New here...meet the new newt!

[caitlin]

Hey~
I just bought my very first newt ever. He was kind of a spur of the moment purchase, when I went to the pet store I was planning on buying another betta (mine had just jumped out of his tank and died five days ago

RIP Sumo II!) I never really even KNEW you could have newts as pets. I saw him and fell in love! So I bought him and named him Waffle (if you watch Nickelodean you know why I named him Waffle

)He is just your everyday fire belly newt, nothing too special about him, except he is adorable!

I took pics of the tank and of Waffle to see what you guys thought...obviously my experience with newt care is very minimal! Waffle seems to approve of his little habitat though.

It is only five gallons but that is all I can have in my dorm room. Waffle is pretty small and is the only inhabitant besides a snail, so I think he should be alright.

 

[jennifer]

The setup looks very nice. My only suggestion would be to remove most of the gravel. It just traps dirt. And watch out for the filter, it probably makes the water warmer (not a good thing for newts). What is the water temp?

If you haven't seen yet:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/faq/faq.shtml

 

[coen]

Nice setup.

Is there enough ventilation?

 

[annmarie]

IT looks cozy. Maybe if you want to get adventurous you can eventually add real plants. Its not necessary, just something nice. I really like his giant rock, do you know what kind of rock it is? I cannot quite tell.

 

[dawn]

I think it looks very nice!

 

[cameron]

I remember that show "Catscratch." My younger siblings watch it almost every day. That's a nice setup there too! That is a CFB right?

 

[caitlin]

Hey guys! Thanks! Mr. Waffle is doing great, he has quite the appetite. He likes to hide in the shallow water under the log, but he already comes out whenever I enter the room to beg for food.

I am working on the ventilation...Unfortuneately I can'd find a screen top that will fit my oddly shaped aquarium, so I am trying to cut the plastic one it has with a hacksaw so I can insert some screens. I can't just make a new top completely made out of screen, because the light fixture MUST have the plastic under it or ELSE!!! Well, actually, I don't know what would happen but I have a feeling it wouldn't feel good...

 

[jennifer]

If the lid has a lift-up portion, you may be able to remove that door and replace it with a screened door. I'm working on this kind of adaptation on one of my tanks, but still waiting for help from my resident carpenter. Good luck, and post photos when you're done!

 

[william]

that is a lovely set up! i'd keep an eye on that snail too.

 

[caitlin]

Unfortuneately, the tank is REALLY old, before the time of hinged lift up type lids! The top is a fitted plastic sheet with a tiny hole in the back to run cords through and a tiny hole near the front to drop food into. That's it! The only option seems to be to attack it with the hacksaw, which is kind of fun anyway so its no big deal

Keep an eye on the snail? For what? He has been leaving Waffle alone, and Waffle moves around enough that I don't think the snail would latch on. Waffle makes sure to hid under or on the log when he is sleeping or resting, and the snail can go in either of those places.

 

[caitlin]

Oh yeah, and I want to try live plants, but I am afraid that the moves that I make back and forth from college may kill them, any suggestions? Also, what is the best way to transport a newt? I only move maybe 4-6 times a year, but I don't want to cause him any undue stress.