The Saga Continues

I've got a pair of Chinese Firebelly newts, and the female has just begun laying eggs for the first time. Not sure what it is about our aquariums, but I hope it means we're doing a good job. She's been laying anywhere from 3-10 per day for the past week or so. She does this by folding a leaf over with her hind legs and making a newt-egg-taco. One. Egg. Per. Leaf. She's really finicky about this.

My new tank is still growing in, and she's been doing a real number on the plants, often crushing two leaves for ever egg she lays. I've tried fake plants, strips of plastic, and anything else that I found recommended on line, but she only likes the real deal.

Finally, I plopped some java fern in today--the stuff grows like a weed in our other tanks--and she went to town on it instead of my nice plants. So, crisis *mostly* averted. Now I just need to find someone who wants a bunch of baby newts when they hatch...