Question: Need beginner's rundown (read my circumstance before referring me to other posts)

[Reptiloso]

Im from Puerto Rico, a tropical island in the caribbean. The weather here is not too "newt friendly," but i would LOVE to get one. I'm thinking C. Pyrrhogaster or T. Granulosa, but i need tips on keeping the enclosure as cool as possible. I was looking at chillers on the internet, but even on ebay they seem to be quite expensive, and the cheaper smaller ones tend to have bad reviews (i would be using a 10 gal aquarium, so i don't think my chiller needs to be ultra-powerful, or does it?). As you can see, i really need your help, because i've been interested in newts and salamanders for some time now, but i'm getting frustrated...Thanks for your help guys!

 

[Greatwtehunter]

I'm not sure how readily available they are there but Cynops cyanurus would be a better choice for your circumstances. There are, however, a few other things you can do to lessen the effects of heat like having a fan pointed at the tank, partial daily water changes, placing the tank on the floor in a remote corner. For other methods have a read through this article on Cooling Methods.

 

[Reptiloso]

Thanx for the info. What about the European newts? Specifically the Triturus species? are any of them convenient or easy to take care of in the kind of weather that i live?

 

[Azhael]

The Triturus species, particularly the "cristatus complex" are very easy to care for, but require cold temps.

 

[Joost]

Cynops ensicauda ensicauda and C. e. popei can handle warmer temperatures as well. In my opinion they would be a better choise than C. cyanurus, which is more sensitive.

 

[Reptiloso]

I was thinking of getting a small chiller, i saw one "dolphin mc 788" while researching around the net, but i wanted to read your recommendations first.
Oh, and i'm visualizing a 10 gallon 50/50 setup, or 60water/40land. Should be enough for one or two. I was looking into Triturus Marmoratus. So thats the species i have in mind right now. Again, thanks for the help

 

[Reptiloso]

Oh and i also need to know if you guys can recommend a good couple of books on newts/salamanders as pets. Thanks again for the help!

 

[DeCypher]

I have re-spotted newts and it's been like 90 degrees all year and they're fine...and I would recommend the book Newts and Salamanders by Frank Indiviglio

 

[Reptiloso]

really? and you have no chilling equipment? thats interesting, maybe i shouldnt worry THAT much about lowering the temperature to lower or mid 70's. And thanx for book recommendation.

 

[Azhael]

Those temps are a very serious risk!!!
If healthy enough and provided that the temps are not constant, they may not be lethal, but they certainly increase hugely the risk of having problems.
Temperature directly affects the inmune system of caudates, and high temps render it useless, leaving the animal defenseless against patogens.
Definitely a VERY, VERY bad idea to allow the temps to reach such temps...very negligent.
It´s simple, if one can´t provide the necessary temps for the particular species he keeps, he shouldn´t keep them at all. Otherwise it´s called negligence.

PS: Please Psychopathic be careful with what you recommend. You say they are fine but you also comment that you just lost one because of fungus, and there´s one that doesn´t eat. I bet an arm that was directly related to the extremely high temps. I´m sorry if i sound harsh, but missinformation is a dangerous thing that this forum works hard to avoid.

 

[DeCypher]

sorry...i just say what has worked for me

 

[Abrahm]

Reptiloso, I know how easy it is to get fixated on a particular species and want to keep that. With the climate you live in, it would be best to look at what species would be easiest to keep. C. cyanurus or C. ensicauda ensicauda or C. e. popei are your best bets. Even with these species you should have backup plans for if your air conditioning cuts out, say during a storm.

Frank Indiviglio's book is an excellent choice for beginner salamander/newt care. Get the first edition orange border, if you can.

sorry...i just say what has worked for me

That's a bit disingenuous. I don't know the whole situation, but if you've lost a newt to fungus and have one that isn't eating it's not working too well for you.

 

[Reptiloso]

Thanx for the recommendation, i was looking into C. ensicauda and i see they can tolerate warmer(ish) temps. Anyway as for the chilling advice, someone told me i should go with a larger paludarium if i was going to use a chiller. My original idea was 10 gal. But i think 20 long is alright, no?

 

[Azhael]

Larger equals more stable, so if possible, go with a larger one. Instead of thinking, how small can you go, think the opposite, think how big can you go (to a rational limit, obviously xDD). The larger the volume of water, the easier it will be for you to maintain temperatures and the more resistant it will be to sudden changes.

 

[Reptiloso]

Well...i do have a 50 gallon tank with nothing in it...jej...we'll see