Is substrate really necessary for aquatic newts??

[mattramsland]

I know that pea-sized gravel is the preferred substrate for aquatic newts such as Chinese fire belly and Eastern newts, but is it absolutely necessary? Siphoning during water changes sure is easier in a bare-bottomed tank! Is there any drawback to a tank with no gravel, but with a floating land area and some live and plastic plants (and a large rock or two) for hides?

 

[xMIDNIGHTx]

There is really no reason other than for cosmetics. I use just enough sand to cover 60% of the bottom and the rest is bare bottom for feeding. My newts (C. cyanurus) spend some time on the floor eating/looking for food and the rest of the time is resting in the suspended plants or slowly swimming around.


Mitch

 

[Jake]

I think bare bottom tanks are the best! They make cleaning a breeze and you don't have to worry about food particles falling into the substrate and spoiling. The only drawback that I can think of is if you have no substrate in a tank with a lot of current for stream dwelling species. With strong water flow the animals can't grip the bottom and will be pushed around, so in that case it's best to give them larger rocks and hides for them to rest on or under.

 

[Hardwarehank]

Another advantage with a substrate is that you have more options in the types of live plants you can use, although some people get around this by using pots.

 

[merk199]

The short is no.

Personally I dislike bare bottom freshwater or marine tanks. Just my personal opinion. Can not remember the last time I went swimming in nature in a bare bottom lake, stream, or ocean. The only one I can come up with is a swimming pool....but that is antithesis of nature.

The plants in pots look bothers me as well. The tank looks like it belongs in a LFS, with grease pencil markings and prices on it....

Personally I would not use pea size gravel. Such a detritus trap ie....think algae outbreaks. They may not happen for 1-2 yrs if you are on point with cleaning, water changes and feedings but eventually it will happen....personal experience there....Life gets busy at times. If I had to choose between gravel and bare bottom/pots, then I would go bare bottom/pot.

Now with that said it is extremely possible to have a interesting fully planted tank without a bottom substrate. If you were to utilize rhizome plants then you do not need substrate. Rhizome plants do not get planted into the substrate like a normal plant. They need the rhizome attached to driftwood or a rock, or some other aquatic medium. There are some interesting characters in these genus' that could be potential canidates. I would look to the following genus' for canidates Anubias, Cryptocoryne(careful in this genus, the majority are not rhizomes), Microsorum, and Nymphoides. These should get you started if you choose to go this way. The only thing I would be concerned about is whether particular plants could survive in the water temps we keep our tanks at.

Might be a worthwhile challenge to creat an interested fully planted bare bottom tank. I am currently constructing one with a false bottom as I am going to keep some juvies terrestrially and then eventually take them aquatic in the same tank...So maybe after I finish that one...! Good luck!

 

[spendday]

I know that pea-sized gravel is the preferred substrate for aquatic newts such as Chinese fire belly and Eastern newts, but is it absolutely necessary?

i wasn't aware it was the preferred substrate I was alway told to aviod small gravel as it can be ingested when feeding and causes food to be trapped and spoil.


I use some large stones strewn about the enclosure but thats it for substrate there are some areas of bare glass but there are just the gaps between the stones.

 

[SludgeMunkey]

I am an advocate of substrateless aquatic caudate tanks.

I am also very lazy.

My main reasons for not using them are:

First, it is easier for me to maintain water chemistry. A bare bottom lets me siphon out waste easier.

Second, I got very tired of my critters missing out on some of their live foods as these often escaped into the substrate.

Third, When I was actively breeding axolotls, it was easier to collect all of the eggs. They are just easier to find on a bare tank.

Fourth, while I have never in close to 10 years had an axolotl suffer from pica, I did have a few that were pooping out bits of gravel for months after they were transferred to bare bottomed tanks. Their digestive systems had actually removed all the sealant and coloring off the gravel. This worried me more than the gravel did.

Fifth, it really is mostly because I am lazy...

 

[Greewok]

I think it's pretty tough to just generalize about substrate. It's really in the eye of the beholder. I take a totally different approach and build my tank around the housing guest. Young newts get bare bottom for ease of feeding/cleaning. Sub adults get sand, and Adults get sand/rock combo usually. Depending on the species, some may have more wood, or plants, etc...Axoltols are the only exception I have. I really like them on a slate bottom tank.

Also, I can tell you that I have noticed less activity from some newts with bare bottom tanks. Switching to sand or gravel almost made an immediate impact on their activity.

 

[mattramsland]

While it is called "pea gravel", the gravel I used is actually closer to the size of a blueberry or marble, which is nearly twice as large as most of my newts' heads. So ingestion is unlikely, but I like your idea of larger rocks spread about.

 

[Tigra]

Is it true that a substrate can become a buffer for beneficial bacteria ?
I would say that this helps to flatten the hights en depths in the environment.
Although cleaning the whole tank gives me the idea that the substrate is a big dump.

 

[merk199]

The substrate will colonize with beneficial bacteria over a period of time.