AQUATICS BY GEORGE

                RIBBED NEWT CARE GUIDE  

                By George Sebastian Neufeld

Ribbed Newts (Pleurodeles waltl) are a type of mainly aquatic amphibian. "Newt" is the common name for semi-aquatic members of the family Salamandridae.The family includes over 80 species, which exist on several different continents. Ribbed newts are one of the largest species of them all, reaching up to 12" long (usually between 6-9"). They are one of the most suitable pets for beginners to the hobby, and when kept in proper conditions, are very hardy and interactive with their keepers. They love to eat, and quickly learn to beg for food by "dancing" in the water when they see you, to get your attention.

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HOUSING:

A minimum requirement for a single adult would be an aquarium 10-20 gallons, and for a pair, a good minimum would be 20-30 gallons, although bigger is always better, since larger volumes of water are more forgiving of mistakes. Because they are primarily bottom dwellers, "long" aquariums are a better use of space than "tall" aquariums. A lid is a good idea, since they can potentially escape, otherwise. They are mostly aquatic, and will rarely leave the water, but you should provide them with an area to rest on, like a turtle dock or some bunches of floating aquatic plants. 

Ribbed newts are normally kept in water about 6 inches deep, although deeper levels can be used to stimulate breeding, and in the wild, this species can be found in underwater caves, as deep as 100 feet underground.

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Another option is to add an area of land, with some clay balls, pebbles, or egg crate (this allows you to install a pump underneath, if desired) under some mesh or weed cloth, and aquarium safe sand or organic topsoil on top, with terrarium-safe plants in the soil, if desired. A pane of glass installed using aquarium-safe silicone, creating a divider between the land and water sections, will prevent the substrate from sliding into the water. Ribbed newts are almost fully aquatic, however, so a land section will go mostly unused, and the newt will most likely just rest near the shore. Some individuals like to stay in the water all of the time, and will ignore land entirely, preferring to rest on the aquatic plants only. 

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Newts should be given at least one hiding spot per individual, and these can be made of any aquariums safe, non-jagged material. Some simple and useful options include unglazed terracotta pots, cut in half, with any sharp edges sanded down, slate caves, reptile-specific caves, and aquarium-specific caves and decorations (you can test these with a piece of delicate fabric, running it against them to make sure it doesn't snag). 

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SUBSTRATE 

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Substrate can be slate (no jagged edges), fine aquarium sand  (Appropriate grain size is about 1 mm. Avoid calcium-based sand, which can change water chemistry, and avoid sharp sand). 

It's best to use loose substrate only with individuals over 5" to avoid the risk of impaction, and some prefer not to use any substrate at all, which is also fine. 

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River rocks can be attached to the bottom using aquarium silicone, or left loose, but these should be larger than the newt's head, to avoid ingesting them, which could lead to fatal intestinal impaction. 

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Water quality should be maintained using an aquarium filter, to remove toxic ammonia from the water, and turn it into harmless (at low levels) nitrate. Weekly 20-%50 partial water changes will prevent nitrates from building up to toxic levels. 

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Fast-growing plants, especially floating plants, also help to keep nitrates down. Newts don't appreciate excessive lighting, which can male some plants difficult to keep, but there are many low-light tolerant species which will thrive under moderate lighting. A full spectrum fluorescent or plant-specific light should give you decent growth, and there are LED lights which are also capable of growing plants very well, which also produce very little heat. 

Some of their favourite plants which can thrive in low-medium light levels include: 

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“Water Sprite” / “Indian Floating Fern”  (Ceratopteris Cornuta),
“Java Fern” (Microsorum pteropus),
“Java Moss” (Vesicularia dubyana),
“Dwarf Water Lettuce” (Pistia stratoides) 
“Hornwort/Coontail” (Ceratophyllum demersum),
“Water Spangles” (Salvinia minima), 
“Indian Waterweed” (Hygrophilia polysperma),
“Water Wisteria” (Hygrophilia difformis), 
“Giant Hygrophilia” (Hygrophilia corymbosa),
“Marimo Moss Balls” (Aegropopila linnae),

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WATER CHEMISTRY:

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Ribbed newts prefer water with a neutral to alkaline pH, and moderate to high GH and KH. A lot of places in the Lower Mainland get water from rain reservoirs which is too low in dissolved minerals, so it’s necessary to add some in order to recreate the ideal living conditions for them.

You can easily mix these yourself out of aquarium salt, baking soda and unscented Epsom salts at a 10.1.1 ratio, or you can buy “George’s Solution” or “Holtfreter’s Solution”, if you prefer to buy them pre-mixed.

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FILTRATION:

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The newts don't appreciate excessive current, so I would recommend having the output of your filter diffused with a spray bar, for a canister filter, or with a loofah  or bunch of plants or decorations under the current, for a hang-on-back filter. An air powered sponge filter is a good choice, for an aquarium under 20 gallons, although these can be a bit less efficient at mechanical filtration, so siphoning may need to be done more frequently. 
If you are using a power filter, I would recommend having a sponge pre-filter over the intake to prevent their limbs from getting sucked in.

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TEMPERATURE:

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Temperature should be around 20-21 C / or 68-72 F. They may start to become stressed if the temperature rises much above this, so in the summer, you'll likely need to keep them cool using a clip on fan, pointed towards the surface, to help keep them cool, or air conditioning, to keep the room cool. An aquarium chiller is anther option, although these can be very expensive. A slightly higher temperature is better than one which is constantly changing dramatically, so avoid using ice bottles  or frequent water changes using very cold water, to chase a perfect temperature, and instead try to keep it steady, even if it is towards the higher end of the safe range (no more than 24 C)

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FEEDING:

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Adult newts should be fed nightcrawlers or soft carnivore pellets (at least 40% protein) as a staple, and can be given various other foods as well, including: crickets, blackworms, bloodworms and guppies (You may want to quarantine and deworm them, if bought from the pet store.). A variety of foods helps to ensure a nutritionally balanced diet for captive newts.

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Juveniles mainly ignore dead foods in favor of live ones, and they are very fond of live white worms. Small or chopped nightcrawlers can be mixed with these, to encourage them to start eating larger foods, and over time, dead foods can be introduced, such as frozen/thawed bloodworms and brine shrimp and soft pellets (I prefer Rangen soft/moist carnivore pellets), with captive European nightcrawlers as a staple food.

 

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http://aquaticsbygeorge.wixsite.com/creations/foods

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TANKMATES:

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Newts shouldn't be mixed with any other amphibian species, and should only be kept with others of a similar size. Some suitable tankmates include Neocaridina shrimp ("cherry shrimp"), and possibly guppies, Endlers and other small livebearers. 

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VARIETIES:

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These are several morphs (phenotypes) that exist, although only two are common in the pet hobby. The most common is wild type (brown with golden speckles), and a leucistic (white) variety is also sometimes available. There recently some albino specimens discovered, which apparently haven't become available as pets, so far. The wild type can vary a lot in appearance, with some being much darker than others.  The leucistics can also be variable, with some having "dirty" spots and a bit of yellow or red pigment.

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RIBBED NEWTS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION AGAIN STARTING JANUARY 2019 

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EMAIL AQUATICSBYGEORGE@GMAIL.COM TO GET ON THE WAIT LIST

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***SOURCES***

(GENERAL INFO)

http://blogs.thatpetplace.com/thatreptileblog/2015/01/10/pet-newts-spanish-ribbed-newt-care-and-breeding/#.WOYFJNLytq4

http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Pleurodeles/P_waltl.shtml

https://en.aqua-fish.net/articles/pleurodeles-waltl-ribbed-newt-care-pictures

 

(ALBINISM)

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280625576_Albinism_in_Pleurodeles_waltl

(BREEDING)

http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Breeding-Amphibians/Breed-Spanish-Ribbed-Newt/