New, and Paddle Tailed Newt Companions?

[serusin]

I'm new from Illinois, and I've currently got a Corn Snake (1 year and a half), Merlot and a Paddle Tailed Newt (5-6 years), Reginald.

I'm wondering if I could provide my newt with any companions (if its safe to keep with fish) and I'm looking to switch to live food from pellets (perhaps I'd like to breed guppies, or brine shrimp for him).

 

[SpaceCadetHayde]

I would suggest against keeping your paddle-tails with any tank mates. Pachytriton are extremely territorial and pretty aggressive hunters. Even housing with another paddle tail would require lots of space and hides. Ghost shrimp or red cherry shrimp are one option for tank mates but they may be eaten(they do make great food anyway). Otherwise, a few white cloud minnows would be a good option. They are mid to high level fish so they won't be eaten too quickly if they are.

As far as live food, I would suggest against both the brine shrimp and guppies. Guppies can be a vector for disease and could stress your animal out. They're also a bit of work for your newt to capture and don't survive well in the temperature range your newt should be kept at. Brine shrimp are heavy in salt and you'd need a lot of them to satisfy a pachytriton's appetite.

California black worms, night crawlers, and bloodworms all make great food for a newt. Worms can be the staple of your diet and my old pachytriton could handle a large night crawler chopped in 5-6 pieces very easily. I've never been able to get a newt to eat those pellets and usually use a staple diet of blackworms and frozen bloodworms.

Here's a great resource for caudate food:
Food Items For Captive Caudates

And Keeping Fish with Caudates