Question: Help Needed Please

[ReiDragon]

Hi <3

I am new to the site and need some help. I have a 25 gallon half water half land setup with a river for a pair of paddletail newts I recently got. So far they are getting along and everything has been going great. My problem is I just added a few live plants and a few days later I discovered hundreds of baby snails. I have been removing them but they are everywhere. I do not want to add any chemicals to the tank for fear of harming my newts. Is there any fish I can add to rid my tank of these pests? I have guppies in with my Pads and they have eaten a few (not that I care XD), I just don't want anything to harm my new babies. Thanks

Lauren

 

[Azhael]

The snails can´t harm your newts.
In fact they´ll be of help, keeping algae under control.
Don´t worry, they are not a threat or a problem for your aquarium.
Why do you have a half water, half land setup for paddletails??? These newts won´t use the land section....ever. The only reason they might ever "use" it would be because they are ill, very stressed, or the water quality is really really bad, and even then they wouldn´t be using the land...they´d just be trying to avoid the water, or it´s innhabitants.
I personally think you should think about changing it into a 100% aquatic tank....that will make your life so much eassier, and will give your newts plenty of extra space. Just an observation though.

 

[ReiDragon]

That's good I am happy they will not harm them. I was afraid they may try to eat them and get sick. I also heard that snails can carry parasites.

I have the half land set-up because I also have two green tree frogs with them. So far I have not had any incidents and the frogs are to big for the newts to swallow. I plan on moving the frogs eventually but right now I do not have funds for another tank setup. I am aware that paddletails are sometime aggressive to others so I have been keeping an eye on them. Once I remove the frogs I will probably make it an entirely aquatic tank.

 

[ReiDragon]

My water temp is normally between 65 and 67 degrees. Is this to warm for my newts? They seem to be fine but a lot of people say they like lower temps. Should I be cooling my water any? They are currently being fed frozen bloodworms in a submerged reptile feeding dish while my frogs are given crickets. All are doing well and they have been set up this way for about 2 weeks. I removed any crickets not eaten after about a half hour.

I have had firebellies before but they were killed by my brother when I went to college. He put them in warm water when he did a water change. I had my firebellies in a similar setup for years and they seemed to do fine. My firebellies were 4 years old when they were killed. Any suggestions are welcome. I want to make sure my newts get the proper care.

 

[Holding2k9]

The half Land Half Water Would have been fine for your fire bellys some do seem to enjoy the basking of land however be very weary with your frogs although they are too big to swallow .. u may see a few legs missing as palletails have an agression problem .. so ive heard

 

[spendday]

green tree frogs, as in american green tree frogs, u know they need tempreature of 68-77F. also paddletails are agressive and there are risks of pathogen transfer, stress and other such issues.

your asking for sick or injured animals and i would heavily advise u spilt them up and give the green treefrogs the environement they need.

 

[Azhael]

There is a large number of factors that can be a problem when mixing species. I personally would recommend you separate them as soon as possible....because the requirements of both species are not the same, and you can´t meet their necessities by keeping them together.

 

[ReiDragon]

Thanks for all your help. Maybe I will try to find the frogs a different home. I can not possibly buy another set up right now. I will try to trade them in at the pet store for food or something. Is my temp okay for my Pads?

 

[ReiDragon]

I got rid of the frogs. I exchanged them for store credit and I am in the process of changing the tank to completely aquatic. I have my newts in two separate tupperware containers while I make the change. My only concern is I may throw off my water parameters with the addition of new water. Is there anyway I can lessen the impact?

 

[Azhael]

If you keep the same gravel, and decoration, good bacteria will still be there as long as you don´t clean it. Live plants will also help keeping quality water. However with a big tank like that, if you make it fully aquatic and use as much water volume as possible, you won´t have problems with water quality...two newts make hardly any impact in a tank so big. to be on the safe side though, you can make 20% water changes every couple of days to prevent amonia building up(providing you test the water and it´s possitive for amonia).

You should try to keep them colder. 77ºF is too hot, and it´s a big risk for their health. Ideal temps should be under 65ºF. Keep in mind that they are fast moving water animals, so they like cold water...they can easily tolerate even temps as low as 40ºF. They like having a rather strong current too.

 

[ReiDragon]

Ok. Thank you for all your help. Right now the temp is 65 F. How can I lower the temp? As far as fast moving water my filter creates a current but it is not extreme should I try to make a stronger current? I use gravel as a substrate but it is large gravel and they are fed in a submerged reptile feeding dish. As far as plants they have some java fern and some kind of floating plant that I got on sale not sure what exactly it is but it is healthy. They seem like they are doing ok as far as activity and feeding but I will lower the temp as you suggested. My house is kept at 70 degrees in the winter (I can't see my dad allowing me to turn down the temp) How can I keep their tank cooler?

I never had a problem with my firebellys but I realize that they are a different species and they can handle warmer temps so I never worried about having to cool down a tank. Dx

 

[Greatwtehunter]

Ok. Thank you for all your help. Right now the temp is 65 F. How can I lower the temp? As far as fast moving water my filter creates a current but it is not extreme should I try to make a stronger current? I use gravel as a substrate but it is large gravel and they are fed in a submerged reptile feeding dish. As far as plants they have some java fern and some kind of floating plant that I got on sale not sure what exactly it is but it is healthy. They seem like they are doing ok as far as activity and feeding but I will lower the temp as you suggested. My house is kept at 70 degrees in the winter (I can't see my dad allowing me to turn down the temp) How can I keep their tank cooler?

I never had a problem with my firebellys but I realize that they are a different species and they can handle warmer temps so I never worried about having to cool down a tank. Dx

As for lowering the temps, you could try putting it in a corner as close to the floor as possible, that will usually get you about a 5 degree drop. If thats not possible then 65F is no means fatal and will suffice, however much more than that and you will definitely run into problems. Given the fact that they come from clear fast flowing streams they would certainly benefit from a strong current, but the current from the fliter should do just fine as well.

 

[ReiDragon]

How about my basement? It is unfinished but the laundry room is habitable. I would hate to move them there as I will not be able to enjoy them as much but if it will help their health I will happily do it. Also would the addition of an air stone help with the current?

 

[Kaysie]

Basements (unheated) are ideal. Climate-control!

 

[ReiDragon]

Ok I am going to move my babies to the basement. I will make my own newt corner down there. Thank you guys so much for all your wonderful advice! It is highly appreciated.

 

[Kaysie]

Just be warned: a newt corner often turns into a newt wall, which turns into a newt room, which sometimes turns into a newt building. They're like potato chips, can't have just one.