Hi Rheann, It sounds like you have lots of ideas for your tank! What I would add is that you should always think of the practical elements of terrestrial salamander husbandry. A tank that has lots of plants, moss and structural elements may look great as a display tank but is not always best for your salamander. Many Salamandra keepers and breeders use fairly sterile set-ups for their animals, comprising plastic tubs with damp paper towels and a few hides. The amount of control you have over the animal’s habitat and feeding will determine how healthy it is. In naturalistic set-ups it becomes very hard to monitor the hygiene of the substrate/décor and unless your sal hand feeds you'll have trouble gauging how often it eats, so the first signs of illness can be more easily missed. You should try to strike a balance between a tank that is easy to clean i.e. replaceable substrate/hides and attractiveness. A coco fibre background for example adds no real benefit to your salamander and will make the tank harder to manage. The best set-ups are the most simple in my experience.
