Newts on a log

DIY - Easy black fabric background

 This is my tank before. I like it, but I've been really liking the black background I've been seeing in photos. 

 I happened to have a package of felt because I am often crafting and sew with felt fairly often. I cut the fabric to size for the tank. 

 Here you can see that it is just held up by regular tape for now. There are some gaps where you can see the light from above, but you do not see these gaps from the front. As long as no one goes staring at the back edges of my tank, I am ok. 

 And here is the tank with the black background! That was quick and easy!

 All of the fuss made the little shellies hide out for a while. 

 They came back out, though!

 Here they are against the black background!

Before and after comparison. Much nicer, I think!

Day 2 - They've come out of hiding!

I think this is a male.

 Sometimes they hide inside of the shells, sometimes they hide between them.

 These two are acting like a couple. I think they are pairing off!

The couple again.

Shellies acquired!

I took this photo the night that they got home. It's a bit boring right now - they were all still hiding in the shells.

Yesterday I made the 2 hour trip to pick up my juvenile Brevis off of a seller on Craigslist. It worked out  great for me. Their parents were a group of wild caught Brevis "Chimba".

The owner was a guy that does professional aquarium maintenance and has many beautiful tanks in his home. I got to see the parents and all of the other babies. We picked out 3 large ones and 3 small ones in hopes that I get some pairs. Since the entire group of babies came from multiple wild caught pairs, I know they're not inbred, and that even their babies may not be inbred. That's exciting!

California Newts

My two California Newts the day I got them! They moved from a 5 gallon container into a 29 gallon tank.

 Excited to have a pile of blackworms to snack on.

 Getting some air.

 They are so nice about being held!

 More holding. 

 This is Galio sitting on top of the lily that they later beat up from walking through it too much.

Galio sitting in the Java Fern and Anachris.

 Kog'Maw hanging out in the brazilian pennywort.

 Galio hanging out underwater as usual. 

 Kog'Maw hanging out above water as usual.

 Snacking on mosquito larvae. The two used to look almost identical, but the one that likes to be aquatic, Galio, is now darker and has the "jowls" for sucking in aquatic prey, and more of a tail fin after only a month.

 Kog'maw often climbs the Pothos.

 Newt belly!

Kog'Maw getting some air. 

 More Kog'Maw.

 Yeap. More Kog'Maw.

I know. There are more pictures of Kog'Maw than Galio. That's because Kog'Maw got sick after I got him, so I was watching him closely to see how he was doing all the time. He's now happier and more active, maintaining a little belly instead of being thin!

Getting my tank ready for Shellies!

I was not ready for this part - spinning the shells to get all of the air out of them! I just added the rinsed escargot shells into my 10 gallon tank.

 My betta is living in the tank in the meantime.

Rock with a little cave in it. I wonder if anyone will use that instead of the shells?