About Alpine newts

 Scientific name:   Ichthyosaura alpestris

Native to the continent of Europe

Average adult size: 3.5 - 5”

Average lifespan: up to 10-20 years

Subaquatic Species - need land and water

Nocturnal

Mature around 3-5 years

Alpine newts' natural habitat consists of small, cool shady mountain ponds and lakes surrounded by forest.  They use logs, stones, leaf litter & burrows for hiding places.  In the wild they typically live mostly on land for 9-10 months of the year and water for the remainder.  I have found however that in captivity they do spend a lot more time than that in the water.  It is important to have both land and water in their habitat and easy ways to get out of the water.   In the wild they do prefer to occupy bodies of water without fish that can pose as a predator to them.     

1. Choosing the appropriate size tank

• We recommend a minimum of a 10 gallon terrarium for 1-3 newts.  Our rule of thumb is 3 gallons per newt when housing multiples.. 
• Keep in mind that more water makes it easier to keep the tank more stable (ammonia, nitrites etc).  The more floor space the better as they prefer floor space to height. 
• You must have a secure lid of some sort for the top. Newts do climb, and they will escape if given the opportunity.

2.  Land area 

• Since this species is subaquatic it is recommended to have a setup with approximately half land & half water. To make it easy for them to climb onto the land area adding some sort of ramp is ideal. For example a mossy shelf or muss lined rock which ascends just above water level.
• On the land area add some places for them to hide and leaf litter.  We like to add springtails, isopods and live plants to make it bioactive and more natural. Cork bark pieces are great to provide places for them to hide underneath. 

3.  Water area

• Water temp 55 - 65° F
• We do not fill our tanks fully, this gives room for the land area and for them to climb.
• The tank does need to be well maintained and cycled.  You can refer to our Tank maintenance and tank cycling guide on our website under axolotl care. It is pretty similar except you do not need to do as big of water changes nor do you need to cycle it at 4 ppm since they do not have as large of a bioload.
• It is good practice to leave some floating cork bark pieces floating in the water area to give them additional areas to climb up on as a safety. 
• You will want to test the water with an api test kit regularly.

4.  Filtration 

• Slow current , we recommend sponge filters or any type of low flow submersible filter.
• Appropriate filtration for the water volume in your tank.

5.  Lighting

• Lighting is not required, but may be necessary for live plants in the habitat.
• Natural light will suffice if you can place it in an area where the tank can get some natural light but not direct sunlight. 
• A natural daylight UV light or UVB light can also be used.

6.  Plants

• Floating Plants such as duckweed and frogbit are excellent, they provide the newts a surface to walk on as well as shade underneath the water from light. They also help to remove Nitrates from the water. 
• Other good plants include: Elodea, Ludwigia, vallisneria, guppy grass 

8.  Tank mates

• Species only
• They are not a particularly social species and seem fine being housed alone or in a group with other alpines.  Different genders can be housed together. 
• Some safe fish could be guppies, bristlenose plecos . ramshorn snails, cherry shrimp, are good at cleaning up after newts 

9.  Diet

• Newts can eat a variety of the following foods.  They do prefer live foods, here are some examples of suitable foods:
  • Chopped worms 
  • Black worms
  • White worms
  • Grindal worms 
  • Blood Worms 
  • Daphnia
  • Copepods
  • Fruit Flies