Re: In defense of gravel...

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Posted by Al on August 01, 2001 at 08:24:07:

In Reply to: In defense of gravel... posted by nimbus2 on July 30, 2001 at 11:47:37:

I think gravel/large smooth stones and such give the newt something to do. I hand feed most of my species with forceps, but like to dump some black worms in the tank for several reasons...
The black worms help break down newt waste further and appears to add to the biofilter cycle (along with plants etc). They stay alive for a long time (no harm in polluting tank). The newts spend time foraging for them...giving you a glimpse of how they would hunt prey in the wild.
I don't use gravel in all my setups, but use large stones (smooth).

I will add gravel to tanks during breeding season...it does make a difference in spermatophore transfer. I had to do this in generic sweater box setups where the male and female were both ready (gravid)for weeks, but nothing was happining. After a couple of handfuls of gravel...eggs!! I would change the plants and feed daily. My cynops female laid eggs for 4-5 weeks (300-500) with this method. I went through lots of plants though.
Al

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: I think gravel/large smooth stones and such give the newt something to do. I hand feed most of my species with forceps, but like to dump some black worms in the tank for several reasons... : The black worms help break down newt waste further and appears to add to the biofilter cycle (along with plants etc). They stay alive for a long time (no harm in polluting tank). The newts spend time foraging for them...giving you a glimpse of how they would hunt prey in the wild. : I don't use gravel in all my setups, but use large stones (smooth). : I will add gravel to tanks during breeding season...it does make a difference in spermatophore transfer. I had to do this in generic sweater box setups where the male and female were both ready (gravid)for weeks, but nothing was happining. After a couple of handfuls of gravel...eggs!! I would change the plants and feed daily. My cynops female laid eggs for 4-5 weeks (300-500) with this method. I went through lots of plants though. : Al

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