Melissa,
Ester is right, these dimensions make it an 18 litre-tank.
A rough estimate for a tank size for newts is delivered by the following formula, which can be found in the captive care guidelines for caudate species of AG Urodela („Haltungsrichtlinien“ in German):
Total length of <u>one</u> adult specimen in cm x 0,01 = floor space of tank in sqm for <u>two</u> newts respectively 1 pair.
Multiply this by 1,25 for each additional animal.
Height of the tank should be 1/3 to 1/2 of tank length.
Example: Take the length of an ordinary and average Cynops newt with e.g. 10 cm (for the sake of simplification).
10 cm x 0,01 = 0,1 sqm. 0,1 sqm is the equivalent of a tankbottom measuring 25 cm x 40 cm which is sufficient for a pair of firebellies. A tank with a 0,125 sqm bottom (ca. 30 cm x 40 cm) should thus be sufficient for three Cynops newts.
Note that these are estimates for minimum and long-term tank sizes for adult newts. Raising tanks for larvae, juvenile setups and short-term transport solutions might be stocked more densely. However, it is never good to overcrowd and the animals will also thrive in bigger tanks.
Hope this makes sense to you.
(Message edited by ralf on June 28, 2005)