A relative of mine had a newt that a friend gave them and when I saw it, I knew it wasn't a species I was familiar with. After some research, I ID'd it. When I told them how to take care of it properly, they gave it to me because they felt I could do a better job, I guess. It had been kept in a small plastic critter cage for two years with lime green gravel and a few shells in shallow water and fed 2 tropical fish shrimp pellets every 2 to 3 days. I now have it in a 15 gal. tall. He was very active for a few days (probably was a shock to actually be able to swim), but now he sits out of the water next to a potted plant most of the day (similar to how he lived in his critter cage which is how he probably survived it so well). Maybe my undergarvel filter is too strong? I nudge him into the water every other day, which he does without any real protest, and gorges on bloodworms (I'm working on varying the diet). Anyway, he's been doing good...he's only 4 inches long and I've read they should be 7. I'm hoping he'll grow and not be stunted, but it's OK either way. To liven the tank up, I added some fish. I read zebra danios make good companions. I've added 3 of the new genetically altered "glo fish" that are very pretty. So far, all's going well. I welcome any suggestions or feedback.

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