Cynops breeding advice?

[Radical1984]

I haven't had any success in breeding my Cynops Orientalis. I have 1 male and 2 female, one female is gravid, and has laid eggs before but not fertile ones. Is there anything I can do to get them to mate or fertilize the eggs other than dropping the temps? Average room temp is below 70 and water temps average at about 65-68 degrees, I have tons of planted aquarium plants, anachris, swords, crypts, hairgrass, java ferns, java moss, and bamboo. I also feed them live tubaflex worms.

 

[Canecorsonewt]

I dont know about C orientals but my Louisiana newts have been breeding since December. My water temperature averages 68f rarely going into the low 70s. I offered food every day. I had blood worms available. Plus i have very little water movement/current. But you might be close. I have heard that C orientls don't always lay fertile eggs the first time. So maybe next time you see eggs they will be fertile.

 

[Chinadog]

There are a few things off the top of my head;

1, Are you absolutely certain you have both sexes?

2, How long have you had them, are you sure they have fully recovered from importation and all the horrors that go along with it?

3, Does their food consist of just tubifex worms? They should really be on a diet based on earthworms or high quality pellets. If you want them to breed, they should be on the best possible nutrition.

Chinese firebellies are normally very easy to breed, but cooling them down over the winter might improve your chances. There is some breeding info in this care sheet.
Caudata Culture Species Entry - Cynops orientalis - Chinese firebelly

Personally, I'd say give them optimal conditions with the correct photoperiod for the time of year and just be patient. Their water should always be below 70f without any power filters or strong airstones as Chinese firebellies hate water movement. It sounds like there are plenty of plants in there, so just give them a bit more time I guess.

 

[Radical1984]

Thanks for the feedback!

1, Are you absolutely certain you have both sexes?

I am absolutely certain of their sexes. The largest female has definitely laid infertile eggs on a bunch of Elodia I had last year, the other female has not. The male I can tell because his Cloaca is pretty large.

2, How long have you had them, are you sure they have fully recovered from importation and all the horrors that go along with it?

I have had these three just over two years, but they were rescued from a local pet shop that stored them with Bobina and some types of crabs. The male who's name is Bogus had an arm and a leg cut off by one of the two other creatures it was housed with and has since grown them back under my care. I do suppose he has not fully recovered from that trauma. The front right arm has grown back to normal but his hind leg that grew back is slightly smaller than his other leg so perhaps he maybe recovering from that as well.

3, Does their food consist of just tubifex worms? They should really be on a diet based on earthworms or high quality pellets. If you want them to breed, they should be on the best possible nutrition.

It consists of mostly tubiflex worms, occasionally blood worms and occasionally earthworms or chopped earthworms depending on the size of the worm. I feed them mostly tubiflex worms because they are very aquatic and don't seem to eat earth worms as much as the tubiflex which I thought was kind of weird too. I have not tried high quality pellets simply because in the past I have never had newts eat any type of pellets that were presented to them, but then again they may have not been the best quality.