Is this tank good for my newt?

[discoverlight]

I am planning on adding a lot more plants to my tank but until then is this an okay setup for my firebelly? I've changed it over 10 times to make it look as comfortable for my newt as possible.

 

[sde]

It looks pretty good. More plants might not be a bad idea, though.
The main problem I see is that the newts can crawl in the space between the sand and carpet, and so you might not see them all that much....
Other than that it looks pretty good. What species of fire belly is going in there?

 

[discoverlight]

Just a regular C. orientalis , Since I took the mollies I had in there out he's been going about the tank more. And about the floor, he has never had any interest going under it despite there being some openings (that I try to close with the rocks).

I actually have one in there, it's only a 10 gallon but I've had him for about half a year, I've just been constantly upgrading his setup with new plants and hides, so I was wondering if I finally got it right this time, I know I posted my previous setups and I got told they needed work so I'm planning off of those comments.

 

[Asevernnnn]

I would personally remove either the sand and silicone/anchor down the carpet, or remove the carpet so waste doesn't build up under the carpet, I don't really see the point in having the carpet on top of the sand, I feel it will just make a bigger mess and contribute to fouling water faster. And maybe buying some floating plants like elodea and hornwort. You could also raise the water level to nearly the top and add a piece of floating cork bark incase something were to happen to the water, but make sure you have an escape-proof screen lid.

 

[discoverlight]

I put slots in the carpet and put my plants through so they root into the sand/gravel mixture I have so they grow nicely. My anubia at the back has grown 3x bigger now that I have the sand there, but I noticed some type of orange string like algae/fungus growing on it. If you'd like I can post a picture I'm a little concerned.. I digress but It's really just for the benefit of my plants

 

[Asevernnnn]

I don't think the carpet will effect plant growth, just keep the sand and the plants rooted into the sand and remove the carpet lol

 

[discoverlight]

It's just easier to clean a carpet than the sand, unless theres an easy way to clean it. I was really torn on my cleaning since I'm in school and work and do water changes only when I need to.

 

[Asevernnnn]

You're going to have to remove the carpet and clean the sand anyway, its just adding more work, I just keep the siphon like a centimeter or two above the sand and no noticeable amount of sand gets sucked up. If all you do it clean the carpet, food and waste will build up under the carpet, fouling your water.

 

[discoverlight]

I clean the sand out good too, but that takes a lot of work, the carpet just keeps my plants more steady, I just find it useful to have :happy:

 

[Asevernnnn]

Well I guess if you take out the carpet and clean whats under it every week I guess it would be okay, just seems like more work in the long run, H. orientalis isn't really gonna disturb plants since they're so small.

 

[Azhael]

Definitely get rid of the carpet. It's an unnecessary complication that causes trouble and adds nothing to the tank. It may be "easier" to clean the carpet surface, but it makes it far more difficult to maintain the sand (which you don't need to clean thoroughly every time) and removing it so often is way too much of a disturbance.
Just keep a thin layer of sand, no more than an inch, add a lot more live plants and relax. The maintenance of that tank can be absolutely minimal if you do things the right way and that means a far more stable environment for the newt. As it currently is, the tank is far from ideal.