I A. Apuana new year babies

My two pair of Italian alpines have been busy, and I welcomed the new year by observing a handful of newly hatched newtlets. This will be my first time. I have setup a baby brine shrimp hatchery, and I also keep live blackworms to feed them. The babies will be raised in the parents tank, so mother nature will be having a heavy influence on whatever happens. I just think the best shot for survival is in the well established aquarium. The top half of the aquarium is pretty much a brick of floating plants (*seriously, little light reaches the bottom; and I use a 7000k/660nm LED system) with floating corkbark. There is a plethora of microorganisms already living in there as well. Temperature is climate-controlled to 58F. Regardless what the future brings, it has been completely fascinating watching these guys court, mate and lay. Happy Newt Year!

Some photos *If my Internet skills aren't completely useless...

My adult apuanus tend to leave eggs alone but hoover up larvae if they can catch them. Occasionally the odd wily lava evades capture if there are plentiful hiding spots. You might get lucky in a well planted aquarium like yours.

Congratulations on the successful breeding. They really are fantastic and rewarding newts to keep.