Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I would kinda like a tank mate for my fire belly newt, what can i get besides another fire beel newt. I was thinkin along the lines of a fire belly toad and a dwarf frog. ( ihave a 10 gal set up )
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Denise (Mom) and/or Jared (son)
Take care!

i would also like to ask if neon tetras or black fin tetras be okay in with it?
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Denise (Mom) and/or Jared (son)
Take care!

Pet shops often give really poor advice regarding newts. Read FAQ at:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/faq/faq.shtml

The reason that tetras, etc., will not work is that they need much warmer temps than the newt. A CFB needs it as cool as possible, especially during the acclimation period. Regarding frogs, they are not a good idea either. Read here for examples of why not:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/Mixing_disasters.shtml

>>i would also like to ask if neon tetras or black fin tetras be okay in with it?
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>>Denise (Mom) and/or Jared (son)
>>Take care!

What other speices of newts can i mix with my 2 CFBN?
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Denise (Mom) and/or Jared (son)
Take care!

You really don't want to mix anything else with your CFBN's. There are lots of issues, but mainly the species would be mixed in a very small area, making confrontations inevitable. There is also the matter of toxic secretions in the newts' skin. In the wild the newts are not social, and if you are going to try to replicate their natural conditions(a good way to keep them alive a while) they shouldn't be crowded together with other species from other parts of the world. I know it's tempting; I've kept fish for a long time, and it's fun to have lots of species; but there are more types of fish with the same habitat requirements than there are amphibians. What I have done is try to make the vivarium exciting with plants (ferns, air plants and bromeliads, aquatic plants) and structures (islands, waterfalls-- but very little current for CFBN).

I hope this helps!

I agree 100%. Amphibians can't be mixed in communities the way fish can (sometimes) be. There are a few cold-water fish you could put with newts, but a 10 gallon tank is too small to do much of that. Snails and freshwater shrimp are OK. But again, with only 10 gallons you really need to be careful not to overload with animals.
http://www.caudata.org/cc/faq/faq.shtml

>>You really don't want to mix anything else with your CFBN's. There are lots of issues, but mainly the species would be mixed in a very small area, making confrontations inevitable. There is also the matter of toxic secretions in the newts' skin. In the wild the newts are not social, and if you are going to try to replicate their natural conditions(a good way to keep them alive a while) they shouldn't be crowded together with other species from other parts of the world. I know it's tempting; I've kept fish for a long time, and it's fun to have lots of species; but there are more types of fish with the same habitat requirements than there are amphibians. What I have done is try to make the vivarium exciting with plants (ferns, air plants and bromeliads, aquatic plants) and structures (islands, waterfalls-- but very little current for CFBN).
>>
>>I hope this helps!
FAQ

Hi there:

I have an amphibian "community" with hides, plants, gravel etc. Its main attraction is a pair of aquatic caecilians. Those people are right. It is usually not safe to mix newts, but my firebelly (who lives in this vivarium) is accomponied by an Oregon newt. The Pacific newts toxins are very similar to those of the firebelly, so mine have done great together.

DAVE