Question: is this enough room?

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antcatcher11

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Joey
I have an empty 10 gallon tank, is this big enough for a pair of maculatum? (they are still young, I will upgrade them) Also is it alright to use just top soil as a substrate? Thanks for the help.
 
superfin said:
and I think pot soil would be quite good.
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Potting soil, is not an appropriate substrate for salamanders- It often contains fertilizers, pieces of foam, et. Organic topsoil is definitely the way to go. Alternatively, you could mix the topsoil with cocofiber.

A 10 gallon tank should be fine while they are still small, as long as enough hides are provided, however, as full-length adults it may become a bit cramped.

Good Luck!:D

Edit: I just noticed, superfin, did you mean potting soil, or did you just spell 'top' backwards?
 
I don't like moss, it looks unnatural and takes away normal digging from the sals. Is it okay to use organic top soil and no eco-earth? so what is the minimum soil height? I was thinking 3-4 inches high. The diet I was think of small earth worms, pinhead crickets, and wax worms. Do you have any other suggestions as this guys are gonna be tiny when they arrive.
 
wax worms are a bit to fatty to be used as a regular food source.I find sand quite a good substrate mixed with topsoil.




chris:wacko:





p.s Nathan you are right I had got the two of them mixed up lol:yin-yang:
 
I plan to use earth worms for a main diet. I am still looking for some smaller foods though. any suggestions?
 
superfin said:
I find sand quite a good substrate mixed with topsoil.:yin-yang:
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This is a good suggestion. I have always read that Mole Sals in general like a LITTLE bit of sand mixed throughout "clean" top-soil. The sand in it helps burrows become more permanant. Moist sand is easily sculpted, and when it dries it gets semi-hard. This holds the soil up and firm in the burrows. I would suggest a "tall" variety 20 GL with as much depth for sub-terranian excavation and digging as possible. I think a layer of 3 to 4 inches is fine, but a depth of say 5-8 inches would allow a more natural opportunity to fully take advantage of the soil. Live plants on the surface would encourage more ground-level observations as well as help filter waste out of soil. Respond back to let us all know what you think...;)
 
Alright, here goes-

Earthworms are a great staple diet. I also often feed pinhead crickets and the occasional waxworm. The pinhead crickets are the only thing that you would have to dust with vitamins.

Tank size- As I said before, 10 gallons is fine right now. I actually would disagree with going for a tall tank with depth. Spotted salamanders are different from other Ambystoma in that they tend not to actively dig their own burrows. They are more inclined to enlarge existing crevices and cracks. If you provide lots of large, flat pieces of bark/cork, spotted salamanders in particular seem to like that. They then burrow under them slightly- so 3-4 inches of soil depth would be fine. Mine seems to enjoy moving between hides periodically, so floor space seems like a better choice.

Good Luck!
 
jbherpin said:
I think a layer of 3 to 4 inches is fine, but a depth of say 5-8 inches would allow a more natural opportunity to fully take advantage of the soil.;)
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Then you agree? I think providing the option is more important to burrowing species. "Your's" may not be the type to burrow, but I've had spotted Sals I've had to dig up to verify their health. Some specimens will no doubt be unique in their requirements. Do you agree Nathan050793?
 
jbherpin said:
Then you agree? I think providing the option is more important to burrowing species. "Your's" may not be the type to burrow, but I've had spotted Sals I've had to dig up to verify their health. Some specimens will no doubt be unique in their requirements. Do you agree Nathan050793?
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Sure, there are always exceptions. In nature, spotted salamanders often use burrows abandoned by other animals, especially shrews- thus I mentioned their tendency not to dig burrows- I never said that they wouldn't do it. The only thing I disagreed with in your previous post was having a tall tank over a long tank. I totally agree with you in that 3-4 or even 5-8 inches are both about right.
 
Nathan050793 said:
Sure, there are always exceptions. In nature, spotted salamanders often use burrows abandoned by other animals, especially shrews- thus I mentioned their tendency not to dig burrows- I never said that they wouldn't do it. The only thing I disagreed with in your previous post was having a tall tank over a long tank. I totally agree with you in that 3-4 or even 5-8 inches are both about right.
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Cool. Thanks for the verification. I recommended a tall tank specifically for ease of burrowing, and soil depth. They have many shapes and depths in the tanks available today. Tall doesn't always mean limited ground space. To be fair, I do think I suggested a 20 GL tall. This may not be ideal, but it is more than satisfactory for recent metamorphs, and juv. specimens. You can create burrows in the substrate by hand, and utilize the full depth if you chose. The specimens would likely use, and expand on the existing tunnel systems. I'm not trying to challenge you at all, I just think that all the experiences should be shared, and a broad base of information can only be beneficial to those seeking knowledge. It seems people get hung up on being right as opposed to sharing the diversity of a species, and it's care requirements. All the respect to you, truly, You obviously have had great success, just in a different manner than me.
 
Don't worry, I'm not one of those people who always has to be right. I'm all for sharing ideas...isn't this what the forum is for?

I understand why you think 20 gallon tall is good...My only argument is that it would be much more pricey than a standard 10 gallon tank (which is also why I was pushing 10 gallon). Seeing as Joey is 15, I wouldn't expect him to have that sort of money...

Sorry for half-hijacking your thread Joey :eek:
 
No problem, just I am still wondering what vitamin you dust crickets with. o_O
 
antcatcher11 said:
I am still wondering what vitamin you dust crickets with. o_O
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sorry :p

I'm not quite sure what the vitamin is called, but I believe it is some sort of calcium powder. Someone else may be able to help you there.
 
Nathan050793 said:
Don't worry, I'm not one of those people who always has to be right. I'm all for sharing ideas...isn't this what the forum is for?

I understand why you think 20 gallon tall is good...My only argument is that it would be much more pricey than a standard 10 gallon tank (which is also why I was pushing 10 gallon). Seeing as Joey is 15, I wouldn't expect him to have that sort of money... :eek:
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You make a good point! I didn't think of the "price" aspect. I agree with you that a standard 10 GL would be fine as well. Thank you for not taking offense to me.

As a side comment, I don't think this forum likes alternate methods...At least non of mine!

Best of luck to you Joey! I hope they entertain you for a long time!

jbherpin:D
 
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