Change of tank set up.

[Erinony]

Hello

I currently own one beautiful rough skinned newt who is around 16 years old. He has been in quite a large tank set up his whole life and has been through many different owners who cared well and not so well for him. He went through a process of not eating for over a month and then turned into a fully terrestrial newt for over a year. So just recently, I decided to put him in a small tank and do a full clean on his older tank. What do you know, he decides he wants to be aquatic again. I just can't win with this guy, but I love him I've kept him in this small tank because he has been so mobile, happy and has really turned into a wild care-free newt again. So, I am in the process of turning his old tank into a more suitable aquatic tank, with some nice resting spots above water. I was wondering how I should go about cleaning his water and making sure it is appropriate for him. I know how high he likes the water to be, but I am unsure of if I should do a full change, or gradually change it. It currently is nice and clear, but a lot of debris surfaces when I'm working on small water changes. Should I just go buy a water testing kit and follow that, or should I just try and get rid of the debris? As a Uni student I'd prefer not to have to buy a lot of extra aquarium tools. He has adapted to many disgusting water situations but I still want to make sure I can successfully have a nice clean tank for him. Thanks for any help

 

[Chinadog]

The best thing you can do is google 'the nitrogen cycle in aquariums. The best way of keeping he water sweet for a single newt in a relatively large tank is to fill it with fast growing aquatic plants. The plants will easily process the waste from one newt, so there's no need for filters or anything like that. It can take six to eight weeks for an aquarium to fully cycle, so it would be a good idea to buy some test kits for ammonia and nitrite so you can keep an eye on things and do regular small water changes until the biofilm builds up enough to process the waste naturally.
Hope this helps.