The Care of a Red-Spotted Newt

Red-spotted newts (Notophthalmus viridescens) adapt well to life in tanks and can live for 15 years or more if cared for properly. This species has two and sometimes three stages to its lifecycle. First is the typical amphibian tadpole stage; then the animal becomes an eft, an immature terrestrial stage; and finally it takes its adult newt form. Some individuals miss out on the eft stage. Each of these stages has different needs. The newt stage is mostly aquatic and requires an aquarium habitat with a land area.

Things You'll Need

  • 10-gallon or larger tank
  • Aquarium gravel, rocks and aquatic plants
  • Filter
  • Soft live food
  • Gravel cleaner
  • Bucket
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Instructions

    • 1

      Prepare a freshwater aquarium for your newts. Add a layer of large-sized aquarium gravel to the tank and stack rocks at one end to create a land area. Position the filter. Fill the tank with dechlorinated water and allow the tank to settle for a day before adding aquatic plants.

    • 2

      Introduce newts to the tank. Red-spotted newts are social animals and should be kept in small groups. A 10-gallon tank is big enough for three.

    • 3

      Feed the newts soft live foods such as earthworms and maggots two to four times a week. Judge how much to feed by how much the newts eat. If they leave any food items, feed less next time. Conversely if your newts eat all the food items very quickly, consider adding more or feeding more frequently.

    • 4

      Remove about a quarter of the water every couple of weeks with the gravel cleaner and bucket. Concentrate on siphoning up debris as well as water. Replace with fresh, dechlorinated water.