Can Newts And Fish Live Together?

You might find the idea of a mixed aquarium pretty fascinating. If you’re thinking to keep newts and fish together, there remain lots of questions. The very first question, which comes to mind is, if they can coexist or not. Hence, we’ve also conducted some researches about it.

Newts and fish can live together. Although they can coexist together, it’s better not to keep them together. Also, you need to choose fish carefully if you intend to make them live together with newts.

Despite getting this affirmation, you might have other confusions regarding keeping them together. Thus, we urge you to go through this article.

Let’s get enlightened on how newts and fish can live together, the risks, compatibility, conditions about it, and so on.

What Fish Are Compatible With Newts?

Not all fish can live together with newts. Hence, it’s important and sensitive to choose fish wisely to keep with your newt.

You can select slightly bigger fish than newts to keep them together. Small goldfish and adult guppies can be good examples of this.

You must have known that newts are carnivorous. Hence, neither too small nor too big fish are compatible with newts.

 Otherwise, either of them will be prey to others. In the following section, we’ve given some suggestions to choose compatible fish.

How To Choose Fish To Live With Newts Together?

Though it seems harmless to keep newts and fish together, you need to follow some rules for this. Fish tends to eat larval newt and their eggs. On the other hand, small fish are admirable good foods for newts.

Hence, you need to follow some conditions while choosing fish to live with newts.

• The very first condition is that the fish must be non-aggressive.

• Do not make the mistake of choosing predatory fish such as Oscars or large cichlids, etc.

• Choose slightly larger fish than newts. Moreover, the fish can attack your newt if it is too big.

• Again, the newts may eat the fish if the fish is too small. Because newts tend to swallow everything that fits in their mouth.

• You should avoid bottom-feeder fish like small catfish. As they tend to eat on the bottom of the tank, they might be the prey of the newt. Because newt also eats there usually.

• Choose  “cold water” fish or tropical fish like goldfish, guppy, molly, etc. Because tropical fish can survive in the temperature between 75 – 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Not to mention, newts also do their best in that temperature.

• It’s better to avoid choosing expensive fish to keep together. Because newt might end up surprising you by eating or attacking them.

Following the mentioned conditions, you can choose fish to live with your newts.

Hungry for knowledge about Newt? We’ve got you covered in this article. Do Newts Eat Fish?

Do Newts Eat Small Fish?

Besides other live foods, newts tend to eat small fish too.

Newts can eat small fish. As newts are carnivorous, they enjoy eating any kind of meat. In the list of this meat, small fish get included. They can eat small guppies, minnows, small crustaceans, water shrimps, seed shrimps, freshwater shrimps, etc.

Besides, maximum people recommend not to feed newt any fish which are sold in the stores. If you want to feed them fish, it’s better to breed or culture the fish. Then, they won’t affect any harmful impact on your newt.

What Should You Do To Keep Newts And Fish Together?

Precisely, keeping newt and fish together is not easy. If you intend to make newt and fish live together, follow some rules.

1. Proper Set-up Of The Aquarium

If you make your newts and fish live together, buy a large aquarium for them. Because huge space in an aquarium provides them room for escaping, hiding, and playing.

 If the tank is small, the presence of fish can make the newt stressed. Also, it’ll be no wonder if they kill each other in such a tight space.

Moreover, you must have known that even fully aquatic newts need some land. That’s why you must keep some rocks, gravels, etc so that newts can crawl to the land.

Otherwise, it’ll harm their breeding if you force newts to spend their entire time in the water. Or, you can simply add a floating platform in the aquarium.

2. Adding A Divider And Separate Filters

You can add a divider in the aquarium if you think that it is necessary. If you add any larger fish that have the potentiality to eat the newt or vice versa, a divider can solve the problem.

Although all newts don’t chase down fish to eat, some newts like peddle-tail newt, warty newt, etc tend to chase fish. Another important reason for adding a divider is to not mixing the water of both fish and newt.

Because the excess amount of waste excreted by the fish is harmful to your newts. In case you decide to add a divider, it’s better to select a silicon divider for your tank.

 Although fish and newt can live together in a tank, they require separate filtration on each side. You can notice the unbalanced amount of ammonia or wastages on both sides after adding separate filtration.

This happens much in the case of keeping goldfish, minnows, and such other fish also. Even fries contribute a good level of ammonia while living with a newt. Meanwhile, this affects negatively your newts.

Ready to learn more about Newt + Salamander? This post will give you fresh insights! Is A Newt A Salamander? [Salamander vs Newt]

3. Keeping The Number Of Fish Low

It’s a notable fact that newts are much slower than fish in the case of collecting food. If the number of fish is higher, the newt may lose the competition of getting food. Hence, you need to keep the number of fish low.

It’ll help your newt compete easily for food. Besides, you can add fry instead of adult fish. They seem quite less competitive for food which is an advantage for your newts.

4. Keep The Temperature Accurate

Don’t compromise or risk the life of your newt for fish. So, you have to add such fish in the tank that can adjust to living with the newt together.

You must have known that newts tend to live in cold temperatures. They need water between 62-75 degrees Fahrenheit to survive. Hence, keep in mind to add cold-water fish. Otherwise, your newt won’t live long.

Tips On Getting Food To Newts With Fish In The Tank

If you make fish and newt live together, you’ll notice that maximum fish seem to grab everything before newts. Thus, it becomes a challenge to feed newts in the mixed aquarium. Hence, we are giving you some proper tips on getting food to newts.

• You can hand feed chopped worms to your newts. Also, you can add mealworms, earthworms, bloodworms, etc to their food list. Besides, you can get newt food from local stores.

• You can add fry to live with newt together. Then, give only such foods targeted for the newts. Don’t provide fry their food. Because this can pollute the water quality.

• Otherwise, you may remove the fish or divide the tank. Then, you can feed both of them separately. Else, fish tends to dominate newts to grab food.

• If you think of adding fish in the tank to be eaten by newts, that can also be possible. When the fry or smaller fish gets bigger, the newts may swallow or eat them. You can feed your newts in this way too.

Expand your understanding of Newt—click here to uncover more! Are Newts Poisonous? [A Deep Dive]

Why Should You Not Keep Newts And Fish Together?

Many pet lovers do not like the idea of keeping newts and fish together in a tank. Although newts and fish can live together, they don’t find comfort entirely.

It’s kind of gambling your pets’ lives by many people’s opinions. Let’s see why people recommend not to keep them together.

1. Water Quality Gets Corrupted

Generally fish excrete a huge amount of wastages. As their wastages are excreted in the form of ammonia, the water quality gets imbalanced for newts.

Because the porous skin of newts absorbs ammonia and other harmful chemicals. Thus, this may lead to the newts’ death.

2. Newts’ Limited Sexual Interaction

We’ve found out that newts show less sexual interaction in the presence of fish than in their absence. Rather, newts show more sexual interaction in their safer place or hideouts.

Similarly, the presence of fish put a significant effect negatively on newts’ courtship activity too. Newts show comparatively more courtship activity in the absence of fish.

So, you may see them living together without any direct harm. But, the presence of fish affects newts in a complex behavioural way like inhibiting the sexual activity of newts.

3. Newts’ Avoidance Of Micro Habitat Where Fish Are Present

Our researches show that newts avoid using the open area or microhabitat in the presence of fish. In that time, newts tend to hide in their shelters or under rocks, plants, etc.

On the other hand, they use the open area more often in the absence of fish than in the fish presence comparatively.

Hence, many people recommend not forcing newts and fish to live together. Although they can coexist, they can affect each other significantly in a negative way.

Do Fish Eat Newts?

Fish are on the top list of newts’ predators. Generally, fish eat larval newts and eggs of newts.  Hence, newts choose such a habitat in the wild where fish do not live.

Again, if you introduce bigger and aggressive fish with newts in the tank, those fish will eat newts. For this, select fish carefully for keeping them to live with newts together.

If Newt piqued your interest, this article will take you even further. Newt Feeding Guide: What Do Newts Eat?

Are Newts Good For Fish Pond?

Newts do great in a fish pond if the pond is newt friendly.

If you intend to welcome newts in your pond, make sure that there are no fish. Because fish are their very common predators. Otherwise, the larval newt can eat fish food.

Meanwhile, newts can live or adjust in the fish pond nicely. Not to mention, ponds are the best dual habitat for newts.

Final Words

Although newts and fish can live together, we shouldn’t make them stressed putting them into a mixed aquarium. In case you want to enjoy seeing them together, you must follow the mentioned guidelines of this article.