Brackish water OK?

[michael]

I just had a question about if slightly brackish water would be OK for FBT's & maybe a firebellied newt or two? I have a fiddler crab with them & I just found out that they should be in brackish water. Everybody gets along pretty well so far other than one toad who thinks the crab looks tasty sometimes!

Thanks!

 

[john]

I would move the crab into something else right away. I had a fiddler crab in with my baby turtle and it pinched his foot and it swelled up pretty bad. That fiddler will kill you toads and newts no problem. I would not rish the life of your amphibians, move the fiddler into his own tank. Besides, brackish water needs to be warmer and the newts cant handle anything over 70 degrees F. And Brackish water calls for 78 F I think. Your newts would die in that warm of water, and newts and toads dont live in salty water, it could harm them.

 

[michael]

That's kinda what I was afraid of. I'm building a new, bigger tank for the toads & newts so I guess I'll keep the one they're in now for the crab. I'll get him out soon then.
Thanks for getting back so quick.

 

[william]

please move the newts and frogs into different tanks!!!! mixing species, is a <u>bad</u> idea! even if they "seem" to get along okay. i would say no to brackish water since that is not the natural habitat of the newts and toads in the wild, i would say that there are very little, if any species that can stand much salt in the water, but don't quote me on that. the warm temperature would not suite the toad either.

i would read this: http://www.caudata.org/cc/faq/FAQhou.shtml

(Message edited by will_j on January 27, 2005)

 

[michael]

OK, so much for that idea. I haven't gotten the newts yet, so I haven't mixed them yet anyhow. I was just reading up on them some more & noticed that the newts do like colder water. I want them all to be happy, so I'll do more research before I do anything. Thanks!

 

[john]

Nice to here your choice on the newts. They wouldnt go well with the frogs. Goodluck with all your new setups.

 

[william]

i'm glad you want the best for your animals! i realise that species mixing sounds like an good idea but it is, i quote from someone else on the forum, a 99.999999% bad idea.