Fire Belly Newt questions

[Norman44]

Hey guys,
so I'm completely new to newt keeping and I want to make sure I do my absolute best to keep my little guy happy. He's in a 5.5 gallon tank with rocks for climbing on, a plastic plant tree that offers a lot of cover, and a submersible filter. Oh, and gravel.

I want to make sure the water temperature's right. It's a little cooler than room temperature, and I've been keeping him in the basement the past few weeks because of the summer heat. He doesn't get too much light right now. Also, he spends pretty much all of his time out of the water. He seemed to just love his plant and crawled up high into it. He'd sit in funny little hiding places in there, not moving much. Is he happy? Should he swim more? As of today he's been sitting on a rock under his tree with his butt in the water. Progress?

I also wonder about what to feed him. He really doesn't go for the frozen bloodworms at all, mostly because they don't wiggle about I believe. He loves little crickets, but I've only been giving him one every couple of days. The pet store I work at just ran out of butterworms for the week, but he loves those too. Does all this sound okay for a fire belly newt?

Any helpful advice would be soo appreciated! I really want to keep him happy and healthy. :happy:

 

[Norman44]

Also, do I necessarily need to cycle this set up? I only use aquaplus to dechlorinate the water.

 

[Jennewt]

For the moment, anything you can get him to eat is OK. In the long run, he'll do best if you get him eating earthworms in some form.

I'd be wary of using any kind of submersible filter in a tank that small. They create heat and current, both of which are detrimental to newts. A filter is not strictly necessary.

I assume you've gotten the memo about newts being escape artists? Beware.

If you read through old posts in this section, you'll find lots of examples of newly-acquired newts that don't go in the water much at first. This sounds normal.

For one small newt, it's not necessary to pre-cycle the setup. But be careful to clean up all uneaten food promptly, as the water can foul easily until the tank is cycled.

In the long run, you might want to consider upgrading to a 10gallon tank. The water quality will be more stable, and there are more options for how to set it up.

You'll find helpful FAQs, caresheets and articles here:
Caudata Culture Home Page