Are my newts stressed?

[TiaW]

I just received my eastern newts ( 3 Notophthalmus viridescens) and I'm concerned that they don't like their set up. The smallest, Shy, always hides in the corner and was found in the filter. The filter is too small to do him/her harm and he/she seemed to like it because it was completely cut off from the rest of the tank. Now he/she hides much less, but Speckle is always swimming fast across the tank and running into the ground or the tank walls for no reason. Splash, my biggest, seems OK, always swimming around and hanging on plants. I've only had them for 3days and they seem so small. Much smaller than my paddle tail who only swam around to hunt for fish. They already ate, the temperature is 70F, water test shows everything is good. Do you think they're stressed? Is it because I don't have enough hiding places? I only have one hiding place and they haven't used it. Instead they prefer to wedge themselves into tight corners. The fish are there for them to eat if they want. I've heard notos are the hardest to keep alive so I'm paying close attention to them, at least until they get bigger.

 

[Niels D]

I would add more plants like Eleodea. My noto's are doing better in tanks wich are richly planted. I would get rid of the fish as well. The presence of fish can stress out newt, even if they are small. Most prefer waters which are free of fish.

 

[Lertsch]

The plants in your pictures look like some type of dracaena. Those aren't true aquatic plants and won't last in an aquarium long term. As Neils D suggested elodea is a good cheap option. It can be left floating since it doesn't need to be planted in nutrient rich substrate and can grow well if it gets some light.

 

[jewett]

In addition to what others have said, I would recommend adding some dried oak leaves to the aquarium. People who seem to have had the most success with this species will drop in the oak leaves to help condition the water so it more closely approximates the chemistry that these animals inhabit in the wild. I do not keep this species but would like to someday and in my research this tip regarding the leaves seems to come up time and time again from those that have had their newts live and breed in captivity for years. These are tricky species and many keepers have reported unexplained die offs with seemingly ideal conditions, and the leaves do seem to promote good conditions and captive longevity for this genus. The leaves on the bottom will also provide hiding spots and help support the growth of good bacteria. Like any change to an aquarium, though, be sure to monitor your parameters every few days for a few weeks following the addition of the leaves until you are certain things are safe and stable.

Make sure the leaves are "organic," meaning free of chemicals like pesticides and fertilizers. I can't find the thread now, but a successful Noto keeper cited about 10 leaves per gallon to get the right acidity and conditioning.

*EDIT* Found the thread: http://www.caudata.org/forum/f1173-...ophthalmus-taricha/97219-eastern-newts-2.html The note regarding the leaves is on the 2nd page of the thread, post #39 (I was wrong, he recommends 6 leaves per 10 gallons). The thread also illustrates the difficulty of keeping this species, especially if wild caught.

Best of luck with your new additions,

HJ

 

[TiaW]

Omg HJ, you're an angel! I found this article explaining why the leaves. Going to get some ASAP

"Adding dead leaves will have the resulting effect of releasing humic substances, and this will lower the pH of the aquarium water, act as an anti-bacterial and anti-fungal agent, and also lower the heavy metal content of the water. It is widely accepted that it acts as a spawning trigger and can aid in the recovery of any fish damaged through stress or fighting. From my own observations and with the backing of some scientific research by the likes of Dr. Christian Steinberg, it has been proven that there are many positive reasons why using humic substance releasers, such as dead leaves, are good for the aquarium fish we keep.
http://www.tfhmagazine.com/details/articles/leaves-

 

[Niels D]

Check this for the use of leaves:

Leaves for Aquaria (Full Article) | Details | Articles | TFH Magazine®

I use alder cones and beech leaves myself, because those trees are standing near my house. I also use beech leaves in terrestrial setups, because the tannins also work outside of the water. I must admit that I still had some dying noto's even after using oak or beech leaves. Alder cones work best for me. Catappa leaves work very nice as well, but can't be gathered from nature and are pretty expensive.

 

[TiaW]

Update: I fed them earth worms yesterday, but I read the thread after I had already finished feeding them. Before I fed them, they seemed oddly more calm, not swimming around as much. Then they fed well although the pieces I chopped still seemed too big but they eventually wolfed it down. Afterwards they were extremely sluggish. And on top of the trees. That's when I saw the thread. My local aquarium shop didn't have any leaves and it would take too long to order so I purchased black water extract. Almost immediately afterwards they were swimming around acting more like their usual selves. Idk if they'll make it but I really hope so. I've grown so attached to them already and I've been searching for newts everyday for almost a month before I came across these guys. I changed the plants (figured out they were the wrong plants just before i read Lertsch's reply. I think the plants are Cambomba. I also added drift wood but it's just been a few minutes so it hasn't sunk yet. I haven't taken out the fish because they truly seem unbothered by the fish and they help me feed the newt. The fish draw attention to the worms by feasting in it until my oblivious newts get the message. Please link any other threads I should see.

 

[Niels D]

Check your neighbourhood for oak, alder or beech leaves. It's a waste of money ordering tree leaves which you can gather yourself. If you check your surroundings you can get a lot of goodies for free, as long as you are careful where you gather them. I live in an area where no pesticides may be used, because it's a national parc. For me it's like playing pokémon go everytime I find something I can use for my setups or as a food item... I still play pokémon go though, even if I'm 34 years old. It's for my daughters of course....