# spanish ribbed newts - lost their eyes??



## shell30984 (Jun 13, 2009)

i recently bought 2 newts after falling in love with them in a local fish shop.
they are both quite small, so reckon really young.

the problem i have is that one lost an eye shortly after buying it, wasnt sure what it was but it was eating well, so left it.
now i have looked and both of them have lost both eyes  im devastated!!
What have i done wrong??? i have them in with a few tetras (which i was told would be fine untill they got bigger)
Could they of nipped them - or is it a disease??
also can they grow back??

they are both eating well and seem ok, so im frantically searching for a tank to put them in on their own incase it was the tetras


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## ianxxx (Apr 25, 2011)

what is your tank temp ? Newts generally are not designed for tropical tanks (P.waltl prefer it under 21c)nor tetras who can be quite aggressive.


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## shell30984 (Jun 13, 2009)

tank is at 75F,
they were called spanish ribbed newts in the shop. i cant really find much info on them.


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Nope- the temperatures in there would be way too high for them, even without eye-eating fish. And no, the eyes are not going to grow back. Newts can grow new limbs, but not eyes.


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## shell30984 (Jun 13, 2009)

what sort of temp is best for them then?


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## ianxxx (Apr 25, 2011)

I have some spanish ribbed newt juvies but dont know too much about them , i just checked with some US breeders on another site who both agreed with Ron, the eyes will not regenerate but they can survive the loss as long as they avoid fungal infection. You need to remove them asap to a tank which is under 21c, they like a bit of depth to swim in , plants and hides mine are at 10c in my shed and loving it.


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## shell30984 (Jun 13, 2009)

thank you - i feel awful for what has happened to them  im angry at the fish shop for advising me wrongly aswell.

i will get them in a new tank tomorrow then, does it also need to be filtered? (i assume so, but just checking)

anything else that i need to do for them? feel like i need to make it up to them now


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## londonjoe (Apr 11, 2011)

i have been keeping spanish ribbed newts for 10years now and i keep my 4 in cold water like goldfish and they have thrived and bred for years they do not need tropical water


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## ianxxx (Apr 25, 2011)

Caudata Culture Species Entry - Pleurodeles waltl
this is a link for this species, yet another example of pet shops selling a species they know nothing about.


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## shell30984 (Jun 13, 2009)

thanks for that, i now feel a little more confident, and will get their new tank set up tomorrow.
can you keep anything with them at all? ie a plec... or is it best to keep them in a newt only tank??


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

shell30984 said:


> thanks for that, i now feel a little more confident, and will get their new tank set up tomorrow.
> can you keep anything with them at all? ie a plec... or is it best to keep them in a newt only tank??


Especially given what they have gone through, and that they are going to have to learn to function without eyes, they are probably better left on their own.


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## shell30984 (Jun 13, 2009)

ok, what would be the best size tank for them??


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## ianxxx (Apr 25, 2011)

shell30984 said:


> thanks for that, i now feel a little more confident, and will get their new tank set up tomorrow.
> can you keep anything with them at all? ie a plec... or is it best to keep them in a newt only tank??


Newts are generally best kept on their own, other than clean up crews and feeders. I have no experience of plecs and P.waltl but they do pose a threat to axolotls, for though they are vegitarian they eat the protective mucous off the skin leaving them open to bacterial and fungal infections. Probably best to give the plec a miss unless someone with more experience can advise otherwise.


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## Stephen Nelson (Jun 21, 2010)

Are the eye's completely gone or have they just turned white? I thought one of my females had lost her sight as her eyes had glazed over. I thought they had been damaged but they healed and she is fine now. Her eye's look the same as the others now. 

If they have gone it is sad and I'm sorry to hear it. Try to remember though that in the wild they would probably spend alot of time in dim conditions and so are often forced to rely their other senses anyway. They may cope just fine.

I think its so sad that pet shops cannot even be bothered to tell people the correct way of caring for the animals they sell. I have seen so many (amphibians particularly) housed in completely the wrong conditions.


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## londonjoe (Apr 11, 2011)

i dont think its the best idea to keep fish in with the newts. i kept my newts with goldfish but they all have eyes.


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## ianxxx (Apr 25, 2011)

shell30984 said:


> ok, what would be the best size tank for them??


 This question may provoke a certain amount of debate, as opinions vary . In an aquarium the more water volume the better as the greater volume provides temperature and water quality stability through the greater volume of water. A three foot tank for four adults is considered by some to be acceptable whilst others say it would be ok for a pair.


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## londonjoe (Apr 11, 2011)

i keep a pair in a 24inch aquarium


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## ianxxx (Apr 25, 2011)

londonjoe said:


> i keep a pair in a 24inch aquarium


lol, the debate has kicked off! You have kept these guys for years, you know how to control water quality , temp etc what works for you may not work for somebody with less experience.


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## Stephen Nelson (Jun 21, 2010)

I keep six in a four foot but would like to move them into something larger at some point. I would certainly not keep any more than that in there.

p.s I use an undergravel filter and a normal filter on a low setting faced into some plants to reduce water flow.


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## marcuswinner1 (Sep 24, 2009)

I agree regarding pet shops and amphibians. As a general rule most pet shops/reptile shops know very little about phibs (I know there are numerous exceptions).

Sharp ribs can probably tolerate higher temps than many european newts but its still best for this only to be for a limeted period in the summer and not a constant all year. If anything they should have been well below room temp over the last couple of months (mine were down in the single figures recently and my alpines which were only slightly closer to the window even had a bit of ice on the surface of their tank!)

Marcus.


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## colinm (Sep 20, 2008)

Thats right.I have kept them in covered aquaria outside(next to the house),so they really dont need any heat at all.They will tolerate a small amount of ice on the top of the water.

I found that they were easy to keep if kept in a simple setup with a few pieces of Elodea and some rocks.The size of the aquarium will depend on the size of your newts but I am guessing that they are probably three or four inches long ,so a two foot aquarium would be fine.


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## shell30984 (Jun 13, 2009)

i am so grateful for everyones opinions and have taken them all into consideration, i am going to go for a 2foot tank whilst they are small and see how they go. im not sure if i am doing the right thing, but they seem to be eating, so assume that is a good sign.

i only have sand substrate at the min, will that be ok?

i was advised to feed them JUST bloodworm - i have a small feeling this may be wrong too??

thanks guys
xx


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## colinm (Sep 20, 2008)

Bloodworm is fine but you will need a lot of it when they grow.I would recommend earthworms as they are a very good foodsource.Make sure that you use earthworms and not ones from the compost bin.Otherwise the odd waxworm or cricket will go down a treat,they will come up to the surface to eat.

You can use sand or gravel.It depends what you want the aquarium to look like.I didn`t have anything on the bottom as I found it easier to clean.

Are you absolutely sure that they blind? They have very small eyes anyway.Sorry if this is an obvious question.


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

shell30984 said:


> i am so grateful for everyones opinions and have taken them all into consideration, i am going to go for a 2foot tank whilst they are small and see how they go. im not sure if i am doing the right thing, but they seem to be eating, so assume that is a good sign.
> 
> i only have sand substrate at the min, will that be ok?
> 
> ...


Yep, totally wrong- this petshop sounds like a real treasure! As with all 'phibs, a variety of diet is best, if you can manage it. Small earthworms (or bits of worm, if they are really small), shrimp and daphnia (frozen may be best, given their condition; they may have trouble catching the live version), flakes of lightly-cooked fish and so on can all be given. They may take broken-up pieces of Reptomin (not all newts will) as well.


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## londonjoe (Apr 11, 2011)

ianxxx i have kept them for 10 years now and i just keep mine the same way you would keep goldfish just in coldwater with a filter. they live happy in there .they breed every year they are very very easy to keep


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## londonjoe (Apr 11, 2011)

as the diet goes i usally just feed them bloodworms but they will take most things like earthworms , meal worms. im sure they would take small locust aswell tho i dont ever give them locust 
:2thumb:


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## ianxxx (Apr 25, 2011)

londonjoe said:


> ianxxx i have kept them for 10 years now and i just keep mine the same way you would keep goldfish just in coldwater with a filter. they live happy in there .they breed every year they are very very easy to keep


Goldfish are easy to keep but that does not stop inexperienced keepers killing them en masse.


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## obicat (Oct 11, 2011)

Gravel isnt recommended for newts, esp not big ones. Sand is much better. They can live on blood worm but its not a great diet for them. I just took on 3 firebellies who have been fed on frozen blood worm and the appear to have bone deformities. It may be a coincidence, but none of mine have ever developed anything like that. I feed mine worms, daphnia, occasionally brine shrimp, bloodworm, tiny crickets, fruit flies and newt pellets. The frozen stuff is only a back up food for me.

Ribbed newts get BIG. I've got 4 juveniles in a 3 foot tank, but will probably upgrade them as they hit maturity. I have stopped using filters in any of the newt tanks, and instead just very heavily plant them.

They like it cold. I havent had any heating on in my house over the winter and they have all thrived


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

obicat said:


> Gravel isnt recommended for newts, esp not big ones. Sand is much better. They can live on blood worm but its not a great diet for them. *I just took on 3 firebellies who have been fed on frozen blood worm and the appear to have bone deformities.* It may be a coincidence, but none of mine have ever developed anything like that. I feed mine worms, daphnia, occasionally brine shrimp, bloodworm, tiny crickets, fruit flies and newt pellets. The frozen stuff is only a back up food for me.
> 
> Ribbed newts get BIG. I've got 4 juveniles in a 3 foot tank, but will probably upgrade them as they hit maturity. I have stopped using filters in any of the newt tanks, and instead just very heavily plant them.
> 
> They like it cold. I havent had any heating on in my house over the winter and they have all thrived


I'm sure this is why so many FBTs in shops are so skinny. I had to tell the staff in one local shop that their FBTs would actually eat crickets etc as well- they had no idea!:bash:


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## londonjoe (Apr 11, 2011)

all bloodworm is a fine diet for them mine feed entirely on them but i have feed them tiny crickets before tho it takes them ages to catch them. and they do get quite big my biggest sharp ribbed newt is about 11/12 inches but they are normally about 6 to 8in


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## obicat (Oct 11, 2011)

I just cant see how a diet of frozen blood worm is adequate from a nutritional or stimulus basis. 

I prefer to feed as much live food as possible. I over stock the tanks every couple of weeks with live food and use the rest to top that up. With the tanks being heavily planted the live food tends to last a while. I know its probably not necessary but I prefer them to have the stimulation of hunting for live food, rather than being "spoon fed" frozen etc. I dont see how it taking them ages to catch their food is a down side? Should that not be the aim? Not being stroppy, its just my opinion


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

obicat said:


> I just cant see how a diet of frozen blood worm is adequate from a nutritional or stimulus basis.
> 
> I prefer to feed as much live food as possible. I over stock the tanks every couple of weeks with live food and use the rest to top that up. With the tanks being heavily planted the live food tends to last a while. I know its probably not necessary but I prefer them to have the stimulation of hunting for live food, rather than being "spoon fed" frozen etc. I dont see how it taking them ages to catch their food is a down side? Should that not be the aim? Not being stroppy, its just my opinion


I find that with my clawed frogs; they'll take dried or frozen food quite readily, but the excitement when they have a live alternative is really obvious.


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