Necturus - Your Setups and Conditions

Hey all,
I'm new to respond to the site, but have been perusing through here for a while! A wealth of information here.

Today, I am curious how many of you house the Necturus maculosus (and various subsp.), and possibly together, we can make the Necturus a feasible creature to care for! I've seen many sick Necturus being kept, and half of the problem is tank size and water temperature! Lowering the temperature is key to getting good oxygenation! I'd like to ask the Necturus keepers and breeders to brag about their mudpuppies! There are many factors in keeping the Necturus, but honestly, it is nothing too crazy or complicated. Common sense and a good understanding of the species' in situ is what is needed to duplicate what they need to thrive!

Here are my questions for the Necturus keepers; What size tank (or setup), water quality (and do you utilize RO?), pumps and sumps (how it is all setup), substrate, plants, rocks and other media for hiding, what is used to put oxygen in the water (to avoid Gas Bubble Disease), overall housing temperature (medium and winter temps) and what is used to bring the temperature to what the Necturus requires?

In the next week, I will demonstrate how a person can avoid the costly expenses of an inefficient compact water chiller that brings temperatures down like 15F degrees, and have a great Necturus setup for under $550. The most important part of housing a Necturus, is the health and well being of the creature!

My set up maybe costed less than $60. The rocks/slate I got my self. I purchased a used 55 gallon for about $25 and the powerhead I use is about $10-$15. I'm guessing a new 55 gallon would cost over $100. I don't use a chiller because my basement stays cold and even in summer its never over 60 degrees. In the winter my tanks freeze over.

I basically stack rocks and slate to create hides from water current to simulate their habitat. I have the powerhead sticking out of the water to create and strong current. The rock structures are stacked pretty high so the N. maculosus can hunt the minnows.I use minnows caught from the same place the Necturus maculosus come from as a food source. I use earthworms also.

My assumption on keeping different species together is if you can find them together in the same habitat then its fine. Some Necturus species are found in very specific habitats where others are found in several types of habitats. Depending on your set the setup it could very well restrict you to just 1 species. Generally I wouldn't mix species at all.

Hi there!

I don't own Necturus, but I did house them for a several weeks for an observational study on their denning activities and behaviours (undergraduate thesis). The set-up I used is undoubtedly different than what most people can do at home, but I think it's pretty easy to simulate.

1. The mudpuppies were kept in ~180 gallon square bins (blue industrial-grade plastic - the department breeds trout in similar bins) with a large air stone in each tank hooked up to a strong, clean oxygen supply.

2. This air stone was situated about a foot and a half away from the incoming water, so the current passed by the stone and carried the oxygen with it into the rest of the bin.

3. This is the part that is likely specific to our lab. Because the University of Waterloo is located in a region where most of our water source comes from groundwater, the municipal supply system made it easy to provide clean, mineral-rich/very hard water to the animals. We had a tap running 24/7 pulling water up into the bins and draining simultaneously, so there was a very strong current - which the 'pups thoroughly enjoyed swimming around in, often against the current - with always fresh water kept naturally at about 12 degrees celsius (the mudpuppies were wild-caught in the winter, when they're most active, so they were adapted to the cold waters already).

4. They were given a few river rocks, some plastic sheets of greenery (the fake square mats you can buy at pet stores), and 'dens' made from bricks and slate. Also, each tank had a cinder block in it, but the 'pups never used them as far as I could tell unless they were trying to get away from my net.

Although it's not totally relevant to your discussion, I've attached my two undergrad thesis papers. The first one discusses the lab study (including an appendix about an injured mudpuppy's healing process) and the second one, although focusing on the mudpuppy mussel, offers photos and descriptions of the mudpuppy's natural habitat. I took these notes and photos when I released the mudpuppies back into their creek. Maybe it'll give you all some ideas?

Love these guys, although I'm an axolotl owner (I don't know if it's legal to own mudpuppies in Toronto? Do you think they could mix with Axies? I don't think I'd want to try it haha). Enjoy these beauties!

The injury on that on Necturus was harsh! Hopefully it healed up.