Aquarium newt: features, types and content

Today it has become fashionable to keep exotic animals at home, which is why not only fish, but also newts can be found in aquariums for a long time. They belong to amphibians, which means that they can live both in water and on land, therefore they require the creation of special conditions of detention.

Newts can be found in various parts of the planet: they live in the Americas, as well as in Asia and Europe. Despite this, finding them in nature is quite problematic, since these creatures are nocturnal.

Amphibians can have very different colors depending on the subspecies... The body length varies from 7 to 30 cm, with most of the length falling on the tail. The membranes are clearly visible between the toes, thanks to which newts are able to move in the aquatic environment.

Amphibians reach sexual maturity by 3 years. At the time of spawning, females become brighter, and males have a dorsal crest from head to tail - it looks very impressive.

Like the rest of the amphibians, newts are cold-blooded, so their body temperature is low - within 10-15 degrees.

Newts are a large group of tailed amphibians, which numbers over 20 species, and they, in turn, are also subdivided into various subgroups and subspecies. Wherein not all of them are suitable for home keeping. Most often, one of the following types is grown in artificial reservoirs: common, comb or spiny... Let's dwell on the description of each of them.

This amphibian grows only up to 10-12 cm, it has an olive back and a dark yellow abdomen, which gives the newt a somewhat mysterious and mystical appearance. These amphibians are usually dotted with a constellation of light specks; three lines are visible on the head, located longitudinally. In males, a comb grows from head to tail.

This amphibian is much larger and more impressive than its ordinary relative - the size of such creatures reaches 18 cm. As a rule, amphibians are painted in brown and black shades, the belly is orange, with a large number of specks. From the name it can be understood that these creatures also have a crest, but it is slightly shorter than that of the common species. In case of danger, the skin glands of crested newts secrete a poisonous secret, so keeping such pets in aquarium conditions requires caution.

This is the largest amphibian suitable for home keeping. The body length of the spiny newt reaches 30 cm. The creature got its unusual name because of the ribs sticking out from the side: in the resting stage they are invisible, but as soon as the animal begins to worry, the ribs immediately open, resembling sharp needles. These amphibians have a characteristic greenish color and a yellow abdomen, the body is strewn with dark specks.

The least common red-bellied triton.

When creating comfortable conditions, newts can live up to 20 years, but, as practice shows, their average life expectancy in natural conditions rarely exceeds 7-10 years. This is not surprising, because human activities have led to the fact that most of the water bodies are polluted, causing a significant reduction in the population. In addition, newts have many enemies in their natural environment, which also affect the quality of life of these small amphibians. All this led to the fact that many species have even been listed in the Red Book.

That's why When buying a new pet, be sure to keep it separate from other inhabitants of the aquarium. The quarantine period must be at least 2 weeks.

Most often, diseases of newts are associated with disorders of the digestive system. So, at the slightest stress, they develop anorexia, and when swallowing soil fractions, pets suffer from intestinal obstruction. In addition, these animals quite often encounter parasites, and the presence of the latter often causes in newts pneumonia, which in most cases is fatal.

Like many other aquarium inhabitants, amphibians often encounter fungal infections that affect not only the outer covers, but also vital internal tissues and organs.

One of the most common diseases of newts is sepsis, better known as "red leg". This is an infectious pathology that is caused by toxins that enter the bloodstream. Such a disease is quite difficult for animals and most often leads to the death of the pet. Another problem is dropsy, it is associated with the accumulation of fluid in all tissues of the animal. A similar problem often arises if the amphibian is not feeding properly.

To keep newts, it is advisable to use an aquaterrarium intended for individuals of one subspecies.Moreover, for some of the more aggressive species, for example, the pachytriton or the Asia Minor newt, a significant limitation of the number of pets within the same reservoir is required, with each requiring shelter. Related species of newts, such as blue-tailed amphibians and pygmy amphibians, can be kept together. However, at the same time, it is necessary to keep their relationship under control and, at the first signs of aggression, to seat them in separate containers.

The joint keeping of amphibians with fish is not recommended and there are several reasons for this:

• fish and newts require different conditions of detention: a slightly elevated temperature is comfortable for fish, and they also need more space;
• large predatory fish often harm newts, while small fish themselves can become prey for these amphibians;
• many amphibians secrete poisonous mucus on their skin, which is dangerous for all species of fish;
• in the presence of fast and nimble fish in the tanks, newts often do not have enough food - in this case, the owners can only feed each of them with tweezers.

However, if you want color, then as an exception, you can put "neighbors" to some warm-blooded varieties of newts, for example, Spanish and dwarf.

They can make a successful company:

• unpretentious medium-sized fish (guppies and platies);
• medium-sized varieties of catfish - it is best to plant them in the corridor aquaterrarium;
• cherry shrimps, but be prepared for the fact that their young will go straight to the mouth of the voracious newts;
• hymenochiruses;
• large and beautiful snails, for example, the newt gets along well with blueberry and blue ampularia.

So that the newt decorates the aquarium for as long as possible and pleases its owners, it is necessary to create the most comfortable conditions for its existence.

• Aquarium. To keep aquarium newts, horizontal models are needed, while their volume should be such that at least 20-30 liters of water per animal is needed. If you are determined to purchase a group of amphibians, then keep in mind that they will need a lot of space.
• Temperature. Newts, like many other amphibians, are cold-blooded animals, so any change in temperature has a most destructive effect on their health. A suitable temperature for them is considered to be 18-21 ° C heat. It is in such water that they live in their natural environment; elevated temperatures are unacceptable for these aquarium amphibians.
• Acidity. For full-fledged growth and development, newts need water with acidity parameters in the range of 5.5-7.8 pH.
• Rigidity. The water in the aquarium must certainly be soft or medium hard - at the level of 5-15 dGH.
• Lighting... To create comfortable lighting, it is better to give preference to fluorescent lamps. All other light sources heat the water without making the living conditions for pets comfortable.
• Priming. The choice of substrate must be treated with special care. The best option would be coarse-grained soil, otherwise, when eating food, the amphibian may accidentally swallow a pebble, and this will lead to the death of the animal. Try to minimize all existing risks in advance.
• Cooling water. The need for these manipulations arises in hot weather, as well as if the room temperature is set much higher than the recommended one. To bring it to the standard indicators, special cooling units are used, and if there are none, then you can use bottles with chilled water, which are placed inside an artificial reservoir.
• Registration. Keep in mind that newts can inhabit both water and land.Therefore, it is necessary to provide for small dry areas where they could rest, because such amphibians like to soak up the air from time to time. If you put your pet in a container with fish, then be sure to arrange an island, houses and all kinds of shelters in the aquarium, this requirement is explained by the fact that the newt is extremely unsociable. As for plants, preference should be given to live ones, since females, laying eggs, have the habit of wrapping them in leaves.
• Filters... For newts, the most standard internal filter will suffice. The creation of an aeration system is not so important - these pets crawl out to the surface for air. But what is of fundamental importance for newts is purity, so every week you should change the water by about 20-25%.

Every person who wants to become the owner of newts immediately asks the question of how to feed these amphibians. Feed the pets in a day, for this use crushed earthworms, bloodworms and small fish can be given. The gruel from minced fish and grated liver will be nutritious and useful - for amphibians, this option will be the best.

To do this, pet stores sell special food for amphibians - they contain calcium and many other useful trace elements. Amphibians do not eat plants, so you don't have to worry about their safety.

It is better to feed the fry every day, because they are actively growing and they need a lot of food. At this time, you need to focus on protein foods: insects or small crustaceans. After the kids grow up a little, you need to include bloodworms and tubifex in their diet. You can feed your pet in the water, but it is better to give him food with small tweezers. Otherwise, residues will sink to the bottom and clog the aquarium.

Reproduction of newts in most cases takes place without any difficulty. The spawning season usually occurs in early spring. Observing animals during mating games is very interesting: usually males are very active, while they begin to shimmer with bright colors, and a pearlescent shine appears on the comb. The female does not have this ability.

At this time, the water temperature should be reduced to 6-15 degrees, the pregnant female is best placed in a separate aquarium, where she can spawn on algae leaves. Larvae appear after 20-30 days. It is desirable that there are many living plants in the aquarium that will create shade, in addition, shy kids will be able to hide in these thickets. For young animals, a comfortable temperature is considered to be 18 degrees. At the age of 3 months, baby newts already look like adult amphibians.

See the following video for the features of the newt content.