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Posts by mikeyc_123:

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mikeyc_123
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Joined: 02 Sep 2005
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Posted: 02 Sep 2005 Topic: Newt or Lizard?



Hi Guys,

Firstly... This site is amazing.  The contribution from everyone makes it so fantastic!  I am in search of some help.  I have had these lizards/Newts in my garden for a while now and took this picture the other night.  It doesnt have the skin of the lizard and doesnt look like a newt.  They live under my patio and pop out when warm. They only seem to appear at night also!  Can anyone identify it for me please?  This is the biggest one I have seen.  There have been 2 new ones appear that are a sandy color and are really small so I think a bit of hanky panky has been happening under the patio!! 

 

Cheers

Michael

 




mikeyc_123
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Posted: 02 Sep 2005 Topic: Newt or Lizard?



ah! I should try and get another photo with a decent camera.  I thought newts had a flat tail? 

Cheers

Michael




mikeyc_123
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Posted: 12 May 2007 Topic: What is it? Green Newt or Lizard?



Hi All,

My girlfriend was in Newquay and her brother managed to find this green thing.  They are not too expereinced with this sort of thing so they could not identify what it was.  I asked them if it was cold or had smooth skin and they said it was not cold and not warm and it had smooth skin.  I thought... It might be a newt! But her brother said it had claws/nails!  So it must be a lizard? Looking at the rear feet it does look like a lizard but I can not find anything on the net to say this is from the uk!  Could it be an import?  Has anyone seen anything like it before?  The pic isnt excellent and she took it on her phone.. sorry.

 

Cheers

Mike

 

 




mikeyc_123
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Posted: 17 May 2007 Topic: underbelly colouring



Hi Dalan,

Looks like a common newt to me.  But i'm not an exert.  I have about 10 of these dotted around the garden.  Although I have a pond I have only seen one in there (its a small pond with no plants) so its not ideal for them and my koi will probably have a go at eating them anyway. 

Cheers

Mike




mikeyc_123
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Joined: 02 Sep 2005
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Posted: 08 Sep 2007 Topic: Is it a reptile or amphibian



Common newt for def.  Its amazing how they get in some places!  I thought that toads would eat newts though?? 


mikeyc_123
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Posted: 22 Sep 2007 Topic: Next week anyone up for herping?



Fantasic pics!!!!  Although I would love to hear how painful the bite was!  I am thinking of going off for a day near a few ponds in Desborough (Northamptonshire) to see what I can find.  There have been many reports of great crested newts round here and I have lots of common newts in my garden.  The ponds near by were created in 2003 due to the construction of a new road link (A6) and so far I have seen fish in the ponds but no newts... but... I want to find some snakes.  Would I be best to look away from the ponds or just in thick undergrowth?  I dont really want to find an adder as I would like to handle one but from the pics I think I will take a nice thick pair of leather gloves just in case I find an angry smooth!!

 

Cheers

 

Mike




mikeyc_123
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Posted: 03 Oct 2007 Topic: advice on fish



Hi Kate,

Fish do like company but...  They do not reduce algae or keep it at bay.  A natural pond is great but I could not get on with my one.  I started with a water fall water feature from Focus (ú50 in the sale).  By boss had lots of fish in his pond (only goldfish) that were black so he gave me a couple.  I left the fish (about 6) in the bucket of the water feature and in about 3 weeks time there was a huge amount of algae.

I purchased some plants to help with cover for the pond but as it was in direct sunlight it still went green.  So I decided to put a pond in.  I  did not want anything too big so purchased a pre-formed pond that had some shelves each side for the plants.  All went well for about 1 week (as it had fresh water in it) and then the algea came back.  The algae thrive on various things like sunlight and nitrogen.  I then purchased a filtration system for the pond which had a UV light installed and hey presto - a nice clear pond!  I then purchased 2 koi carp and have just recently got rid of them (to a friend with a bigger pond) as they had no room to swim about. But one of the main reasons was becuase the more fish you have the more waste they produce, and the more ammonia and nitrogen in the water was causing more algae and pond weed.  If your current fish has lots of room then maybe 1 more or even 2 might be nice for it as for company but if you have a problem with the algae bloom I would advise a decent pump and filtration/uv system which are about ú90 for a semi decent one but if you want a smaller one let me know as I am taking the pond out in November as I am putting the house on the market.  For more information about algea have a look at the link below but dont think about buying the product that is mentioned.  The only way to get rid of algea is to get the correct balance of plants/sunlight/fish/etc in the pond.

http://www.absoluteponds.com/lake-information.htm

Hope this helps

Mike




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