Help! what matierials should I use for my tank

[mark_uk]

Please help me im a noob at keeping newts and im getting 2 JFBN in a couple of weeks and im building my tank to be half terrestrial half aquatic i know what to do with the aquatic side but dont know what materials will be best to use as land. i've heard that moss is good but what kind and were can i get this from? also how will my newts enter the land section?

please give me some suggestions of what you have persinally used.

Thanx in advance!
Mark_UK

 

[mark_uk]

P.S. will it be ok if i leave my tank the same temp all year round

 

[vicky]

I'm new at this, too, but I wouldn't suggest using sphagnum moss. The pH is low in the moss and I don't know for certain but I don't think it's good for the newts. I'm not going to use it again. What I'm trying next is coconut fiber bedding. Whatever you use, I do know that it needs to retain moisture and that it shouldn't be too rough. The last thing you want is your newts getting scraped up.

 

[mark_uk]

Thanx for the info Vicky, ive heard a lot about spahgnum moss some good some bad.

Mark_UK

 

[vicky]

Hell, me too. Newt and salamander care seems to be largely trial and error on the part of the owner as almost everyone has a different opinion on what you should and shouldn't do. The pet store and several books told me to use sphagnum moss, and this site has warned against it. I pH tested it when I noticed that my newt tried to crawl up on whatever he could so that he wasn't touching it, and I found that the pH was a lot lower than it should've been. However, my newt was sick to begin with so maybe it depends on the individual newts and salamanders themselves. If you can, let me know what you wind up using and how well it seems to work?

 

[mark_uk]

When i get my newts i will test different types of moss and let u now in this disscusion what i find best and use.

Mark_UK

 

[mark_uk]

ive got 1 more question have you got any ideas for what i should use under my moss
Thanx

Mark_UK

 

[vicky]

I used gravel, with a thick layer of moss on top. That way the aquatic side had gravel that sloped up to the land part, covered with the soft moist moss. You can get a gravel vaccuum to clean it, too, or just swish it around under running water to clean it. I picked a smoother, larger sized gravel to prevent from scraping my newt and that was too large for him to swallow.

Where are you getting your newts from?

 

[vicky]

BTW, as far as temp thing I think the variations are done to promote breeding. Some people/sites/books say to drop the temp a little bit at night to follow the natural pattern, and if you can I would because it seems that most of these creatrues are caught from the wild and the more their environment simulates their natural habitat, the less freaked out they're probably gonna be. The same could be said for the changes in seasons, but I really don't think it's essential to change the temp as long as it stays in the needed range.

 

[mark_uk]

Thanx again for that info, thats the sort of idea i had in mind big smooth gravel.im getting my newts from a pets and aquatics store nearby.and if im successful with raising my JFBN im thinking of buying some emporer newts

Mark_UK

 

[mark_uk]

by the way Vicky have you got any pictures of your newts and your tank? if you have can you try and show me them.

Thanx

 

[chris]

Have a look on www.caudata.org/caudatecentral
There are care sheets for cynops (firebellies) there in the species data base.
Also, with firebellies, as long as they are reasonably aquatic, it might be better, especially in in a smallish tank (20 gal. or smaller) to use flat rocks such as slate breaking the surface suppported by upended bricks or stones. This leaves a 'cave' the newts can hide in and allowas much more water so more buffr 'gaint poor water quality. Just put some hiding places and Java/garden moss on the rocks.
If the newts don't use the water much, then do as you were going to do and silicone seal a glass/perspex divider into the tank - one side water (smaller), one side land (larger).
Re 'bedding' coconut bark is good, but you can also use chemical fee garden loam.
Hope this helps

Chris

(Message edited by froggy on September 10, 2003)

 

[chris]

Oh yeah, gravel is good under moss as well, but if you pile it up in water, it can build up bacteria causing water quality probs if you don't wash it out. It's a good idea to have a small airspump driven filter in the water to keep it clean.
Unless you want to breed, just keep the temps cool all year( read the caresheet on the site on the last post for more info).
Good luck to you both,
Chris

 

[jennifer]

Also, check out the tank setup photos in the Articles section at the link from chris. The simplest and cleanest setup would be a flat rock on top of bricks or other rocks. Or a floating platform of some kind, such as cork bark. Then you don't have to mess around with moss, gravel, etc. But if you are committed to having a natural-type land area (with soil for plants, for example), you can use a shallow dish of soil topped with gravel.

 

[mark_uk]

Thanx for the info everyone i might try each of your ideas and see what my JFBN like best and use that method.

Mark_UK