Finished C.Orientalis Terrarium

I finished my tank today for my C.Orientalis Female. I decided to go with gravel after all because the sand just wasn't working for me. My newt doesn't seem to like eating gravel, I have not even seen her try a piece in my life.

She seems to like hiding in the new log that I put in and inside the trunk of the tree. This morning I couldn't find her for a few hours, took the tree out and flushed it, out she popped. xD

I tried feeding her bloodworms today and she took them. I suck up the worms with a turkey baster and pop them into the whole in the top of the log. She seems to like them and eats almost all of them.

That container houses crickets as well as the tree. (there are a ton of little wholes in the tree)

Thanks for all of your help.

While it looks nice, I think you're going to have a hard time maintaining water quality with that much gravel. Waste, uneaten food, and 'bad water' will get trapped in the gravel, and will make it nearly impossible to keep the water clean.

Thanks for your input Kaysie,

I'm going to try my hardest to keep it clean, I am also going to go out and buy some gravel for my filter to get rid of any ammonia from rotting food/plants if that will help.

Any ideas on how to keep it clean would be appreciated.

It's best to just remove that source of ammonia, rather than treating the ammonia secondarily. Also, crickets will surely drown if that's the method you're going to use to feed your newt. You'll have more drowned crickets than eaten ones.

Since C. orientalis is primarily aquatic, you really don't need such a land area. Take out all but a 1/2 inch layer of gravel, and put the log in so it sticks out just above the water.

Robert, dirt in gravel is NATURAL in every aquarium and, as long as your plants are growing, they will use the dirt and "wastes" for their own and clean the water themselves.
Tank looks good, newts should do very well

Thanks Yahilles.

I hope that they grow well, I have a light but only turn it on when needed as it causes my newt to hide in the tree. (which is not good because I don't know if she can get out xD)

I'm with Kaysie. Your enclosure looks very nice but I'd really recommend cutting down on that gravel. It will trap a lot of waste product no matter what you do which will then rot and throw off the water quality.

There is also a chance that a built up gravel area that high will form an anaerobic "dead spot." These areas give rise to bacteria that produce the highly toxic gas hydrogen sulfide. This is much worse than ammonia or nitrite.

C. orientalis really don't need all that much land and be kept nearly completely aquatic. The amount of plants you provided paired with a piece of floating cork bark or a turtle log would be more than acceptable as land area.

The moderators are right, I know it seems ok and you think it will be fine, but trust them and me..
I'm sure you would rather see your newt more and make work less for yourself, so:

I suggest starting all over again.

If the newt was kept with no land at all, it would adapt and live fully aquatically, you would see it much more and would discover how they climb around underwater on the plants, sometimes hanging by their tails, like little red bellied monkeys but if you give them land, they will stay on it, if there is holes, you will never see them.

Taking gravel out (especially on the tree end) would give you more overall water capacity, making it easier to establish a nice balanced aquarium with lots and lots of plants, lets get more live plants. But when they are kept aquatically you cannot use gravel, as the worms escape down into the gravel, you need to use sand or nothing at all.

I suggest loosing the tree altogether, you can make a beautiful set up without it,

and loose the cardboard house. Lets go for 100% natural on this one? you think?

So,
You want a 1 inch sand or plain glass bottom, with the water level at least 2 thirds high.
Maybe make the sand bottom slope back so that u can see more of what's at the back.

I know it's more work and it might not be what you had in mind, but I know you would be glad later if you follow the advice..

and you will see your newt in full glory!

I think your aquarium is awesome! I have been looking for wood like yours for a long long time.

That wood is fake.
I completely agree with the rest, the tank looks nice but it´s not for your newt. It will be a lot happier if you use as much water volume as the tank allows. Get rid of the plastic shelter, it´s no use. If the fake wood is a potential trap, get rid of it!!! Also, the crickets, as you were told will drown before having the chance of being eaten so it´s of no use in a newt tank.

If you follow our recomendations you´ll find out your newt and yourself will be enjoying the tank a lot more.

I have a doubt about sand and newts...

When newts eat... they open their mouth quickly and food get into it very quickly too. If food is on the sand...they could eat some little grains and food together due to the vacuum. I think it could be a problem to the animals.

Could anyone tell me/us any experience of this?

The thing is sand is eaten, but it causes no problems. It travels through the newt without making any harm. In fact, it wouldn´t surprise if it actually benefited them by helping to clean their intestines. The real problem comes with gravel...if eaten, it can cause impaction, and even wounds in the insides of the newt.

I don't agree with that. In my opinion, sand is "gravel" for cynops due to its size. However, gravel can't be eaten when they open their mouth because they are very small and gravel is heavier.

On the other hand, I agree with gravel can affect water quality.

Thank azhael for replying me, and I hope not to bother anyone with my opinion, It's only a thought.

I agree, in comparison to newts, sand is like a small stone for us, but it's going about size - sand cannot block the newt's bowels.

Mine orientalis spit sand out when take it with worms while eating.
And i would say: How about newts in nature? In pond there is no glass instead of pond bottom!

No glass, but mud I suppose, mud is fines particles, earth, which are smaller than sand.

Your assumption may seem right, but in the practice, sand (we are talking fine aquarium sand) is way too small to cause impaction.
C.orientalis is probably not a species that should cause problems with gravel, as your average gravel is too big to swallow, but accidents have happened and could happen again. With other bigger species the possibility of swallowing gravel is greater.
I personally use sand and i´m very happy with it. I´ve seen the newts eat some that was stuck on the worm, and i´ve seen the resulting feces, containing the sand. I´ve never seen any ill effect on them. or any problem whatsoever regarding the sand....but i´ve seen attempts to eat gravel when i kept them in another tank.

Fine aquarium sand is like very small gravel, not like beach sand, this is what I mean and the problem I see. But It's interesting your experience and you have solved my doubt (+ -).

OZIRIS said:

No glass, but mud I suppose, mud is fines particles, earth, which are smaller than sand.

Click to expand...

And if somebody would keep newts on mud, some people* would say that it can case health problem because of not-complete pure tank...

Sand is a very good substrate. I like your tank, but agree you should get rid of the gravel mound. I used to do this same thing, and besides the wasted space, and the possibilty of waste build up, it's VERY HEAVY! Just moving a tank full of gravel - even with all water out - is dangerous and hard on the glass.I learned this the hard way. CO like aged, still water with lots of weeds. A cork float should be fine if they want to haul out. Feed them frozen blood worms.The easiest and best food.