage match.

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I'd end up with a thousand and I can't deal with that many. They don't eat the eggs and most survive... It's $25 for a bag of bloodworms here... the same ones that are $6.50 mail order... but I can't get them delivered here.

I was only wondering if anyone knew of a *newt spermicide* by any crazy chance.
Like a copper wire, methylene blue, you know, something someone might have tried at some point. I've had them for 10 years and have of course had a lot of different things happen with them in that time.

I have to keep them the best I can and try to keep 'em happy as possible. They're not just fish-tank-inhabitants to me. They're all I've had through a really rotten hard life so far. I adore them, each one. :happy:

They're in a female and male tank now. Guys in a 10 and girls in a 20. I recently changed the tank around a lot and the girls seem really happy with it. Real plants only, bamboo, cordylines, shallow swampy areas, and stone roof apartments to hide in etc. lol...

Adding in some goldfish stopes my ribbed newts from breeding Ive noticed. You might try that?

beefsteak said:

Adding in some goldfish stopes my ribbed newts from breeding Ive noticed. You might try that?

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That´s trully terrible, terrible advice....

beefsteak said:

Adding in some goldfish stopes my ribbed newts from breeding Ive noticed. You might try that?

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My Newts are absolutely terrified of fish. Even tiny feeder guppies. They ramp out and refuse to touch the water... even if I take the fish out, until I've changed the water.
I think the Newts hate *fish-smell*

But really Goldfish are big and rough and they'd bite my Newts. They produce so much bio-load... My tanks are too small too.

My goldfish always end up about 14 inches long and don't even fit in a 40gal.

Maybe it stops your guys from breeding because they're bothered/stressed?

What about puting a divider in the tank? And making sure the divider goes all the way up to the lid?

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Alfredo21 said:

What about puting a divider in the tank? And making sure the divider goes all the way up to the lid?

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That is a good idea, but I just was hoping to make it so they can sit together like they used to. The older male would always sit on land with his arm around the big female and look out the window in the morning... Sounds like I'm making more of it than is real, but they really seemed to love doing that...

I have considered the divider thing though... Maybe if I had money and bigger tanks... I just barely cut my thumb half off and I can't feel it now so I'm completely screwed to do anything, even button my pants... and I'm moving right soon too!! Lord, I hope it's better soon!!

Thanks for your ideas.

Oh, and I would put it all the way up, even though my Newts aren't climbers at all. They were as Efts but it's been about 5 years that I've never seen anyone heading up... I know they probably would first chance they get though with a divider! lol....
They're just all pretty chubby most of the time.