New home for CFBN

[lexus465]

We just finished setting up a new home for our 4 CFBN. It is a 20L and mostly bare bottom. We would like to be able to get rid of the filter and just use plants. My question is how do you know when you have enough plants? Do you just hope for the best and keep an eye on the water conditions?

Here is a picture of our set up.

The plants, which I think are water weed or elodea canadensis, are a bit more spread out now. Also, when we get rid of the filter we can raise the water a bit more.

Here's a bonus of Wayne checking out his floating cork.

Thanks in advance for any advice! :happy:

 

[Azhael]

Hey lexus,
It´s generally adviced that the minimum volume of water for even a single of these newts should be 40 litres as that´s the minimum standard tank that will provide decent thermal and chemical stability. Maintaining water quality in a smaller volume is difficult as variations can occur very fast. Larger volumes provide better buffering of organic compounds and other chemical variables.
Given that you have 4 animals, i would strongly recommend observing the 40l minimum, and preferably even a larger volume as the bigger it is, the easier it will be to maintain and the more stable the conditions for the animals will be.
I also strongly advice you to remove the gravel. It can be accidentally ingested causing all sorts of nasty consequences and it will also trap debris, which in the deeper parts of the slope can potentially create anaerobic conditions which could be highly problematic.

As for the plants, don´t be afraid of having too many! Many of us like our tanks to be green blocks with some water in them xD This species really likes dense vegetation and completely still water. The filter will be entirely redundant if you have sufficient plants, as you know.
I see your animals are not fully aquatic. If they are not recent purchases (in which case, stress is to be expected after the hazardous importation), then this is most likely a sign of stress caused by inadequate water conditions. This may include the current and inadequate parametres, but also possibly, temperature.
In order for them to be fully aquatic, they´ll require optimal conditions. It´s easy to achieve them with a sufficiently large volume of water and the already mentioned vast quantities of plants. Floating plants like elodea, when forming dense mats near the surface are excellent enticers for the enwts to be aquatic. They feel safe being able to stay near the surface and poking their heads out. Before long, they´ll start diving and eventually become fully aquatic. This is much more difficult to achieve in most cases without surface plants, plus they prevent drowning.

Here you can see an example of the kind of plant densities i´m talking about:
http://www.caudata.org/forum/f1173-...eo-gallery/79855-siren-intermedia-update.html

Also, check this article:
Caudata Culture Species Entry - Cynops orientalis - Chinese firebelly

 

[lexus465]

Oops. I meant it is a 20 gallon long.

Only one is terrestrial but he seems to have problems swimming. One of his front arms is shorter and his hand is missing some fingers. But he had been in the water more since we got the new tank.

I will definitely look into getting more plants. Thanks for the advice.

 

[evut]

I would recommend getting rid of the filter - newts could climb in and get stuck inside. If you want to have a filter, an air driven sponge one is a much better option. It would also be much better if you raised the water level and got rid of the gravel, as Azhael said - just get another piece of cork bark or a turtle dock or something similar if you want to provide more land. This way you won't be restricted with the amount of water you can put in. More water will provide better conditions and stability.