Tylototriton cf. Kweichowensis update!!!

[frogman]

Hello all,I thought I should update you on my tylo tank. It is a 40 gallon breeder, it is roughly half water half land. The land area is completely dry with plenty of hides and décor. The land is 19"x17" and the water is 19"x19" and 8" deep. The gravel on top can be easily removed so if that is a big no no then it can go. When I first got these guys they were in bad condition and I was too as for knowing how to care for them. I was very stubborn and did not do the right thing to make them happy and healthy. Well that was almost a year ago and I have completely turned it around. All four are healthy and well fed. Feel free to critique the tank and I will also be posting some new aquariums on caudata tanks forum.








Enjoy

 

[froggy]

Hi frogman

I'm glad you have decided to learn rather than remain stubborn; it will be good for the newts and also help you to enjoy the hobby more!

Good job, bringing those animals back to health - as you saym they were in a bit of a state when you first got them. It's really nice to see them fat and thriving now. Hopefully you can breed them and help to replace sick, WC animals with healthy CB ones...

The tank looks good, but a couple of points:

1. Be careful that the piles of pebbles that make the land area don't trap dirt and cause issues with water quality. People who use this method for Cynops and Laotriton etc fluch the pile of gravel through with water once a week or so (use tank water that you siphon off and then pour back into the tank).

2. Try adding some cork slabs and moss on the land. These will provide hides and, if stacked like 'sandwiches' with gaps vetween will allow the newts to choose different levels of dampness.

3. Add some more live plants (java moss, elodea/egeria etc) to the water - they will help to maintain water quality once they start growing.

4. I'm not sure about this 'species' of Tylo, but it might be a good idea to use a completely terrestrial setup for the autumn and winter (just a large plastic tub with forest soil, leaves, cork etc) and then move them into this setup when they warm up in the spring as a breeding tank.

 

[FrogEyes]

It's been my experience that Tylototriton yangi will bury itself in leaf litter when weather is dry or cold (with one or two exceptions which take to or remain in the water, while most will be active when temperatures are moderate and it's rainy or damp.

 

[frogman]

Thanks for the response guys. I am culturing java moss so I will have some of that soon. They spend a few months in the fall in a completely terrestrial tub. I will be adding some cork.

P.S. did you notice the male with the spot on his tail.

 

[froggy]

Sounds good; whatever you are doing seems to have helped them pull through, anyway. Did the male have the spot to start with or is it where a sore healed?

C

 

[frogman]

I have never noticed a soar so I think it is just a birthmark, I just noticed it one day. Maybe someday after seasonal changes they will breed. I used a fogger to raise humidity and they went aquatic so who knows

 

[frogman]

And a close up macro of the birth mark. And how's this for bark, I wasn't sure




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[Sawyer]

The newts look great. One of my favorite species, just so dang hard to come across any. Good luck if and when you attempt to breed them.

 

[froggy]

Yep, the cork looks good. Try adding one more piece on top, though, so the newts can hide on top of the lower piece of cork where it's more dry if they want to. There are some pictures of Ummi's setups somewhere in this forum, which are worth copying (he breeds a number of species every year).

C

 

[GraffLife]

great guys and great setup......

 

[frogman]

I think she is gravid, I'm not sure though



Any opinions?


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[mr cyclone]

She looks gravid to me ,keep them well fed

 

[frogman]

Here is a better picture of her



I am currently making a rain system, will that help them get into the aquatic season fully?


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[mr cyclone]

I dont think this species will go fully aquatic ,at best they will stay semi aquatic let them do. Their thing.
They are beauties!

 

[Niels D]

Here all my animals keep on switching between water and land throughout the year. At this moment all of them are pretty aquatic. Two of the females are pretty gravid, but my male is a very small and badly shaped specimen. I've bought some juvies last year though.

You're female looks gravid as well. Hopefully both male and female are in the mood.

 

[frogman]

Thanks for the responses, I hope they lay eggs, and should I make a rain system for them?

 

[Sawyer]

Thanks for the responses, I hope they lay eggs, and should I make a rain system for them?

I am not familiar with the breeding of this species so I can't offer advice about the rain system, but if you are successful on breeding PLEASE let me know when you have some off spring available.

If I am not mistaken Michael shrom used to breed these guys and might be able to answer some of your questions.

 

[Niels D]

It doesn't hurt, but I believe that the humidity is more important. Some people keep them outside when spring starts.

 

[TylototritonGuy]

Thanks for the responses, I hope they lay eggs, and should I make a rain system for them?

No rain system is needed, simply increase their food amount (if you have decreased so prior) and increase the temperature to at most 18-20'c (bearing in mind yet again that you decreased the temperature to start with as in the wild temps can get as low as 3-6'c). They aren't like species you will find people making Rain Systems/Chamber for so it would be pointless, simply spray them which will have the same desired effect (Or you could even increase the depth of water but obviously you would need to have decreased it in the first place). Humidity should be kept around 70-80% but it's not overly important, the water from the water area should evaporate due to the heat.

She could be gravid, she certainly looks gravid in my own opinion lol From my experience with breeding these I simply lowed the Temperature to 5'c decreased their food amount for a month and the amount of water they have in their water section. They (like FrogEyes said) went into the leaf litter a lot more and even went into borrows that I had made for them and I never really saw them, then I increased the food amount slowly and started adding to the water areas depth daily and started spraying them more... These aren't really a very aquatic species in my experience as I have found them out of the water more than actually in it (however, one other thing I have noticed is that it does vary from keeper to keeper) lol. Either way, these were conditioned prior to breeding so I am not sure if you have done so with your specimens.

 

[frogman]

I want and picked up a bunch of java fern for 3 bucks today, I also added cork bark, they seem to have become more terrestrial though.




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